Our easy 4 ingredient Crockpot lava cake with cake mix is amazing. Made with cherry pie filling, butter and chocolate chips, it is the best dump dessert made with NO pudding mix. This cake mix hack is so easy and a family favorite for sure.
Ok, if you are looking for a rich ooey gooey dessert you can cook in your slow cooker you’ve got to try this cherry chocolate lava cake!! It was amazing!! Here’s one of our favorite and easy crockpot recipes we make often.
This is just one of our many great dump cake recipes on our site. I mean I love easy, you know that. But not turning my oven on when it is hot outside is another plus. This combines my two loves. Yes it is as rich as it looks!! It is amazingly good.
You can use any flavor of pie filling you like but cherries are out go to for sure. The best duo with chocolate cake and brings a whole other element to the dish. You can enjoy the sweetness as is or with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Make sure you have a tall glass of milk with it too. 😉
We first combined the two in our cherry brownies. That is right just combining boxed mix with that can of yum makes a baked treat that is out of this world delicious. I suggest you share those too.
I love making lava cake this way because it turns out so ooey gooey and moist + I don’t have to heat up my house (plus no frosting is needed since it’s sweet enough). You just need 4 ingredients to make this so let’s get going with some tips and tricks to remember.
This recipe was inspired by a strawberry version I had once during the holidays. I just tweaked it to suit us better and it came out fantastic. I also made a version in my Ninja Foodi I called air fryer cake. That is made in individual ramekins and obviously cooks much faster. Both are fantastic.
NO chocolate pudding mix needed for this baby. And it still comes out incredible. Beyond this you might want some vanilla ice cream or make cream with whipping cream in a large bowl until fluffy.
What Kind of Cake Mix to Use
We used of course Chocolate cake mix, or Devil’s Food cake mix is by far the best, I like Duncan Hines but Betty Crocker has great ones too.
As for the Butter I prefer salted and from Kerrygold. If you needed to use a dairy free plant based butter alternative that would be fine too. I have done this so my husband could enjoy it too and nobody knew the difference. 😉
Best Chocolate Chips for Lava Cake
I will typically add semi-sweet Chocolate chips, too because I mean we aren’t counting the calories on this and this addition will create that lava flowy gooeyness you would expect.
And Cherry pie filling is our favorite combo with this, the whole can. I have tried with the name brand and store brand and you really cannot tell the difference. The low sugar variety is quite good too and with the sweetness of the other goodies you can’t really tell the difference with that option either.
How Long to Cook Lava Cake in Crockpot
Typically 2.5 hours is perfect. You do not want it in there too long or it will dry out and lava cake is all about that gooey texture. Note that the outside edges will be more done than the center so those who love really fudgy brownies will like the middle while those who prefer cakey should have an outside slice.
Tips and Tricks
I suggest that you spray the inside of your pot with non stick spray first so it slides right out when done. It will make for an easier cleanup too so that is a bonus. A dessert like this one will NOT cut, you will just need to scoop it out like you see here, serve warm, and some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top to melt when serving is over the top incredible.
Crockpot Lava Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 can cherry pie filling, or other flavor
- 1 bag chocolate chips
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 stick butter, melted
Instructions
- Cover bottom of crockpot with pie filling, add the bag of cake mix on top of that evenly.
- Pour the melted butter on top of the cake mix, then evenly spread the bag of chocolate chips on the very top.
- Cover the top of the crockpot with a paper towel and then place lid on top of that.
- Turn on low for 2 – 3 hours, 2.5 is usually perfect. Do not overcook! You want it to be ooey.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is Lava Cake Good the Next Day?
They are! Especially this one that has the added moisture of the pie filling gooo, if you store it properly it can be enjoyed the next day for dessert too. Best way to do this is transfer what is left into a small container with a lid. One that doesn’t leave a lot of air inside of it.
Leave it on the countertop, not the fridge or it will dry out. The best way to warm is to transfer into a microwave safe bowl and drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup over the top. That will moisten it up nicely. Then heat for about 45 seconds until warmed and enjoy once again. For added YUM spoon a bit of ice cream on top to melt all over it too. 😉
FAQ
Yes!! We will show you here step by step how to bake in a slow cooker right here. It is steamed essentially and comes out more like a dump cake, moist and tender too. Easy way to bake a cake with cake mix and pie filling together with a bit of butter to perfection.
Yes! This makes it easier to clean and the ability to lift out your cake easily. Make sure the parchment paper you’re using is rated for high heat. Most are oven-safe up to temperatures around 425° degrees F so that will work well. Slow cooker liners I don’t like for this as they are plastic.
Other easy desserts you’ll love
You want to serve warm and it to be ooey gooey and like our slightly undercooked Crockpot brownie. For that one you make the cake batter beforehand instead of just layering it SO easy like this one, but both are great.
Other easy cake recipes you might want to try after this one would be our banana bread bundt cake or during the fall give our pumpkin dump cake a whirl. Crockpot cake in your slow cooker is amazing too.
I made this exactly as the recipe said. And I would like to thank you for sharing. This cake was wonderful and everyone ate it said it was the best they had ever ate.
I will make it again and again.
so glad
What if you double the recipe? I did 3 hours on low..
I haven’t doubled as my 6 quart would be too small, not sure