Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake

A 5-ingredient slow cooker chocolate lava cake oozing with decadent chocolate flavors and made with cake and pudding mix. Make a restaurant-worthy dessert for your favorite chocolate lover tonight!

A molten lava cake is a huge hit and crowd-pleaser at any dinner party, and this recipe is not at all intimidating! It is quite a dump-and-go, great dessert, that you can effortlessly make in a crock pot.

Enjoy your own lava cake with only 5 simple ingredients, and minimal prep time, without any equipment or spending money in a fancy restaurant. Plus, it feeds a crowd!

What is Molten Lava Cake?

A molten cake aka lava cake, mi-cuit au chocolat, and chocolat coulant – is a decadent French dessert invented in the early 80s made of chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate center, which is usually frozen chocolate ganache or chocolate and cream in some modern recipes.

Molten cake and lava cake hence are the same cake, but fondant is a different French dessert. I know at the restaurants it may be confusing!

Ingredients Notes

• Chocolate cake mix (1 box). I love using boxed cake mix, it is such a genius shortcut for baking desserts. The Devil’s Food or triple chocolate cake mixes are really great. You can use vanilla mix and add cocoa powder to make it a chocolate lava cake. Use a gluten-free mix if you want to make the cake layer without gluten.
• Whole milk, cold. You can use alternative milk but I have not tested it yet.
• 3 eggs to make sure the mix is fluffy and rising nicely. Let them sit out on the counter to warm up to the room temperature.
• Oil to keep the boxed mix moist and tender. We need a neutral oil, so coconut doesn’t work, but canola oil is perfect.
• Instant chocolate pudding mix. If you want to mix the flavors up you can pick a different pudding flavor, the vanilla pudding would be one of the simple options. Jell-o is the easiest pick, of course. The pudding serves as the runny middle in the classic lava cake, but you can also make fudge sauce instead of pudding if you want a more liquid middle. Another replacement for the pudding is a simple mix of white and brown sugar, and cocoa powder sprinkled on top of the batter in the slow cooker. Then you pour evenly the hot water without mixing it. All 3 options are delicious.

Kitchen Equipment

• Your reliable slow cooker with a liner or parchment paper – the crockpot cake is a bit messy to clean up after.
• Handheld or stand mixer. You can also whisk the ingredients by hand.
• Scoop to serve the warm cake.

How To Make Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake

The cooking process for this crockpot lava cake is foolproof: mix the cake batter, prep the pudding, layer them in the slow cooker, and cook for a few hours on low heat.

Then serve warm and repeat because you will devour these 6 servings way faster than you think.

1: Make The Cake Batter

1. Grease the slow cooker. You can use butter, non-stick cooking spray, or even line it with a slow cooker liner or parchment paper.
2. Combine the cake mix, 1 ¼ cup of milk, eggs, and oil in a large bowl. Whisk well until the cake batter is smooth, free of lumps, and glossy.
3. If using an electric mixer beat on low speed and no longer than 30 seconds to incorporate all the ingredients and then for 2 more minutes to properly combine them on low or medium speed.
4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared slow cooker.

2: Prepare The Pudding

1. Combine the remaining milk with the instant pudding mix in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
2. Carefully pour that pudding mix directly into the center of the cake mix layer in the slower cooker. DO NOT MIX as package directions suggest.

3: Cook The Lava Cake

1. Cover and let the cake cook on low for 3 hours or until the sides of the cake become spongy and it is cooked in the middle completely.
2. Serve the cake while hot by spooning some of the cake and pudding lava into a bowl and topping it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
3. Served warm the cake melts the ice cream and you get the best flavors in every bite!

Storing Chocolate Lava Cake

Store leftovers of this decadent dessert in an airtight container at the counter for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Freezing. You can easily freeze chocolate lava cake tightly wrapped or in an airtight container for 2-3 months without toppings.

Reheating. To serve hot, reheat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, or in the oven on a tin foil at 350F for a few minutes.

Make Ahead. You can prepare the batter 2 days ahead or freeze it for 2-3 months and cook when ready.

Substitutions & Slow Cooker Lava Cake Variations

• Instead of using a boxed cake mix, you can make the cake batter from scratch.
• Need more ooey gooey chocolate goodness? Add a cup of chocolate chips such as dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or even white chips or peanut butter cups, depending on your preference, on top of the pudding.
• Topping ideas: ice cream, whipped cream and a maraschino cherry, berry jam or preserves, chopped nuts, caramel sauce, mini chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, or even hot fudge sauce. If you want to keep it simple just dust some icing sugar or brown sugar on top of the cake.

Pro Tips To Make The Best Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

• You can make lava cake in ramekins in the oven or even in the air fryer.
• Slow cookers vary in size and it may result in a slightly different cooking time. Some slow cookers can take up to 4 and a half hours to cook it, some do the cake in 2 on high.
• The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the edges comes out clean. The center may still be gooey.

Popular Questions

Is Molten Lava Cake Safe To Eat?

Molten lava cake is perfectly cooked through a cake that is totally safe to consume. The wet part inside the cake is melted chocolate or pudding that was already cooked.

Is Chocolate Lava Cake Not Just Undercooked Chocolate Cake?

No, the chocolate cake and chocolate lava cake are two different cakes. The lava cake is not undercooked, it has an oozing middle because it has real frozen chocolate or pudding inside that gets melted during baking, hence the name molten cake.

Why Did My Lava Cake Collapse?

If you add too much baking powder or too much cake batter in the form, or if you open the slow cooker lid or oven door too often to check on the cake, the lava cake can sink and collapse.

Why Is My Lava Cake Dry?

Overbaking or overcooking is the most common reason why the lava cake is dry. Molten lava cakes can also dry out if you overmix the cake batter or forget to cover it when you store leftovers. 

If you love this easy dessert recipe, you’re going to love these other tasty treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Slow Cooker Desserts

Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler with Bisquick

Cherry Dump Cake Recipe

Slow Cooker Blueberry Cobbler

Crockpot Cobbler with Cake Mix

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