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This Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake is a game-changer: Warm, gooey chocolate cake (made from scratch!) nestled in a river of thick fudge sauce. Make this easy, luscious dessert right in your crockpot. Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or both for an extra special treat.
Meggan’s notes
Many Lava Cakes start with a cake mix and a box of pudding, but I don’t usually keep those around much. As a classically-trained chef with plenty of pastry experience, I wasn’t settling for anything less than a from-scratch chocolate lava cake.
I also thought the idea of doing it in a slow cooker was so great! Fun, unique, interesting, and EASY. So fire up your crockpot and try out this self-saucing chocolate cake. It’s amazing!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cocoa powder: Look for the unsweetened baking cocoa powder, not the mix for making hot chocolate. Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder will work in this recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
To make the cake batter:
- Coat a slow cooker with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredient in to the well and whisk until smooth.
- Pour into the bottom of a slow cooker.
To make the topping:
- Whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder until evenly combined. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the slow cooker.
- Pour the hot water over the top of the batter and topping. Do not stir.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 5 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in to the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, spooning the chocolate sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker over the top. Garnish with maraschino cherries if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 6 cups of Lava Cake, enough for 6 servings, 1 cup each. If you’re serving this at a party with other desserts, you can probably feed 10 to 12 guests.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
- Keep it warm: If your crockpot switches to “warm” after it’s done cooking, you can leave it in the crockpot on the “warm” setting for at least 2-3 hours without changing the cake. For example, I cooked the cake on LOW for 5 hours, then left it in the crockpot for 2 more hours on the “warm” setting, and it was still perfect.
- Double recipe: Double the ingredients and it will still fit in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 5 hours or LOW for 4 to 6 hours (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.)
- Half recipe: Half the ingredients fit nicely in a 2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 3 to 4 hours (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.) A perfect dessert for your romantic Valentine’s Day meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, that’s not a good idea. At the request of a reader, I tried it out. The “sugar topping” is actually the underlying fudge layer. If you make just the cake, it is not sweet enough, the chocolate flavor is lacking, the whole cake is dry, and it might even burn in the bottom of your slow cooker. I suggest making the cake as written, sugar topping and all.
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Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the cake topping:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 cups hot water
For serving:
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
- Maraschino cherries optional
Instructions
To make the cake batter:
- Coat a slow cooker with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredient in to the well and whisk until smooth. Pour into the bottom of a slow cooker.
To make the topping:
- Whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder until evenly combined. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the slow cooker.
- Pour the hot water over the top of the batter and topping. Do not stir. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 5 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in to the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, spooning the chocolate sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker over the top. Garnish with maraschino cherries if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cocoa powder: Look for the unsweetened baking cocoa powder, not the mix for making hot chocolate. Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder will work in this recipe.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 6 cups of Lava Cake, enough for 6 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
Hi Meggan,
Do you think this would be appropriate for a Christmas potluck? What kind of cocoa do I need? I have unsweetened cocoa. Do I need to increase the sugar because I’m using unsweetened cocoa? Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk. (I really hope you reply!)
I think it’s a great idea! Unsweetened cocoa powder, not unsweetened chocolate, is what you will want to use. And 2% milk will be just fine. (One reader even made this with almond milk). I hope you have a great potluck! – Meggan
Recipe is great, ty!
I messed it up tho, somehow got the 1/2 recipe measurements confused with full. They’re listed so close to each other on the page..dont know if anyone else has had this problem. My own fault for not paying attention but might I suggest a little more of spread between the recipes.
Excellent tho, ty for sharing with us.
Rated 4 stars for ease of putting together. Currently baking in my crockpot. Very excited to see the end result! Got a question though, can the leftovers be refrigerated or frozen? Thanks for a lovely smelling and easy recipe!
Made this and added cinnamon and a touch of chilli with some crushed walnuts
It was a hit, seriously delicious with minimal effect
Thank you
You’re very welcome Monique!
Oh my goodness!!! What a wonderful recipe!! I was looking for a way to use up some brown sugar with a slow cooker and found this recipe. What an amazing find! I used the gluten free Bisquick flour as an alternate and it turned out better than any restaurant cake my family has ever had. Thank you so much for the recipe and all the tips. We will definitely be making it again!!
OMGH!!! is really yum! easy recipe to follow. i have a slow cooker, but couldnt wait for hours b4 eating this gooey thing…. so i took up the suggestion of another commentator using oven. but i cooked it at 180 degrees celsius for about 40mins. yes, i too agree it will have more complex flavour if use extra instant coffee in the mix. is autumn days here in australia, so really comforting snack. i didn’t expect it to be so fluffy. P.S i did use a tad more butter and milk….
I made this today and really pleased with the outcome. It was beyond amazing! My hubby doesnt have a sweet tooth so I cut the sugar amount in the recipe by 1/4. Still great tasting. We had it with vanilla icecream. Saving the recipe. Thank you so much, it is definitely a game changer. I’m not buying any chocolate cakes from the market from now on!
I am a little confused about “pour” into slow cooker because it definitely does not pour.
I am making 1/2 the recipe of the lava cake so there is only 1/4 c milk and a little less than 3 tbs. butter for liquid so it is more the consistency of icing. Did I do something wrong.
I am just going to use a spatula and spread it in the bottom at the slow cooker and hope for the best🙂
Hi Diana, you’re right. It doesn’t pour. It’s more like – scrape? I have made this as a half recipe several times, so I really think you will be fine. It might just look odd, but by the time it’s done, I think you’ll be happy. I hope so. If not, please tell me. I care and want to know! I’ll fix the wording in the post. Thanks, Diana! – Meggan
I found it a little “meh” because something was missing, so I added 1 teaspoon of coffee to the full version and it did wonders!
This recipe also works well in the oven too if you don’t have time for the slow cooker. I used the full version in a 9″ round, glass baking dish, 350° for roughly 40 minutes. Came out just as good as in the slow cooker!
Hi Barb, I’m definitely going to try your coffee idea. You’re probably right, it’s probably lackluster depending on your tastebuds. An extra pop of flavor is always welcome! And your tips for using the oven are so appreciated. That’s the kind of thing I always want to figure out but there aren’t enough hours in the day. I appreciate your help so much! Thanks again! -Meggan
Can I make this without the ”sugary topping?” In other words, just the ”cake” part? If so, same cooking time?
Thanks.
Hi Gene, I’m not really sure if that would work. I know I call it a “sugary topping” but if you look at the pictures, it ends up looking like a normal cake. Then again, I think that sugary topping somehow winds up on the bottom anyway. I can test it without and let you know what happens, and if it turns out well, how long it took. I’ll work on it today (Sunday 1/12). Thanks! -Meggan
Hi Gene, I finally got around to testing this. Sorry it took me an extra week. The cake is BAD without the sugary topping. Really disappointing. It’s rubbery, not sweet enough, the chocolate flavor is seriously lacking, and it actually burned in the bottom of my slow cooker. So, you need the sugary topping. Which I think is actually the fudgy lava layer underneath. It’s very delicious and apparently very necessary. Thanks for the question! I updated the post with my findings. Take care and thanks again – Meggan
Doubled it (used large 8qt), lined with wax paper… and it was DELICIOUS. I also tried using coffee instead of the water and it was good too, but I think I overdid it (husband loved it), I liked it with the water better. This is perfect for the chocolate lovers… now we need you to create one that is a LEMON pudding or VANILLA pudding cake LOL Please
Thank you!!
Hi Kerri, I will add it to my list of things to do! A vanilla or lemon one… yum! I will try to get one out in the spring for you!