Slow Cooker Brownie Pudding Cake
This easy Slow Cooker Brownie Pudding Cake is pure chocolate happiness, with a warm, fudgy center that’s practically begging for a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Oh, this cake. Oh, this cake. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. It’s warm, fudgy, gloriously chocolatey, and your slow cooker does almost all the work!
My favorite way to serve it? In mason jars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a long spoon. The ice cream melts down into all that chocolatey goodness, and honestly, everything tastes better out of a jar.
So the next time you need a ridiculously easy chocolate dessert, let your slow cooker handle it. Who knew that trusty little dinner-making machine had such a fabulous sweet tooth?
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐ Why this recipe works
- 🍫 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🍳 How to make this recipe
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- 🍲 Equipment you need
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- 🍫 Let’s make it!
- Slow Cooker Brownie Pudding Cake
- 💫 Variations you can try
- 🍰 More chocolate desserts to love!
- 💬 Tell us what you think!
- 💌 Let’s keep in touch!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
🍫 What it is: A warm, rich chocolate cake with a soft, pudding-like texture.
⏱️ Prep: 5 minutes
♨️ Cook: 4 hours but start checking after 2.5 hours especially if you have a newer cooker. The cake should look puffy and chocolate should not stick to your fingers when you lightly touch the middle.
🕒 Total: Can be up to 4 hours and 5 minutes; actual time depends on your cooker.
🍨 Servings: 12.
📊 Calories: 419
🥣 Method: Slow cooker, low setting.
💕 Good for: Chocolate lovers, easy entertaining and cozy desserts.
⭐ Why this recipe works
- 🍫 Chocolate on chocolate: Chocolate cake mix and instant chocolate pudding create a wonderfully rich dessert.
- 🥄 Easy mixing: Everything goes into one bowl before the batter goes into the slow cooker.
- 🍨 Made for ice cream: Warm, soft cake and cold vanilla ice cream are a match made in dessert heaven.
- 💕 Party friendly: Spoon it into little bowls or mason jars for a fun presentation.
🍫 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Chocolate cake mix: One 15.25-ounce box please. You can use anything from plain chocolate cake to devil’s food! 😈
- Instant chocolate pudding: The original recipe uses one 3.9-ounce box of regular instant pudding or A 1.4-ounce box of sugar-free instant pudding. Do not use cook-and-serve pudding.
- Sour cream: Two cups add richness and moisture to this soft cake.
- Vegetable oil: Use a neutral-flavored oil so the chocolate takes center stage.
- Vanilla ice cream: Optional in theory, but highly encouraged in my kitchen!
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Need to make a swap? These recipe-specific AI prompts can help you explore options. Be sure to double-check any suggested changes before baking, especially because this cake cooks in a slow cooker.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🍳 How to make this recipe
Step 1: Put the cake mix, instant pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, vanilla and hot water into a mixing bowl. Beat on low for 30 seconds to combine, then on medium for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Step 2: Coat the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray, then pour in the batter and smooth it out.
Step 3: Cover and cook on LOW. It may take as long as 4 hours, but newer slow cookers may finish much sooner. Start checking at 2½ hours, particularly if yours runs hot, and check periodically thereafter. Look for a slightly puffy cake with a set-looking top and a soft, moist center – the chocolate should not stick to your fingers when you lightly touch the middle.
Step 4: Spoon the warm cake into serving bowls or mason jars and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then enjoy the chocolatey, melty goodness!
💡 Kate’s tip: Slow cookers have personalities! Some readers have reported overcooked edges after only about 3 hours, so start checking early. This is meant to be soft and spoonable, not a firm layer cake.
🤔 Recipe FAQs
You can! 1.4-ounce box of sugar-free instant chocolate pudding is what you are looking for instead of a 3.9-ounce box of regular instant pudding. Make sure you use instant pudding, not cook-and-serve.
Slow cookers vary widely by model, age and size. Some readers have reported that this cake was done or even overdone in around 3 hours. Begin checking at 2½ hours, especially with a newer or hotter cooker.
Look for a slightly puffy, set-looking top and a soft, moist center. This is a brownie pudding cake, so it will not have the same dry crumb as a regular baked cake.
You can make it ahead and gently reheat individual portions. A short microwave warm-up works well; start with about 15 seconds and add time if needed.
Not at all! Regular dessert bowls are wonderful too. I just happen to love the way melting ice cream finds its way through the cake in a jar.
🍲 Equipment you need
You will need a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, a mixing bowl, an electric mixer, a spatula and a serving spoon. Mason jars and long iced tea spoons are entirely optional, but you know where I stand on those!
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
A scoop of vanilla ice cream is my favorite topping, especially when it melts into all those chocolatey nooks and crannies. Whipped cream or a few fresh berries would also be lovely. If you are putting together a dessert spread, you could add a little easy chocolate mousse or banana pudding alongside it.
🍫 Let’s make it!
The magic of this dessert is that it takes just a few minutes of mixing and then your slow cooker does the rest. Keep that early doneness check in mind, have the ice cream standing by, and get ready to spoon up a warm, gloriously chocolatey treat.
Slow Cooker Brownie Pudding Cake
This slow cooker brownie pudding cake recipe is warm and wonderful melt in your mouth delicious! Yes, dessert from the slow cooker – it’s true!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- One 15.25 ounce box chocolate cake mix
- One 3.9 ounce package instant chocolate pudding
- 2 cups sour cream
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Put cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, vanilla and water in mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds until combined, and then raise speed to medium and beat for two minutes, scraping the side of the bowl as needed.
- Spray the inside of a 4-6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray and pour the batter into the slow cooker.
- It may take as long as 4 hours, but newer slow cookers may finish much sooner. Start checking at 2½ hours, particularly if yours runs hot, and check periodically thereafter. Look for a slightly puffy cake with a set-looking top and a soft, moist center – the chocolate should not stick to your fingers when you lightly touch the middle.
- Scoop the warm cake with a spoon into serving dishes and top with ice cream (I like serving it in mason jars.)
💫 Variations you can try
- 🍫 Extra chocolate: Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips over the batter before cooking for an even more chocolate-forward dessert. This is an optional variation, not part of the original tested recipe.
- 🥜 A little crunch: Top each serving with chopped toasted pecans or walnuts.
- 🍓 Berry delicious: Add sliced strawberries or raspberries to each serving alongside the vanilla ice cream.
🍰 More chocolate desserts to love!
If this cozy chocolate dessert is your idea of happiness, try my saucepan brownies for a classic chocolate fix, best easy chocolate mousse for something fluffy, Chocolate Believe Cake for a special occasion, or Coca-Cola cake when you want chocolate frosting too. Honestly, is there such a thing as too many chocolate dessert options?
💬 Tell us what you think!
Did you make this chocolatey little miracle? Did you add a scoop of ice cream? Did you eat it straight from the slow cooker? (No judgment here!) If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! Leave a star rating and tell us all about it in the comments section below.
💌 Let’s keep in touch!
If your idea of happiness involves easy dinners, cozy desserts and the occasional chocolate emergency, I think we’re going to get along just fine! Sign up for the Framed Cooks newsletter here and let’s keep the deliciousness coming!
This chocolate cake mix pudding cake sounds yummy, has anyone tried it with lemon cake mix and lemon puuding?
Great question! Looking forward to seeing what folks say.
Can this be doubled and still fit in a 6qt pot?
Yikes! I wish I knew. I would be a little concerned less about it fitting (it puffs up some but not a lot) and more that it might not get all the way cooked in the middle with all that extra batter.
I don’t know what I did wrong but I made this and went out to run some errands, I came in and my whole house smelled of something super sweet but very burnt. I had it on the low setting and it had only been in for just over 3 hours but the edges were burnt like charcoal. So sad, I was planning to have this as part of my Valentine’s dinner tonight. Not sure what went wrong :(
Hi Karis and oh no! The only thing I can think of is that some slow cookers (as you can see from the comments above) cook this just perfectly, but some seem to run hotter than mine and the edges get burnt. I’m hoping that the middle was ok, because it does seem like the perfect Valentine’s treat!
I’m making this tomorrow for Valentines Day but it’s only for two people so I was thinking about cutting the recipe in half. Have you tried this before? If so, would I need to cut down the cooking time?
Hi Abby! I haven’t ever cut the recipe down, so I’m not sure how that would work – sorry! I CAN tell you that the leftovers (yes, there have actually been leftovers) are pretty wonderful though, especially if you reheat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Happy Valentine’s Day – someone is going to feel very loved! :)
Hey there!
My dad found you on Pinterst. He came over to my house tonight for a TV show marathon and brought all the ingredients with him! At first neither of us knew if it was done or not. It didn’t become poofie. I set my timer for 4 hours since my crock pot always cooks things hotter but knew your recipe called for 6-7. I should have stuck to my gut instincts and turned it off at the 4 hour mark (outside was burnt, inside was perfect!) It was still very yummy. Even my roommate loved it! Hopefully next time I make it I don’t burn the outside.
Thanks for the great recipe!! :)
First of all, I am tickled pink that your dad found me on Pinterest, and I LOVE it that you do tv marathons together! I think you are probably completely right about your crock pot (sometimes appliances have their own distinct personalities. My oven is on the coolish side, so I’ve learned to work with it!). Glad you are making it again!!
Got here from Buzzfeed. Going to try this one out this weekend. Would be perfect for “Dessert before supper” day at the cottage this summer. I’m sure the kids will love eating out of the jar. The BBQ and the slow cooker are the only way hints get cooked up there in summer as the stove and oven heat the place up too much and it never cools down again.
Dessert before supper day? I absolutely LOVE it! :)
I want to try this in the mason jars, but not sure how many jars will i need? So I was wandering if you could tell me how many to use.
Well, it makes about 12 servings, so if you want to serve it all at once I’d plan for 12, especially with the ice cream. But it reheats pretty well, so if you buy mason jars in packs of 8 you will be fine – depends how many lucky people are getting dessert that day. :)
Made this last night, and I thought it was AMAZING. I loved the gelatinous texture that it had yet still tasted like ooey gooey goodness cake! Only thing…I have a brand new 6.5 qt crock pot, and it completely cooked in 3 hours, and the edges even burnt a little…just an FYI. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I know – it’s like pudding meets brownie, right?? As for the timing, thanks for letting us know – was it on high? That might have been the difference, I’m thinking.
It was not on high. It was for sure on low. But this crock pot is cooking EVERYTHING in almost half the time. It’s crazy. I’m trying this again tonight…but I added banana cream pudding mix :-/ I LOVEEEEE banana and chocolate together. I had to try it…I shall let ya know how it fared :) The texture seems a little bit different when I put it in the crockpot, but man oh man, it tastes heavenly as just a batter.
Definitely let me know – bananas and chocolate are HEAVEN!
You’ll probably moderate this, but here goes anyway…it’s sex in a mason jar, to be brutally honest.
I would NEVER moderate this! Thanks for my laugh of the day. :)
Hi Kate, I’ve been following your blog for a little while now… I love your simple recipes with simple ingredients!! :) I really want to make this tonight, but I don’t have a slow cooker. Do you know what the temp/time would be if I made this in the oven?
Hi Chanelle! Oh gosh…I’ve never made it not in the cooker, but my best guess would be 375 for about 30-40 minutes. But I can’t vouch for that…if you do try it will you let us know how it turned out?
Thanks Kate!! I’m planning on baking it ASAP and I’ll let you know how it goes. :)
Hello, Kate! I’m enjoying being distracted by your deeelish blog!!! Found you by following a yummy Low, Country Kabobs link on Facebook. Soooo, I must try this recipe! I fear that I will love it and then … Ohhhh, the places I could go with this recipe … visions of chopped pecans or coconut or bits of caramel dance through my head. Sighhhh.
Hi Karen – I’m so glad you found me! And yes, you must! :) If you do any of those add-ins, let me know how they work out!
I love your recipes. I too don’t really care for most cake boxes,( except brownies turn out reasonably well.) The strongest reason is the top of the cake becomes tacky(sticky) when cooled. I would guess, frosting them with a homemade one would take care of that. I just try not to have all that extra sugar. Sorry, I tend to go off on a tangent. I appreciate you saying that cakebox mixes are not your favorite, also. Because of that, I will definitely + happily try your cake recipe. Thank-You
I’m with you on the brownie mix – they are pretty reliable. Let me know how you like this one when you try it! :)
My dad was skeptical when he saw me making this. He said it looked burnt in the pot. Well, my family has never been all that excited about my cooking, even when it’s actually good. However, this cake was a hit. The proof is undeniable!
I finished making it last night before dinner. No one really touched it, so I was resigned (happily?) to eat it all by myself eventually. This morning, I woke up late, looked in the pot, and a third of the cake was gone, with a fork still in it! lol I guess we’ll just eat straight out of the pot for the rest of it. Just wait till I got get some vanilla ice cream… :D
I absolutely LOVE this story! And I bet they never doubt your cooking ever again. :). Thanks for this great comment!