Crockpot Lava Cake — This is an easy, no-mixer cake that’s super soft, gooey, moist, rich, and fudgy. As the cake cooks, it creates its own hot fudge sauce! For the full experience, serve with ice cream or whipped cream!
Table of Contents
- My Favorite Crockpot Dessert
- What’s in Crockpot Lava Cake?
- How to Make Crockpot Lava Cake
- Can I Cook This Crockpot Lava Cake on Low for More Time?
- Can I Make Hot Fudge Cake Without a Crockpot?
- Tips for Making Crockpot Lava Cake
- Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Chocolate Cake Recipe
- More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes:
My Favorite Crockpot Dessert
This is only the second dessert I’ve made in my slow cooker and it certainly won’t be the last. It’s an easy, no-mixer Crockpot lava cake that’s super soft, gooey, moist, rich, and fudgy.
It’s a unique cake in that there’s no butter or eggs (an accidentally vegan cake) and you pour boiling water over the cake batter before turning on the slow cooker. It’s the boiling water that creates rich hot fudge while the Crockpot cake bakes.
There are other non-slow cooker recipes that utilize the same boiling water technique, including the decades-old infamous Hershey’s cake, but it was a first for me. It reminds me a bit of my Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes because it’s so fudgy and gooey.
I loved the hot fudge that formed and that was waiting for me underneath the slow cooker cake. Who can resist chocolate cake studded with chocolate chips, dripping with hot fudge, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream?
My family raved about this Crockpot lava cake and said it’s better than any you’d get in a fancy restaurant. Despite how fudgy the cake is, the texture of the crumb is surprisingly soft and light.
It’s a perfect party cake that you can easily make at the beginning of a dinner party or event and when you’re ready for dessert, the Crockpot chocolate lava cake is done and everyone can dig in. It’s a new go-to cake that will both impress guests and is a cinch for me to make. Set it and forget it.
What’s in Crockpot Lava Cake?
To make this Crockpot hot fudge cake, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Boiling water
How to Make Crockpot Lava Cake
- To make this easy Crockpot cake, first stir together the dry ingredients and then mix in the wet.
- Turn the batter into your slow cooker.
- Then, whisk together a mixture of sugar, cocoa powder, and boiling water and carefully pour it into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
Can I Cook This Crockpot Lava Cake on Low for More Time?
I have not tested the Crockpot chocolate lava cake recipe using the low heat setting and can’t speak to baking time or results.
Can I Make Hot Fudge Cake Without a Crockpot?
If you want to make a similarly gooey chocolate cake recipe, I recommend making my Easy Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes instead.
Tips for Making Crockpot Lava Cake
You can use any type of milk you’d like in this Crockpot dessert recipe. I used cashew milk, but regular milk can be used as well. For an even richer cake, use chocolate milk.
Once you whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water mixture, pour it over the cake batter already in the Crockpot but DO NOT stir. If you stir the sauce into the cake batter, you won’t wind up with a proper hot fudge cake.
Lastly, note that all slow cookers vary so cook just until the Crockpot lava cake is done. Start checking at just over one hour to ensure you don’t overbake the hot fudge cake. My cake was done at 90 minutes.
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Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¾ cup milk, I used cashewmilk; chocolate milk may be substituted
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- ice cream and/or whipped topping or whipped cream for serving, optional but recommended
Instructions
- Line a 6-quart slow cooker with a liner if using one. Tip – I prefer to use liners for easy cleanup and storage, see step 8. Spray liner, or base and sides of slow cooker, very well with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add the milk, oil, vanilla, and stir until just moistened.
- Turn batter out into prepared slow cooker and spread it into a smooth, even, flat layer.
- Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips; set aside.
- To a medium bowl (the same one you already used is fine, just wipe it clean with a paper towel), add 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, the boiling water, and whisk to combine.
- Carefully pour the hot cocoa-water mixture over the batter in slow cooker. Do not stir. This mixture turns into hot fudge while the cake bakes; do not stir.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Start checking at just over one hour to ensure you don’t overbake (no raw egg issues to worry about). My cake was done at 90 minutes. All slow cookers vary so cook until cake is done.
- Remove the top portion of the slow cooker (the ceramic bowl the cake is cooking in) from the base (heating element) to allow cake to cool momentarily before serving. I recommend serving with ice cream and/or whipped topping or whipped cream.
Notes
- I have not tested the recipe using the low heat setting and can’t speak to baking time or results; nor have I tested it using smaller-sized slow cookers.
- Cake is best warm and fresh but will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temp, noting the sauce absorbs into the cake by the second day. Storage is much easier if you use a liner because you can lift the entire liner out, cake and all, and place in an airtight container.
- Adapted from BHG and Betty Crocker
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted February 19, 2016 and reposted on February 2, 2024 with updated text.