A family favorite, this slow cooker chocolate lava cake is rich, and OH SO moist. With a dense cake floating on top of a homemade chocolate pudding, all without hardly any work–or heating up your kitchen, this will become your go-to dessert. Free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nut; vegan; top 8 free.
First off, have you been dying to get this recipe since I posted that teaser clip on Instgram? I hope the wait wasn’t too bad!
I’m just going to be up front and warn you now, there are 3 and one-half cups of brown sugar in the recipe. I figured I’d tell you at the first for two reasons. 1.) Because then you know it’s going to be DELICIOUS. 2.) So you don’t die when you read the recipe below. I’ve literally started making it before, thinking I had enough brown sugar, only to run out mid-recipe. So, stock up now!
Now that you’ve picked your jaw up off the floor–how are you all surviving the August heat?? We’re surviving thanks to my slow cooker. So don’t worry, if you’ve got a hankering for some chocolate cake, but don’t want to turn your oven on–you can still indulge! (After you make this chocolate cake, check out my other slow cooker recipes.)
I made this at least three years ago somewhat consistently. It was fabulous for family get-togethers. Everyone would enjoy it, even those without restricted diets. Everyone would enjoy it, especially with the jello pudding that I made, even those without restricted diets. I mean, a fudgy, warm, chocolate cake dripping with chocolate lava aka hot chocolate pudding will please just about anybody. And, then sadly–lost it. I switched Pinterest accounts and it got buried. Anyone else have their Pinterest favs get buried? (Also, are we Pinterest friends yet??)
Out of the blue, the recipe came to my mind. I’m pretty sure it was angels whispering it in my ears. I was stoked to remember it and got to digging around on Pinterest.
When I told my husband what I was making, I wondered if he’d remember–and I could tell instantly by the way his face lit up. This was one of his favs!
It is so easy to make–only requires one bowl, and then you simply dump it in your slow cooker. Be sure to have some safe vanilla ice cream to go on top to help cut the richness, and well–because there’s nothing like cold ice cream on top of a warm cake. Puddles of yumminess in every spoonful.
And, lest you worry–this lava cake has tons of pudding below. It’s magic, but somehow the cake is floating on an ocean of chocolate pudding, and there’s plenty to spoon on top of the cake when you’re serving it (if you can’t tell by my overflowing pictures!)
Lastly, this is my fav dessert to make when I have people over–not just because you will please absolutely everyone with chocolate lava cake, but because I don’t have to do much. I can put it in the slow cooker and then worry about the rest of dinner. By the time we’re done eating, I have an impressive dessert I almost forgot was cooking (except for the divine smell wafting all over my kitchen.)
If you’re looking for a chocolate cake, but need it to be keto, check out this recipe from fellow blogger, Cassidy, from Cassidy’s Cravable Creations, keto chocolate cake recipe. Or, you can check out this flourless chocolate lava cake from One Lovely Life. Or my Flourless Chocolate Torte.
Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nut free; top 8 free; vegan)
Yield:
8 servings
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
2 hours
Total Time:
2 hours 15 minutes
A family favorite, this slow cooker chocolate lava cake is rich, and OH SO moist. With a dense cake floating on top of a homemade chocolate pudding, all without hardly any work--or heating up your kitchen, this will become your go-to dessert. Free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nut; vegan; top 8 free.
Ingredients
CAKE Ingredients:
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rice milk
- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour already has this in the blend)
LAVA (AKA chocolate pudding) ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups Boiling Water
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and turn to high.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum. Stir in the rice milk, coconut oil and vanilla until combined. Spread the batter evenly in the slow cooker.
- Over high heat, put 4 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to a full boil.
- While it comes to a boil, take the bowl that had your cake mix in it and mix the sugar and cocoa. You can do this in a separate bowl, but I prefer to do less dishes. Sprinkle the combined mixture over the cake batter evenly.
- When the water is to a full boil, measure out 3 cups. You'll notice I had you boil 4, I like to do more to make sure that if any has evaporated by the time I get to it, I still have enough for the recipe. Pour the three cups of boiling water over the cake mix.
- Do not stir in the boiling water. Immediately put the lid on it and allow it to cook 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes. Each slow cooker is a bit different. Since you can't put a toothpick in it, since it's going to have the lava--aka chocolate pudding underneath the cake, look for the cake to start pulling away from the sides.
- Serve while it's still warm with a safe vanilla ice cream over it.
Adapted from: Life in the Lofthouse
Pin it now, so you don’t loose it! And, be sure to check out my other allergy-friendly Pinterest boards!
Hi! I’m Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I’m a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly–it’s an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with the hope that they help you as you manage your food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!
Related Recipes:
Gluten & Dairy Free Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (Top 8 Free Too!)
Slow Cooker Apple Pear Cider
Gluten Free Dairy Free Italian Pork Sliders
Slow Cooker Pork Tacos (Gluten & Dairy Free Options!)
Dairy Free Creamy Green Chile Chicken (Instant Pot + Slow Cooker Directions)
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Salads (GF, DF, Egg, Soy, Peanut, Tree nut Free, Top 8 Free)
Emily
I’m excited to make this but can’t tell if the slow cooker should be on low or high. Could you clarify? Thank you!
Megan Lavin
So sorry about that Emily. It should be high, as stated in step one, but I get that can be easy to miss. Especially when you’re excited to make it. I hope you enjoy it!
Lynsey
I have wanted to try this for a while. I made your taco soup and a soup from your instant pot cookbook and needed a dessert (feeding a crowd). This was so easy to assemble and then just leave to cook without needing to watch it or anything. SO good! I need get more brown sugar 😉 but plan on making this again!
Megan Lavin
Yes, it’s crazy how much brown sugar it calls for…but SO worth it. Glad you liked it.
Steph
Hi,
I’d like to try this for my son but he also can’t have coconut. Is there something I could substitute the coconut oil with please ? Thank you
Megan Lavin
Hi Steph, I would think any neutral tasting oil should work, though I haven’t personally tried it. If you try it, please report back!
Anj
Hi Megan,
Do you know if I could make this in small ramekins using the pot in pot method in the instantpot? I have a child with multiple food allergies and she has been asking for a Lava cake (volcano obsessed). I found your site through the Spokin app and I cant believe all the recipes on here! Thank you for sharing them with us and making life just a little easier!
Megan Lavin
Hi Anj. I have never tried it. If you do, please report back. So glad the Spokin app is working well for you. The owner is so awesome.
Kelly
So excited to try this! I’m confused on the pudding part haha. How do you make it and when do you put it in? Help! ?
Megan Lavin
Hi Kelly. This recipe is magic. The water that you add at the end, ends up turning into a pudding on the bottom. There is no need to make the pudding separate. Just follow the directions, and it will work!
Tracy Asklar
I followed your recipe that was in your Allergy Mom’s Lifesaving Instapot Cookbook & kept getting a BURN error. Has anyone else had this issue and if so how did they resolve it?
Megan Lavin
Hi Tracy! I’ve heard this from several readers. I think I’ve figured out the problem. I recipe tested all of my instant pot recipes on the model I currently had, and then afterwards got another instant pot and tried it again and it burns every time. Instant pot models vary widely (even though they’re the same brand.) I would recommend using the slow cooker version instead of the cookbook’s instant pot version. I’m so sorry, I wish this wasn’t the case and that their models were more standardized.
Megan Olvera
Do you think this could be doubled and then slow-cooked in an 8-qt cooker?
Megan Lavin
Hi Megan (great name!). Good question. I would think so, it may take a bit longer to cook. I’ve never tried it, but I’d love to hear if you try it.
Sarah McFarland
Can regular all-purpose flour be substituted for the gluten-free flour?
Thanks
Megan Lavin
Yes! And then just omit the xanthan gum as well.
Susan Adams
Once you measure out the 3 cups of water so you pour that into the cake mixture? & then covered it?
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Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by. Sorry the directions were confusing. Yes, you will pour the 3 cups of boiling water onto the cake mixture and then cover it. Hope you enjoy it!
Colleen
Mmmmmm, delish! Reminds me of those pudding cakes we used to make as kids. Cann you do this in the oven instead?
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Hi Colleen! I’ve never tried making it in the oven–I’ll put that on my list of to-dos. If you try it before I do–let me know! 🙂
Elle @ Only Taste Matters
I love everything about this recipe! I can’t wait to try it! Pinned!
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Thanks so much Elle! 🙂
Sarah McFarland
What size slow Cooker do you use and can you just use regular all purpose flour in this recipe?
Megan Lavin
I use a 6 quart. And yes, if you want to use regular flour, omit the xanthan gum 🙂