Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake is an easy decadent dessert. Homemade rich cake with a molten center. No boxed cake mix or instant pudding!
This delicious, easy Dessert has the same gooey, chocolatey goodness as a fancy Chocolate Lava Cake but with half of the work and made in a slow cooker!
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Lava Cake Recipe
My crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake recipe is made completely from scratch with no boxed mix or instant pudding. You get the same rich chocolate cake with a fudgy, velvety center as a regular lava cake without turning on your oven. Cooked low and slow, the lid traps the moisture, steaming it slightly for a melt-in-your-mouth moist cake that’s guaranteed to impress!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar , divided
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder , divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar , firmly packed
- 1 cups hot coffee
- 1/2 cup hot water
Instructions
- Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking oil spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together milk, butter and vanilla until well combined.
- Add in (careful, ingredients are divided here) ¾ cup sugar, flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Add the mixture to your slow cooker.
- To your same large bowl add your brown sugar, hot coffee, water, remaining ½ cup sugar and remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder until well combined.
- Gently pour over your batter.
- Cook on high for 3 hours (you want the top of the cake to be dry) or on low for 5 hours.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Slow cookers are a staple for making easy family dinners, but they are also great to make your favorite dessert recipe easier too. Just like so many savory recipes, you can toss your ingredients into the slow cooker and in a few hours you have a ready-to-serve decadent dessert.
This is also a delicious dessert to make for a party. Start it beforehand so it is hot and ready to serve by the time you are clearing the table, without taking time away from your guests. This sweet chocolaty cake doesn’t need any frosting, just serve scoops of molten chocolate lava cake in bowls with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Chef’s Note: Easy Cleanup
To make cleanup just as easy as making this slow cooker dessert, I recommend that you grease the slow cooker insert really well. Use a generous spray of cooking spray directly on the crockpot, or you can line the slow cooker with parchment paper sprayed with baking spray. The parchment paper will make it easier to remove the leftover cake for storing.
How to Make
Time needed: 3 hours and 20 minutes
- Combine cake batter
Whisk the milk, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add ¾ cup sugar, flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder, baking powder, and kosher salt, then whisk until just combined with no flour streaks. Pour the mixture into a greased slow cooker.
- Add hot coffee mixture
Add brown sugar, hot coffee, water, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup cocoa powder into a heat-safe mixing bowl. Stir until well combined, then gently pour the mixture over the cake batter.
- Slow cook
Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours.
Topping Ideas
For an extra special treat, you can serve Slow Cooker Lave Cake with a dollop of Whipped Cream, and a drizzle of sauce like Salted Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Ganache. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the warm cake for a quick chocolaty topping, chopped nuts for some crunch, or fresh berries for sweet fruity flavor.
How to Store
- Serve: Lava Cake can be kept covered in the slow cooker on warm for up to 4 hours or at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Store: Transfer leftover cake to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm in the microwave in 30 second bursts to reheat for serving.
- Freeze: Once cooled, place the lava cake in a freezer safe container and press parchment paper on the top to prevent freezer burn. Freeze covered for up to 3 months and thaw overnight before reheating in the oven or microwave.
Variations
- Nuts: Sprinkle a ½ cup crushed peanuts, chopped pecans or sliced almonds over the top of the cake batter before adding the brown sugar hot water mixture.
- Vanilla: To make a Vanilla Lava Cake, omit the cocoa powder and increase to 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. For a funfetti cake, stir in ½ cup rainbow sprinkle or rainbow candy chips to the cake batter.
- Peanut Butter: Add dollops of creamy peanut butter on top of the cake batter before pouring hot water mixture over top. You could also stir in up to ½ cup mini peanut butter cups or peanut butter chips to the cake batter.
- Chocolate Chips: For more chocolatey flavor, fold in ½ cup chocolate chips to the cake batter like dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Cake Mix: Swap the dry ingredients in the homemade cake mix with a box of your favorite chocolate cake mix to make this recipe even easier. You can try devil’s food cake mix or chocolate fudge cake mix.
- Instant Pudding: For a fudgier, chewier cake, add a box of instant chocolate pudding mix. Sprinkle the instant pudding mix over the cake batter before carefully pouring the hot water mixture.
Related Recipes
More Gooey Chocolate Lava Cake Recipes
