Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center
This easy crockpot lava cake bakes a warm chocolate cake on top of a layer of molten sauce. You stir a cake mix batter into the pot, pour a cocoa and sugar mixture with hot water over the top, and let the slow cooker do the rest. Spoon it out warm, and the sauce is already underneath.
10
servings15
minutes3
hours30
minutesA simple chocolate cake batter bakes over a layer of molten cocoa sauce in the slow cooker. Spoon it warm for gooey chocolate in every bowl.
Ingredients
1 box (15.25 oz) devil’s food cake mix
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk
1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups very hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Whipped cream, for serving
Directions
- Grease a 6-quart slow cooker well with butter or nonstick spray.
- Whisk the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla in a large bowl for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the slow cooker.
- Stir the sugar, cocoa and salt together in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the cocoa mixture evenly over the batter. Do not stir it in.
- Pour the hot water slowly and gently over the back of a spoon so it spreads over the top. Do not stir.
- Lay a clean kitchen towel or two paper towels under the lid to catch steam.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
- The cake is done when the edges are set and the center looks just barely set and wiggles a little.
- Turn off the heat, uncover, and let it rest for 10 minutes, then spoon into bowls with ice cream.
Notes
- Do not overbake or the center loses its molten sauce. The cake looks soft at first and sets as it rests. Serve within 2 hours of cooking. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.
Why lava cake is easy in a slow cooker
A classic lava cake is a small cup of batter baked at high heat so the outside sets before the inside. It is easy to overbake, and it needs to be eaten right out of the oven. The slow cooker gives you a gentler way to make the same effect.
Here, a layer of cocoa, sugar and hot water sinks to the bottom while the cake batter rises on top. The cake sets in the steam, and the liquid becomes a thick, fudgy sauce underneath. You do not need to time it down to the minute, and the cake stays warm for hours. The finished dessert is soft and spoonable, with a fudgy sauce that pools at the bottom of each bowl. It is perfect when you want something warm and chocolatey without much work.
Ingredient notes
Devil's food cake mix: It makes a deep, dark chocolate cake. A plain chocolate mix works too, but the flavor is lighter.
Instant chocolate pudding mix: It keeps the cake moist and adds a fudgy density. Do not use cook-and-serve pudding.
Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chips melt into small pockets of chocolate through the cake.
Cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa makes the sauce taste deeply of chocolate. Sift it if it is lumpy.
Hot water: It dissolves the sugar and cocoa and helps the sauce form under the cake. Use water that is very hot from the kettle or tap.
Vanilla extract: A teaspoon rounds out the chocolate flavor.
Tips for a gooey, not soggy, cake
Do not stir the water in: The layers need to stay separate. The batter on top turns into cake, and the water and cocoa below becomes the sauce. Stirring it all together gives you a soupy cake.
Use the towel trick: A towel under the lid catches steam so it does not drip onto the cake and make it wet and gummy.
Avoid the most common mistake: Overcooking. If the center is fully set, the sauce is gone. Start checking at 2 hours on HIGH and stop when the center barely jiggles, since it keeps setting as it rests. Use a larger oval slow cooker if you have one, since a wide pot cooks the cake more evenly than a tall, narrow one. If your cooker runs hot, check it 15 minutes early.
Swaps and variations
Stir a spoonful of espresso powder into the cocoa for a deeper flavor. Use peanut butter chips or chopped peanut butter cups in the batter for a peanut butter version. Add a handful of raspberries on top before serving for a tart contrast.
Do not use a cake mix with pudding already added, plus the pudding mix. The extra thickener makes the cake too dense and the sauce too thick. A sprinkle of flaky salt on the finished cake sharpens the chocolate flavor.
What to serve with it
Serve each bowl warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which melts into the sauce. A little whipped cream, fresh berries or a dusting of powdered sugar finishes it. Coffee or cold milk is the classic partner.
Storing, freezing and reheating
Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. The sauce thickens as it cools, which is normal.
Reheat single portions in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds until warm and gooey again. Freezing is not recommended, since the cake turns dense and the sauce separates. A small scoop of ice cream placed on a warm portion turns the sauce even smoother. A few raspberries on the side cut the sweetness nicely.
Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center at a glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cooking time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Servings: 10 servings
- Ingredients: 13, led by box (15.25 oz) devil's food cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, whole milk
Tips for Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center
Do not overbake or the center loses its molten sauce. The cake looks soft at first and sets as it rests. Serve within 2 hours of cooking. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.
Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center FAQ
How long does Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center take?
Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center takes 3 hours 30 minutes of cooking after 15 minutes of prep.
How many people does Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center serve?
This recipe makes 10 servings.
What do I need to make Easy Crockpot Lava Cake with Gooey Chocolate Center?
13 ingredients, led by box (15.25 oz) devil's food cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, whole milk. Amounts are in the recipe card above.
