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
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
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!
I just made this. It is a bit bitter and not sweet at all. What did I do wrong?
I’m sorry Cora; that must have been disappointing. The cake is meant to be dark, similar to 72% dark chocolate, but if it was overly bitter, then there was probably too much cocoa powder in the cake batter. The cocoa powder should be measured the same way as flour, using the spoon-and-level method (I explain it here). If the cocoa powder is scooped directly from the container, there will be up to 1.5 times as much in the cake batter, which could definitely make it bitter. Hopefully that helps and your next cake turns out perfectly!
Hi are your measurements US? I’m converting to UK
Yes Becks, they are US measurements! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the cake!
Would it be okay to use plain almond milk instead of regular milk?
Yes, that will work just fine. I hope you enjoy the cake Tiffany!
Hello Amy!
I’m just a beginner into baking fantasy and knows next to nothin about it. I have tried several chocolate cakes and it most of the time turns out dry. Though fluffy.
Your recipe looks enticing. I don’t have slow cooker. So can it be done on ordinary cooker? If yes tell me how. Secondly can simple white flour be used instead?
Yes, the cake can be baked in a regular oven! I already explain how to do that in the Notes section beneath the recipe. In general, white flour and all-purpose flour are the same thing, so yes — white flour can be used. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the cake Sarrah!
I baked this cake in my oven and loved it! I used only 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and it wasn’t specified as unsweetened, so I’m guessing it was sweetened. I made this change hoping the cake would be just as fudgy as you described, but with less of that dark chocolate flavor, which I find too strong and bitter. I used all purpose wheat flour, not changing the amount even though I used less cocoa powder and hoping it would be OK. It turned out GREAT! I cannot thank you enough for this recipe! I wrapped it in plastic and let it sit overnight, line you said. I love that it has very little oil, but is still so moist! I put a light, fluffy icing on it to serve to company. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!!!! ☺??
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake Kelsey! It’s meant to taste similar to 70-72% dark chocolate, which is why there is so much cocoa powder. (And yes, it actually is meant to be unsweetened cocoa powder!) You can always add more sugar in the future if you prefer less of a dark chocolaty taste, but I’m glad you were able to adapt it to suit your company and your tastes! 🙂
Absolutely the best chocolate fudge cake .I’ve made it twice now lovely.
That’s the best type of compliment — thank you so much! I’m really glad you’re enjoying the cake Paula! 🙂
Just made this again, wonderful. Trying the carrot cake next.?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake — multiple times! That means a lot to me that you’d make it again! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the carrot cake too, Paula!
Yes the carrot cake was wonderful too.Do you think you could use honey or maple syrup in the chocolate fudge cake? just wondered. Thank you.?
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the carrot cake as well Paula! I wouldn’t recommend substituting honey or maple syrup in this chocolate cake recipe; they’ll add too much liquid to the batter. But hang tight — I have a chocolate cupcake recipe coming up this week that’s clean eating friendly and will probably be right up your alley! 😉
I’ve got a 3.5 litre slow cooker (I think that’s 3.7 quarts) do I need to cook it for less or because it will be thicker keep it the same?
With your slow cooker, you’ll probably need to cook it longer because the cake will be thicker. Slow cookers smaller than 5 quarts generally takes longer, whereas larger slow cookers will require less time. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake Sally!
Used vanilla essence and no fat natural yogurt because that’s what I had. Cooked it for 2 1/2 hours, didn’t need any more time in my 3.5 litre slow cooker. family couldn’t wait for it to cool down. They loved it and was still fudgey when it cooled down. Liked that it was not sweet. Great recipe
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the cake Sally! That means a lot to me that they didn’t want to wait for it to cool — thanks for sharing that with me! 🙂
Can I use stevia instead of sugar for this recipe, if so, how much stevia do I use? My husband is diabetic.
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Lucille! It really depends on the brand of stevia that you use because each brand tends to have a different sweetness concentration. What stevia product did you have in mind?
I use thepure via stevia ideal for cooking and baking.
If you’re using regular Purevia Stevia packets, you’ll need 18 packets to replace the granulated sugar, plus 8-10 tablespoons of milk. If using their bulk Stevia + Turbinado Sugar product, you’ll need 6 tablespoons plus 4-6 tablespoons of milk. 🙂
Hi I have a 6.7ltr crockpot would you double this ingredient to make it? Can’t wait to try it thanks
The best thing to do would be to multiply all of the ingredients by 1.5 for your slow cooker. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the chocolate cake Colette!