At BlogHer Food in Miami this past May, multiple brands sponsored the Conference 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—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 generally gets lost in a conventional oven, lending the cake a denser, fudgier texture.
Pure bliss.
Although I immediately put that 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 just 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 our tiny kitchen lacked and shelf space. (Our rice cooker, donut maker, mandoline, and ice cream maker ended up precariously stacked on the office closet’s shelves.)
But when I came to visit my parents last week and finally remembered my brilliant idea from the spring, 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…
Skinny 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, and topped with fresh sliced strawberries or a bit of raspberry compote, this decadent cake is pure dessert perfection on a plate.
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 healthier from-scratch recipe that was just as easy to make.
So I did! This simple recipe uses typical pantry ingredients—nothing fancy that requires an extra tip 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!
But without any melted chocolate, all of the flavor comes from cocoa powder. We’ll actually add more cocoa powder the flour to give the cake that rich dark chocolate flavor. Just like with flour, make sure you measure the cocoa powder correctly with the spoon-and-level 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 and turn it crumbly instead of the dense, fudgy texture we’re going for!
Note: I HIGHLY recommend buying a kitchen scale for this reason! I adore my inexpensive EatSmart one. It makes measuring everything a breeze! Most sacks of flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, and gluten-free too), 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!
Just like with most of my cake 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. Not good!
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 that moisture that’s created during the cooking process. The batter is fairly thick, 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 would 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 to avoid the temptation of diving straight into this Skinny 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…
This low-calorie cake practically tastes like fudge itself! It’s really rich and dark, and it turns even fudgier the longer you let it rest. Serve topped with fresh strawberries or raspberries for a sweet pairing.
- 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: For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (35g) brown rice flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum.
You could also make this cake in a 6-quart slow cooker. It may be thinner and take less time to bake. It’s okay to peek early! Just go by the look and feel of the center of the cake.
Some readers have had success baking this in a regular oven. To do so, lightly 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 and serve as directed.
It’s important to let the cake cool completely. If you slice into 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 fudgier the longer you wait, and it’ll practically taste like an oversized piece of fudge!
The cake should last for up to 4 days wrapped in plastic wrap on the countertop.
This looks like it could work! ? my oven needs repair. Did I miss temperature? Do I use cooker on high or low? I read all these comments and no one asked. Jeez I going to go over it again. I feel like ?because no one else asked my question. Maybe my slow cooker is old and only has high and low.
Sorry forgot my manners, just going to fast. Please and thank you
?
Hah! Found the temp in instruction part three
I was looking for it I a preheat which it looks like we don’t pre-heat,like in a pressure cooker.
Talk about Murphys Law my cake pan for my pressure cooker grew legs and took off.
Thank you again for your time and effort of this site. ??
No worries, Christine! I missed your last comment, so… I just responded about Step 3! ? No preheating necessary! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake, and I hope your oven is fixed soon too!
Hi, my oven is broken for now and I was going to make this but was wondering if I could use substitutes for what I dont have on hand. I only have whole milk plain yogurt, could I substitute that for the Greek yogurt? Would it be a 1:1 ratio? Also, I don’t have butter so could I substitute pureed avocado? I read you could substitute that for butter, or should I substitute my virgin coconut oil for butter? Thank you!!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Cynthia! Yes, your whole milk plain yogurt will work as a 1-to-1 sub for Greek yogurt! I’d recommend using your coconut oil in place of the butter for the best results. (I’m incredibly allergic to avocado, so I have no experience with that and can’t vouch for its results… But I’m positive that coconut oil will work perfectly!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake!
Thank you! I have a 5 qt slow cooker and not enough cocoa powder, do you think i could halve the recipe?
Unfortunately, halving this recipe will not work. I’d recommend waiting until you get enough cocoa powder to make it to ensure it turns out correctly! 🙂
Oh also I only have low fat milk, can I use that? And could I substitute maple syrup or brown sugar for the sugar?
Yes, you can use low fat and and brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar! 🙂
Hello. I’m just wondering if I can reduce the amount of sugar?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ceicei! I actually don’t recommend reducing the sugar unless you like really dark chocolate (think 85-90% dark chocolate!). However, we could adapt the recipe to replace some of the sugar with your favorite no-calorie sweetener! What’s your favorite no-calorie sweetener? (Exact brand and product name, if you know!) 🙂