Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake

bowl of chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and crushed nuts

5 from 8 votes

Crockpot chocolate cake is rich, gooey, and filled with chocolate flavor. Even better, this crockpot cake takes just minutes to prep and then cooks completely in your slow cooker so you can add your ingredients and let the delicious aroma fill your home, totally hands-free.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crockpot cake, crockpot chocolate cake, crockpot lava cake, Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake

Servings:

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Jamielyn Nye

Equipment

Slow cooker

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup Nutella or peanut butter, or cookie butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips , any kind would work great

For the Topping:

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water

For serving: whipped cream, powdered sugar, Nutella, chopped nuts, hot fudge, ice cream

Instructions

To make the cake: Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients, mixing well. Fold in the Nutella and chocolate chips. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker.
To make the topping: Add the cocoa powder and sugar to a small bowl, then pour the boiling water over the top. Stir until dissolved, then pour the mixture over the top of the cake batter in the slow cooker. Do not stir!
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for two hours, or until the top layer has puffed up and is set.
To serve, scoop into bowls and add desired toppings like whipped cream, hot fudge or chopped nuts. Enjoy!

Notes

I used an 8 qt crockpot for this slow cooker cake. The recipe should work just fine in other sizes, but you may have to adjust your cooking time slightly.
Make sure to spray the crockpot base to avoid sticking!
Unlike a traditional cake, you will not be able to remove this cake in its entirety. To serve, just scoop out individual portions into a bowl.
Leftovers will keep 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I would recommend a quick blast in the microwave before eating, as it tastes much better warm.

Nutrition