Chocolate crockpot lava cake is a delicious chocolatey dessert perfect for any occasion. Make a simple dessert feel like a luxury with basic ingredients and a few quick steps.
Save This Recipe to Your Inbox
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you’ll join our email list and can unsubscribe anytime.
Chocolate lovers everywhere can rejoice with this easy dessert recipe. Made with just a few simple ingredients and a moment of your time, you can have a warm, gooey chocolate lava cake in no time.
While we usually bring out the crockpot for savory recipes like 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops, Crockpot Chicken with Enchilada Sauce, or Slow Cooker Cabbage with Bacon, it's nice to switch things up a bit and invite a sweeter recipe into the mix.
This Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake never lasts long around here, and it's not hard to see why. I say it feeds 8 servings, but I've also seen a crockpot of this cake get demolished by just me and the two kids, haha.
Jump to:
💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. All you need is boxed cake mix and instant pudding, making this an easy, kid-friendly recipe. We love Recipes with Boxed Cake Mixes because they're so convenient!
- Incredible flavor. Every scoop has soft chocolate cake, gooey pudding, and melty chocolate chips. Add a scoop of Peanut Butter Mason Jar Ice Cream for the ultimate treat.
- Fast for a slow cooker! Unlike typical crockpot desserts, this one is ready in about 2 hours. Prep it before dinner, and dessert's ready when you are.
🛒 Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Mix. You'll need a box of chocolate cake mix. Any brand or flavor will work, so if you want to use Devil's Food cake, feel free to do so. If you still have cake mix on hand, check out my Microwave Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes and Devil's Food Cake Mix Brownies.
Instant Pudding Mix. You'll want to use a box of instant pudding mix (chocolate flavored). You can use a 3.4 ounce sized box or a 3.9 ounce sized box as there isn't a difference between the two when used.
Milk. Cold whole milk will help to set the instant pudding properly, so use it as directed on the package.
Chocolate Chips. If desired, add in some chocolate chips for added flavor and rich chocolatey goodness.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Flavor Swaps: You can swap out the chocolate cake mix and the instant pudding mix for different flavors to create new and exciting recipes! Vanilla cake, spice cake, banana pudding, butterscotch pudding, etc.
Toppings. You can serve your delicious chocolate cake with just about anything from ice cream to whipped cream, powdered sugar, and more.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use store-brand mixes. Generic cake mix, pudding mix, and even chocolate chips taste just as good as name-brand options, but cost significantly less.
Skip the chocolate chips. They add richness, but the cake and pudding alone still create a wonderfully gooey lava texture, perfect when you're stretching the grocery budget.
Watch for sales. Cake mix and pudding mix often go on sale around holidays, stock up when they're $1 or less and keep a few boxes on hand for budget-friendly desserts anytime.
🥄 Instructions for Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake
Step 1: Spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside.
Step 2: Add all of the ingredients needed to prepare the cake mix (according to the package directions) into a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Whisk together until well mixed. Set aside.
Step 4: Add the cold milk and pudding mix into a large mixing bowl.
Step 5: Whisk together until all of the lumps are gone (or most of them). Let rest 3 minutes to thicken and set.
Step 6: Pour your prepared cake batter into the greased crockpot.
Step 7: Top with the pudding (placing it in the center) and then sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.
Step 8: Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on High for 2-2.5 hours until done.
Step 9: Garnish with fresh fruits and powdered sugar, if desired.
Step 10: Scoop and serve warm. The lava should be pooled in the center, so you'll want to scoop some of that area out with every serving.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Monitoring Time: Towards the end of the cooking time in the crockpot, check on your cake to see if it's finished early or not. Different crockpots may run at different temperatures, so your cake may be done earlier than the 2-hour mark.
- Visual Cues: You'll know that your Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake is finished when the cake batter portion no longer looks wet. Instead, it will have a matte finish on top, indicating that it's fully cooked.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
Storage: If you don't finish all of the cake in one sitting, you can save the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend eating the cake while it is freshest and warm, though, as that is when it will taste its best!
Reheating: We had a lot of success reheating single sized servings of this lava cake on a plate in the microwave for about 1 minute.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Serve this crockpot lava cake warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or fresh berries for a classic pairing. It also tastes great with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, or alongside a cold glass of milk or hot coffee.
- 10 Minute Salted Caramel SauceRecipe $2.02 / Serving $0.25
- Caramel Iced CoffeeRecipe $0.47 / Serving $0.24
- Pink Chocolate Covered StrawberriesRecipe $2.33 / Serving $0.47
- Chocolate Covered Cheesecake StrawberriesRecipe $5.53 / Serving $1.38
❓ Recipe FAQs
Lava cake is not raw in the middle. Traditional lava cake has a filling of chocolate ganache that, when heated, becomes a thick chocolate goo inside of the cake. We use chocolate pudding instead for similar results.
Yes, this is a cake that should be kept stored in the fridge when not being eaten for food safety purposes.
These cakes are usually served hot or warm. They taste great at room temperature and chilled too, but the "lava" filling is best when warmed and runny.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Chocolate Orange CakeRecipe $8.17 / Serving $0.68
- Tres Leches Layered CakeRecipe $18.24 / Serving $1.14
- Rainbow Heart CakeRecipe $6.92 / Serving $0.58
- Vegan Apple Upside Down CakeRecipe $2.22 / Serving $0.28
🐝 If you tried this Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (6 quart or bigger)
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix - ($1.00)
- 3 large eggs - ($0.45)
- 1 cup water - ($0.00)
- ½ cup vegetable oil - ($0.35)
- 2 cups milk, cold - ($0.40)
- 1 box (3.4 ounce) instant chocolate pudding mix - ($0.83)
- 1 cup chocolate chips, optional - ($1.07)
Instructions
- Prep slow cooker. Spray the inside of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or lightly coat with oil.
- Mix cake batter. Whisk together the chocolate cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl until smooth.
- Mix pudding. In a separate bowl, whisk the cold milk with the instant pudding mix until mostly smooth. Let rest for about 3 minutes to thicken.
- Assemble. Pour the cake batter into the prepared slow cooker. Spoon the pudding mixture into the center of the batter without mixing. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top, if using.
- Cook. Cover and cook on High for 2 to 2 ½ hours, until the edges are set and the center is molten.
- Serve. Scoop and serve warm, making sure each portion includes some of the lava center. Garnish if desired.
Notes
- Flavor Variations. Swap cake and pudding flavors such as vanilla cake with chocolate pudding, spice cake with butterscotch pudding, or banana cake with vanilla pudding.
- Doneness. The cake is ready when the edges look dry and matte while the center remains soft and lava-like. Cooking time may vary by slow cooker.
- Reheating. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Best enjoyed fresh and warm.
Nutritional Information
Save This Recipe to Your Inbox
Enter your email and we'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you'll join our email list and can unsubscribe anytime.
Comments
No Comments