Slow Cooker Molten Chocolate Cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! Moist chocolate cake with gooey, fudgy filling, cooked magically in the Crock Pot!
Molten Chocolate Cake
Slow Cooker Molten Chocolate Cake is one of my favorite indulgences! Rich molten chocolate cake is a divinely decadent cake with a rich and creamy chocolate filling in the center. The liquid center can be chocolate, caramel, or any kind of fruit filling. It also goes by the name chocolate lava cake, or lava cake, because of the warm, liquid center. Using a Crock Pot makes it so easy to throw ingredients in and watch them transform into a beautiful layered dessert. Serve with whipped cream or a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have a sinfully sweet treat that everyone will love!
Tips for Slow Cooker Molten Chocolate Cake
- Follow the layering instructions outlined in the recipe card below. I know it seems strange to put the filling ingredients on top, but trust me on this. During the cooking process, the top becomes the outer layer of the cake and the bottom becomes a gooey, chocolate caramel filling. It magically reverses during cooking!
- Be sure to follow the recipe exactly. The secret is not mixing the layers together, no matter how much you want to. Your slow cooker should look just like this photo below before putting the lid on to cook:
- Molten Chocolate Cake slow cooks for 3 hours. I like the convenience of being able to prepare this cake ahead and time it so we are ready for dessert right when the 3 hours are up. This also makes it a great dessert to have for hosting a shower, book club, or Bunco night. Rich chocolate fragrance fills the whole house while it’s cooking, which is one of my favorite parts!
- The ease and convenience of this recipe are a big bonus. Clean up is a breeze! Ingredients are layered in the slow cooker lined with parchment paper or a slow cooker liner, which keeps the sides from burning. If you have a slow cooker that tends to burn in one spot, you can place some aluminum foil under the parchment paper in that spot. Then the mess can all be crumpled up and thrown away when you are done.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
If you love chocolate cake as much as we all do, here are a few of our favorite must-try recipes:
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nothing Bundt Cake –Â A rich, moist, and delicious chocolate cake that tastes just like the cake you can buy from the Nothing Bundt Cake store.
- Carnival Cruise Warm Melting Cake– Have you tried the Carnival Cruise Line Warm Chocolate Melting Cake? If you’ve been on a Carnival Cruise, you know how decadent it is. If not, you can indulge in this decadent chocolate melting cake at home.
- Flourless Chocolate Cake– This Flourless Chocolate Cake is by far the easiest version I have ever made and it tastes just as good as more difficult recipes. It is light and decadent and has a rich chocolate flavor. And spread over the top is a silky smooth chocolate ganache.
- Chocolate Pudding Cake– This Chocolate Pudding Cake is probably the easiest chocolate cake recipe out there. There are only 4 ingredients!
- Better Than You Know What Cake – Turn a basic chocolate cake mix into a divine dessert. A chocolate cake filled with sweet, caramel filling and topped with toffee bars.
How to Make Slow Cooker Molten Chocolate Cake

Slow Cooker Molten Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Crock Pot Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the first layer:
- parchment paper
- 1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
For the second layer:
- 3.9 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix (1 package)
- 2 cups milk
For the top layer:
- 1 bag Rolo mini candies unwrapped
Instructions
- Cut out a large piece of parchment paper and place it in your slow cooker on low heat, then lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Mix together the cake mix, milk, oil, and eggs for the first layer and beat for two minutes. Pour into the parchment paper in the slow cooker.
- Mix together the instant pudding and milk and beat for two minutes, then carefully and evenly pour the pudding over the cake layer in the slow cooker- but DO NOT MIX IT IN!
- Carefully arrange a layer or Rolo mini candies over the top of that, but DO NOT MIX IT IN!
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for about 3 to 5 hours, cooking time will vary depending on your slow cooker. Cake is ready when a toothpick placed in the center half way down comes out clean.
- When finished cooking, the top will become a layer of chocolate cake, and underneath will be a gooey, chocolate caramel sauce.
- Spoon into individual bowls, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Video
Nutrition Information
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What size slow cooker do you need?
We used a 6 quart!
Can you double the recipe for a large crowd
You can double it, but you will need two slow cookers. It won’t cook correctly in one slow cooker with double the ingredients. Thank you for asking!
Do you think this can be assembled in the crock and sit for several hours (cold) before cooking?
I haven’t tried this before, so I’m not sure how it would work. I would be worried that the layers would mix together while sitting and it wouldn’t have the right consistency.
If i prepare separately and put into individual Tupperware and assemble later, do you think that would work?
Btw test running it tonight but subbing with gluten free cake mix & f/f lactaid milk!
That might work!! Let us know how it turns out!
Love this! A great way to enjoy baked goods without heating up the kitchen. I’m excited to try it! Also great tip on lining the slow cooker with parchment paper — I love the liners but when we’re out of them I just resign myself to having to wash the insert. Great idea!
Am I able to double the recipe? If so what are the cooking times. How many does it serve
I have never tried doubling it but I imagine that cooking time would be the same. Let me know how it turns out!
Have you ever doubled the recipe. Does it come out ok
Excellent recipe!!!! My kids loves this cake very muchh. This cake is better also for for kids than others. Thanks alot!!!
Mine has been in there for 5 hours and still not cooked. Would it hurt to put it on high?
You can try putting it on high to see if it cooks through faster. Are the edges cooked at all?
I just put it on high after 3.5 hours. It is starting to cook faster.
Do you actually make the pudding, from directions or is the mix dry?
The mix is dry when you add it with the 2 cups milk for the second layer. Thanks for asking!
Do you have to use parchment paper? I prefer just to spray crock pot?
Yes, you can make this without the parchment paper if you prefer. Do spray the crock pot so it doesn’t stick to the sides. Thanks for asking!
What could u substitute to make it white chocolate? White cake mix vanilla pudding but what candies?
That’s a tough question. I think I would probably try white chocolate chips and caramel bits. The caramel bits can be found near the chocolate chips in most grocery stores. It sounds good – let me know how it turns out.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m going to use sea salt caramels instead of Rolos, I hope it works. I love chocolate, caramel, and sea salt together. Could you substitute a white cake mix with vanilla pudding and peanut butter chips? I love peanut butter and white chocolate together too.
The white cake mix with vanilla pudding and peanut butter chips should work great. It sounds delicious!
4hrs on low & still not cooked! Will definitely give it longer next time!
I am having the same problem! It is taking way longer. Good to know I didn’t mess something up!
it took about 5 + hours to cook!!!! I am thinking maybe you should tell us what size crockpot you used to have it cook in 3 hours!!!! although it took so much longer….it was quite delicious….I can’t wait to make it again…but this time I’m either going to have to start in many hours in advance or try a larger crock pot to do this recipe
You were the hit of the potluck! My crockpot might be bigger; I accidentally made a family-sized pudding recipe and barely had enough to cover the cake layer. My temp might be different as well — it needed about 3.5 hours on low to set to my liking.
If anyone is on the fence about this, give it a go. Seriously, amazing. I was practically signing autographs and getting papped before the potluck was over. Thanks so much!
That is fantastic! Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe. I’m so glad it was a hit!
What is the pax for this recipe ?
I’m not sure what you mean by “pax”? Can you elaborate?
No parchment paper, no problem..I just used cooking spray on the crock pot. In addition, I couldn’t find the Rolos, so I went with Carmel Kisses.. yes a lot of unwrapping but oh so worth it.. my family and friends raved, (and drooled) and begged for more.
So happy you liked it! Caramel kisses would be great! yum!
I cooked this exactly like the recipe. At three and a half hours it was still like soup. Continued on for another 30 minutes and still the same. I know crock pots are different but I would have thought that at least by 4 hours it would have set at least some, but it never did. Any suggestions on maybe what went wrong? We still loved it even though it was like pudding. Thank you very much.
Sorry, I’m not sure what went wrong. Did you stir it all together?