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This Crockpot Cake is a perfect warm chocolate cake that you can make in a slow cooker. It even makes it’s own pudding frosting and it’s pure heaven!
Chocolate Cake Recipe in the Crock Pot
This crockpot cake is similar to dump cake, hot fudge cake, or a lava cake, but it is made in the crockpot or slow cooker. It truly is a warm and delicious treat that I love to make because it’s SO good. If you’re a chocolate cake lover you’re going to want to be making this recipe on repeat. It’s a from scratch fluffy cake that makes a chocolate pudding sauce or frosting – serve it warm with ice cream and you’ll love it.
Ingredients Needed
- Sugar: The only sugar you need for this recipe is granulated sugar.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder – you can use dutch process too.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Milk: Use any kind of milk that you like best (nondairy works too)
- Water: This water will need to be boiling and creates the pudding.
How to make Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake
- Whisk dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa). Stir in oil, vanilla, and milk.
- Whisk sugar, cocoa, and salt into boiling water.
- Add cake to the liner of a crock pot. Top with chocolate water.
- Add a paper towel to the top of the insert and cover with the lid. Set to 2 hours, but check at 1 hour and again at 1.5 hours.
Can you substitute cake mix?
If you want to turn this into a semi-homemade cake, make cake batter from cake mix according to package directions and add to crockpot. Make the sauce as directed in the recipe and cook the same – be sure and check after an hour, etc. You can use a chocolate or yellow cake mix.
Expert Tips
- There are no eggs in this cake, making it the perfect cake for people with allergies!
- This chocolate cake tastes good alone, but I always add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Not all slow cookers cook the same – be sure to check the cake at 1 hour and again at 1.5 hours because your crockpot might cook faster than mine.
Storing and Freezing
Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also freeze leftover cake for several months (although it tastes best fresh).
FAQ
This recipe was written for a 6-7 quart slow cooker. I don’t recommend using anything smaller.
For this version you do not need a pan – the cake Cookes right in the insert.
Yes but it will take longer – just be sure and check it after about 1.5 hours if cooking on low.
Crockpot Cake Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237ml) milk
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup (237ml) boiling water
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Add oil, vanilla, and milk and whisk until smooth.
- Spray the insert of a 7-Qt slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Pour cake batter into insert.
- Make the topping: add the cocoa, salt, and sugar to the boiling water and whisk to combine. Slowly pour over the cake batter in the crockpot insert.
- Cover the insert with paper towels, place in crockpot and place lid on top of paper towels.
- Set time for HIGH for 2 hours. Check cake after 1 hour and then again at 1.5 hours. Cake will look wet in center but the edges will look done and a toothpick will come out clean near the edge when done. All slow cookers cook differently, mine took 1.5 hours.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
I am bringing this to a crock pot party. Should I cook ahead and just warm it there? Sounds delicious!
It depends how long before you want it served. If the party is long and you don’t want it served until the end, then that’s fine. You can also make it at home and then just warm it up on a low setting there!
I had a dinner party the other week, kitchen was too busy with food to bake desert so I whipped this up in the crock pot and couldn’t believe how it turned out! I already loved my crockpot but now even more knowing that amazing deserts can be made with it =) Great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!!
I am very excited to try this! I have never baked in a crock pot before. To ensure the cake is not under or over baked, what is the test? Dry toothpick method? Or….?
With the fudgy sauce on it, will I be able to tell when it’s done?
Thank you so much for your guidance, AND for sharing your awesome recipes! I’m so glad to hav found you! : )
If I remember correctly with this cake, the sauce floats to the bottom, so you can somewhat see when it’s done. The center shouldn’t be jiggly, and you can try the toothpick test. Just make sure to watch the edges – often those get done first in the crockpot, especially if one side cooks faster.
Can this be doubled in a slow cooker?
Seriously delicious. I made this for our day-after-Thanksgiving dessert party, because it didn’t require the oven and it seemed like a worthwhile gamble. My twenty-year-old daughter took two bites and said, “Always make this, for everything, forever, from now on.” Terrific recipe and couldn’t be easier. Thanks for posting it!
Made this last night, my first slow cooker cake! I’m not a big cake person but the ooziness of this recipe was enough for me : ) The cooking time is right on, I used my small crockpot which cooks pretty hot and it was ready within two hours. I added a little Nutella to the chocolate as well, I can think of tons of variations that would be delicious! Thanks.
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