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Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake is a rich, indulgent dessert that couldn’t be easier to make! This homemade cake recipe utilizes pantry staples that you probably already have in your kitchen right now. The best part? The slow cooker pretty much does all of the work for you!
Is there anything more sinful and decadent than a giant piece of chocolate cake? I truly live for a warm, gooey, chocolate cake for dessert more times than I can count. It’s my kryptonite and the fact that you can make this chocolate cake recipe in the slow cooker?! Count me in! There’s nothing I love more than a dessert that practically bakes itself without much work.
Why You’ll Love This
- It’s so easy to make. Set it and forget it! The beauty of using a Crockpot is that you can guarantee it’s an easy recipe. Of all the homemade cake recipes I love, this really might just be the easiest one to whip up!
- Rich and decadent. While this recipe may be easy, we’re not cutting any corners here when it comes to flavor or consistency. You’ll love how every chocolatey bite of this cake is fluffy, yet oh so rich.
- Budget-friendly. You probably have everything you need (or close to it) in your kitchen right now. Even if you do have to run to the store, your shopping list will be delightfully short – and sweet!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make chocolate cake in the slow cooker. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.
- Flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Canola oil
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
- Garnishes – hot fudge, ice cream, powdered sugar, whipped cream
How To Make Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake
This Crockpot chocolate cake could not be any easier to make! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Stir together the wet ingredients. Stir the milk, canola oil, and vanilla together.
Combine. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Be careful not to over-mix! Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Cook the cake. Pour the batter into your greased Crockpot and cover with a towel and lid. Cook on high for 1.5 hours.
Enjoy! Serve your cake with all the best toppings like hot fudge, ice cream, powdered sugar, whipped cream and berries.
Substitutions and Variations
The base of this Crockpot cake recipe can’t change too much, but there are some ways you can still make it your own:
- Change up the chocolate chips. You can use milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate chips here. In fact, you can have fun and use virtually any flavor of chocolate chips. They even have unicorn ones at the store now!
- Make it gluten-free. To do this, simply swap the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free alternative. All of the other ingredients should be naturally gluten-free, but always check your labels just in case.
- Use a milk alternative. If regular dairy milk isn’t a part of your diet, no worries! You can swap it out with oat milk, soy milk, or any other alternative you prefer. Just note that your consistency may be slightly altered, but your end results should still be scrumptious.
Tips for Success
Make the BEST Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake when you use these easy tips!
- Use a towel. When you place a towel over the Crockpot that’s held in place by the lid, the cake retains so much more moisture as it cooks. It’s such a simple hack that’s totally changed how I make any Crockpot cakes!
- Don’t over-mix the batter. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, it’s important to do so until they’re just combined. If you over-mix the batter, your cake won’t end up fluffy and soft.
- Measure your ingredients with care. This is true for making ANY cake recipe! Measure your ingredients with care – even a little bit too much or too little of something like flour or baking powder and completely change the consistency of the cake.
- Use parchment paper for easier removal. If you line the Crockpot with parchment paper, you’ll be able to lift the cake out and present it on a serving plate.
- Don’t let it keep cooking! This is HUGE. Make sure that you remove the slow cooker insert from the heated portion of the cooker once the cake is done cooking or it will continue you too even after you have turned off the heat or the edges of the cake will likely burn.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Crockpot chocolate cake will stay fresh for 3-4 days when kept in an airtight storage container at room temperature. Just be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight.
If you want your cake to be warmed (and served with ice cream… swoon) then just microwave it for 10 seconds at a time or less until it’s warmed to your liking.
More of the BEST Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes
Here’s a quick list of just a few of my favorite chocolatey desserts! From one chocolate lover to another, I hope you enjoy these easy-peasy cake recipes:
- Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake
- Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
- Better than Sex Chocolate Cake
- The Best Chocolate Mug Cake
Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) flour
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk
- 3 Tablespoons canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips
- Optional garnish: hot fudge, ice cream, dust with powdered sugar, whipped cream
Instructions
- Spray the inside of your 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, canola oil and vanilla. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients (flour mixture). Stir just until mixed. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the cake batter into the crock pot and smooth out the top.
- Place a towel over the crockpot (held in place by the crock pot lid). This helps to keep moisture from building up on the surface of the cake.
- Cook at high power for 1.5 hours or until set.
- Spoon the servings out of the slow cooker and top with things like, hot fudge, ice cream, dust with powdered sugar, whipped cream and berries!
Notes
- If you want to be able to neatly remove the cake from the slow cooker, you will need to line it with parchment paper.
- Make sure that you remove the slow cooker insert from the heated portion of the cooker once the cake is done cooking or it will continue you too even after you have turned off the heat or the edges of the cake will likely burn.
