Healthy Slow Cooker Chocolate Fudge Cake

 
At the BlogHer Food Conference in Miami, multiple brands sponsored the event and set up booths in the wide hallway between the grand breakfast hall and smaller breakout rooms. The friendly PR people smiled at us as we walked by, offering tote bags with samples of their various products and encouraging us to take as many as we could fit in our suitcases.  

While walking up and down the aisle, I sipped on chocolate milk, nibbled on mozzarella cheese, crunched on crisp brownie bites, tore off bits of sweet rolls, munched on gourmet baked chips, tasted my first kale smoothie, and downed more servings of Averie’s cakes than I care to admit. (I was seriously SO excited to try her recipes in person — I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning!)

When I wandered by the Hamilton Beach booth on the first day, a blonde lady behind the table offered me a small plastic condiment cup with a two-bite serving of chocolate cake, freshly scooped from the inside of one of their slow cookers.
 

 
She asked if I’d like whipped cream too, and I could only nod, still completely shocked that it was possible to bake a cake inside of a slow cooker. The woman explained that the lid trapped in lots of moisture that often gets lost in a conventional oven, lending the cake a denser and fudgier texture. As I swallowed, my mind went blank — except for two words.

Pure bliss.

Although I immediately put it on my mental To Do List, I promptly forgot as soon as I returned home, mesmerized by dulce de leche and in desperate need of large caffeinated frappuccinos after getting a mere 12 hours of sleep over the course of 3 days. Besides, there was one other tiny caveat…
 

 
I didn’t actually own a slow cooker!

I had borrowed my mom’s tiny two-person one last fall since my tiny kitchen lacked shelf space. (The rice cooker, donut maker, mandoline, and ice cream maker ended up precariously stacked on the office closet’s shelves.)

But when I visited my parents last week and finally remembered my brilliant idea, my mom immediately pulled her regular-sized slow cooker off of the shelf and encouraged me to test recipes. After a little tweaking…
 

 
I finally perfected this healthy slow cooker chocolate fudge cake! With its rich flavor and dense texture, it’s truly a chocoholic’s dream. Every slice tastes like an oversized piece of dark chocolate fudge! Topped with fresh sliced strawberries or a bit of raspberry compote — or simply served plain! — this decadent cake is pure dessert perfection.

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE A HEALTHY SLOW COOKER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Almost every recipe I found for “Crock Pot/Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake” started with a boxed chocolate cake mix doctored up with milk and pudding mix. While those probably taste divine, I wanted to create a from-scratch recipe — but one that was still just as easy to make.

So I did! This simple recipe uses typical pantry ingredients — nothing fancy that requires an extra trip to the grocery store. Just whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another; then combine them, almost exactly like a cake mix. That’s right: there’s no chocolate to melt!
 

 
Without any melted chocolate, all of the flavor comes from cocoa powder. You’ll actually add more cocoa powder than flour to give the cake its rich dark chocolate flavor. Just like with flour, make sure you measure the cocoa powder correctly using this method. If you scoop either straight from the canister, you’ll end up with 1.5 times as much, which would really dry out your cake, turn it crumbly, and even make it bitter — instead of the rich, dense, and fudgy texture we’re going for!

Note: I HIGHLY recommend buying a kitchen scale for this reason! I adore my inexpensive one. It makes measuring everything a breeze! Many sacks of flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, and gluten-free), sugars, cocoa powder, and other ingredients already include both the cups and metric measurements on the side in the Nutrition Label. Just spoon the ingredients directly into your bowl until you reach the appropriate weight! No measuring cups to dirty — and one less thing to wash is always a plus in my book!

To help keep this slow cooker chocolate cake really moist, you’ll also mix Greek yogurt into the batter. It’s one of my favorite healthy baking ingredients! Here, it provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil (but for a fraction of the calories!). It adds a protein boost too!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SLOW COOKER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Let’s talk about how to make the best healthy slow cooker chocolate fudge cake! This recipe is simple and straightforward, but I still have some tips for you.

Just like with many of my cake recipes and cupcake recipes, alternating additions are mandatory. Add the flour mixture, followed by the milk, and continue switching between the two, stirring in each until they’re just incorporated. Alternating additions help prevent over-mixing, which would over-develop the gluten strands and turn your cake tough and chewy. Yet by using alternating additions, your healthy slow cooker chocolate cake turns out really moist and fudge-like instead!

I used a 5-quart slow cooker (this model), but the recipe should work in a 6-quart one as well. The cake may be slightly thinner, and the cook time may be a little shorter. It’s okay to peek early to make sure!

Coat the inside of the porcelain insert with nonstick cooking spray, and wipe off any oil that gets on the rim where the lid rests. Otherwise the lid won’t make a tight enough seal, and you’ll lose some of the moisture that’s created during the cooking process. This cake batter is fairly thick (and that’s intentional!), so spread it evenly across the bottom.

A few hours later, check on the center of the cake. When it has just barely set and doesn’t look liquidy anymore, it’s done! Shut off the slow cooker, remove the lid, and let it cool for 20 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to prevent it from over-baking. I know it’s tempting to serve it directly from the slow cooker, but the sides could burn if you left it in any longer!
 

 
With the irresistible aroma of dark chocolate wafting throughout the entire house, my parents and I immediately left to run errands… Mainly to avoid the temptation of diving straight into this healthy slow cooker chocolate cake! After our first bites, all words escaped us, and we each snuck back for seconds. I wrapped up the remaining cake in plastic wrap before bed, and it actually turned even fudgier overnight!

Between the three of us, this rich cake disappeared in less than 48 hours, so I’m already planning on baking it again… And again… And again…
 

 
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amys.healthy.baking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy slow cooker chocolate fudge cake!

Healthy Slow Cooker Chocolate Fudge Cake

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 12 slices

This chocolate cake basically tastes like fudge! It’s really rich and dark, and it turns even fudgier the longer you let it rest. Whether served plain or topped with fresh strawberries or raspberries for a sweet pairing, this cake is sure to please any chocolate lover! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly sealed inside of plastic wrap. It should keep for at least four days, if not longer!

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients 

• 1 ¼ cups (200g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (144g) coconut sugar or granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk, divided

Instructions

• Lightly coat the ceramic bowl of a 5-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. If any cooking spray lands on the rim where the lid rests, carefully wipe it off with a paper towel.
• Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add in the sugar, yogurt, and ¼ cup of milk, mixing thoroughly until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, stirring just until incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts and the milk in 2 equal parts.)
• Spread the batter into the prepared bowl. Cook on low for 2 ¼ to 2 ½ hours, or until the center no longer looks moist and feels barely firm to the touch. Remove the lid, turn off the slow cooker, and cool the cake in the ceramic bowl for 20 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the cocoa powder and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will make your cake dry or crumbly, and too much cocoa powder will also make your cake taste bitter.

 

IMPORTANT COOLING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s really important to let the cake cool completely. If you slice it while it’s still warm, the texture will be cakier and not so fudgy. If you can manage it, wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap, and let it sit overnight. It turns even moister and fudgier the longer you wait, and each slice basically tastes like a jumbo piece of fudge!

 

SLOW COOKER NOTE: This is the slow cooker that I used. A 6-quart slow cooker should also work fairly well. It may be thinner and take less time to bake. It’s okay to peek early! Go by the look and feel of the center of the cake.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

COCOA POWDER NOTES: I like using Hershey’s regular unsweetened cocoa powder because it’s affordable, easy to find, and has a good chocolate flavor. I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which affects the taste and texture of your cake.

 

BUTTER ALTERNATIVES: Coconut oil or any neutral-tasting oil may be substituted for the butter.

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar or granulated sugar.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.

 

REGULAR OVEN METHOD: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Coat a 9"-round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread all of the batter evenly into the pan, and bake at 300°F for 32-37 minutes, or until the center is just barely set. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving.

 

HOW TO STORE: The cake should last for at least four days if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly sealed inside of plastic wrap.

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake
♡  Healthy Chocolate Bundt Cake
♡  Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Extra Fudgy Brownies
♡  Healthy Triple Chocolate Cookies
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy slow cooker recipes and healthy chocolate recipes!