Crock Pot Chocolate Lava Cake

Crock Pot Chocolate Lava Cake is a delicious chocolate cake with a bed of warm fudge sauce, topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

Lava Cake baked in the slow cooker.

You may be asking yourself, ‘a cake in a crock pot?’ Yes, I know it might seem a little outlandish, but this dessert is so amazing you need to try it before you knock it! I am sure that you and your family have at least been out for dinner and ordered a molten lava cake for dessert. It usually comes out in a small, single serving bowl enough for everyone to have a bite or two. My Crock Pot Chocolate Lava Cake turns your entire slow cooker into a chocolate lava pool! This dessert goes a long way so that everyone can enjoy their own big serving!

CROCK POT CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

Have you ever had that one dessert where you know it’s too good to be true? This, my friends, is that dessert. This wonderful lava cake is so delicious and easy to make. All the ingredients are dumped right in and then the slow cooker does the rest of the work! Baking cake in the crock pot is one of the best ways to do it, because it will cook slowly and evenly. The combination of the fluffy chocolate cake and warm fudge hidden beneath makes for an unforgettable treat!

Lava cake baked in the slow cooker.

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Cake

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)
  • 5 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract

Fudge Sauce

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/4 cups boiling water
Lava Cake baked in the slow cooker.

INSTRUCTIONS

Chocolate Cake

Grease the insert of a large (5 to 7-quart) crock pot with cooking spray. Mix the sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, melted butter, and vanilla until combined. Spread the batter evenly in the bottom of the greased crock pot insert. 

Fudge Sauce

Whisk both sugars and unsweetened cocoa together. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the cake batter. Carefully pour the boiling water evenly over the top. DO NOT STIR! Cover with lid and cook on high heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours OR cook on low heat for 3 ½ to 4 hours. When a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out mostly clean it is ready. Turn off heat and remove the lid. Allow cake to sit for 15 minutes or until it has cooled down slightly. Serve warm cake with whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Lava cake baked in the slow cooker.

SERVINGS

This recipe yields 8 servings. For my family of 5 that is more than enough for all of us to enjoy a very healthy serving of dessert. Kale, and Kallen, always go back for a second round and there is always plenty for that. This is a great dessert to make for a small birthday celebration, or if you plan to have a couple of friends over for dinner!

TOPPINGS

Vanilla ice cream and whipped cream are my favorite toppings for this lava cake, but the sky is the limit! Top it with any of your favorite cake toppings such as: caramel sauce, sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc.

Lava cake baked in the slow cooker.

​​ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE OF MY FAVORITE CHOCOLATEY DESSERTS!

Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes – A personalized version of the rich and warm chocolatey dessert.

Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies – A soft chocolate cookie that is topped with a fluffy marshmallow and chocolate drizzle.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies – Rich, dense, and fudgy chocolate brownies that are guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream – Soft and fluffy chocolate cupcakes with a buttercream infused with bits of Oreo cookies.

Lava Cake baked in the slow cooker.

Crock Pot Chocolate Lava Cake

This delicious chocolate cake is baked in the crock pot with a bed of warm fudge sauce. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for the ultimate dessert!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 Tablespoons salted butter melted
  • 1/2 cup milk (I use 2 %)
  • ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract

Fudge Sauce

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 ¼ cups boiling water

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

  • Grease the insert of a large (5 to 7-quart) crock pot with cooking spray. Mix the sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, melted butter, and vanilla until combined. Spread the batter evenly in the bottom of the greased crock pot insert. 

Fudge Sauce

  • Whisk both sugars and unsweetened cocoa together. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the cake batter. Carefully pour the boiling water evenly over the top. DO NOT STIR! Cover with lid and cook on high heat for 2 to 2 ½ hours OR cook on low heat for 3 ½ to 4 hours. When a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out mostly clean it is ready.
  • Turn off heat and remove the lid. Allow cake to sit for 15 minutes or until it has cooled down slightly. Serve warm cake with whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @lifeinthelofthouse or tag #lifeinthelofthouse!
 *Recipe updated 4/6/24*

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63 Comments

  1. So yummy Holly! I love getting new ideas from your blog on how to quench my chocolate cravings! I made it just how you said except I used dark chocolate(that’s all I had) and it turned out great! DELICIOUS!

  2. I made this for our New Year’s Eve celebration and it was DELICIOUS! I made another version with a cake mix and a box of pudding mix that turned out ok. Then I came across this recipe and decided to try it. As I put it together I wasn’t quite sure since the cake part is really think. Then it seem like it wasn’t going to be moist enough after I sprinkled the brown sugar and chocolate on it. But it was incredible and SO much better than the boxed version! My daughter couldn’t wait the 20-30 minutes and thought it was too runny. Yet I waited about 20 minutes and it was perfect.

  3. Made this today and it was excellent! Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. The family couldn’t wait for it to cool for 30 minutes. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top. Definitely will make it again.

  4. Mine is cooking as I’m typing and smells AMAZING! I used parchment paper as a barrier and was contemplating doubling the recipe for my big crockpot. GLAD I didn’t because it really rises! Thanks so much for the recipe!

  5. This is seriously the most delicious cake ever! It completely tops Chili’s molton lava cake. It was even good the next day, because it made a lot and I couldn’t justify eating it all. Plus it was great motivation to actually study… It was super good cold also. It becomes super gooey and delicious. A must have recipe.

  6. I made this & i must say even though I only ate 2 small tips it was very good… I love making everthing from scratch.. I didn’t want to do the box & add pudding so I tried this… it was amazing & came out perfect it cook for 2 & half hours I toke the led off and turn it off… I let it set for over a hour… came some to husband & kids with cool whip on the top.. they all love it…… thank you soooo much.. this re I’ve is a keeper…

  7. My mom used to make something like this and baked it in the oven. This is so much easier and it turned out great. It’s a keeper, ladies!

  8. 5 stars
    I made this for dessert tonight for the whole family and they said this shouldn’t be allowed lol. It’s really great! I want some more, but my rear end says I better not lol. Thank you!!

5 from 3 votes

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