If you love chocolate lava cake, you’re going to want to try chocolate cobbler. It’s a quick and easy dessert to toss in the oven before guests arrive. Then all you have to do is plate it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and your toppings of choice.
The cobbler is like a rich chocolate cake, with a layer of moist pudding at the bottom. When served hot from the oven, the pudding pours like warm chocolate sauce around the fluffy cake. To achieve this texture, our easy chocolate cobbler recipe calls for an unusual technique. After mixing together the cake ingredients—nothing fancy, just flour, sugar, milk, oil and cocoa—you’ll sprinkle extra sugar and cocoa on top, then cover the entire cake pan with hot water.
Just like that, you’ll stick it into the oven—no stirring! It looks like a big mistake, but as it bakes, the cake batter will rise to the top, and a layer of smooth chocolate sauce will pool at the bottom. Though it’s not much like a traditional fruit cobbler, it is just as simple, and it’s a must-try when you’re looking for easy chocolate desserts.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cobbler
- Self-rising flour: Using self-rising flour makes baking cakes simpler, since the rising agent is already mixed into the flour. If you don’t have any, you can make it yourself: Place 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a measuring cup, then add all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup.
- Sugar: We use plain white granulated sugar in this cobbler.
- Baking cocoa: No need to melt baking chocolate for this recipe. Look for a good quality cocoa, like one of our favorite store-brand cocoas.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture to the cake. We suggest 2%, but you may use skim, whole or even nondairy milks.
- Vegetable oil: Most cakes recipes include some fat to add richness and moisture. To keep things easy, this cobbler calls only for oil (rather than traditional eggs or butter). Reach for an unflavored vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower, so the flavor of the chocolate shines through.
- Brown sugar: Crumbly brown sugar is made with molasses and white sugar, so it’s extra flavorful and nearly melts over the top of the cobbler. You may use dark or light brown sugar.
- Hot water: In an unusual move, hot water is poured over the cake just before baking. Make sure it is truly hot—nearly boiling—so the cobbler will begin to cook immediately when it’s put in the oven (cold water will take too long to heat up).
Directions
Step 1: Mix the batter
In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and 2 tablespoons of cocoa. Stir in the milk and oil until smooth. Pour into a greased 8-inch-square baking pan.
Step 2: Sprinkle with sugar mix and water
Combine the brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle the dry mixture over the batter. Don’t stir it in. Pour hot water over the top. Again, do not stir!
Step 3: Bake
Bake at 350°F until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.
Chocolate Cobbler Variations
- Add extracts: Vanilla or almond extract would subtly enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Stir in nuts: Add chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter for added flavor and crunch.
- Top with fruit: Strawberries, raspberries, cherries and banana slices would all taste delicious with this chocolate dessert.
- Make it a German chocolate cobbler: For a dessert inspired by German chocolate cake, serve it with coconut ice cream, pecans and maraschino cherries.
How to Store Chocolate Cobbler
While chocolate cobbler tastes best freshly baked, you can keep it in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to three days. To reheat, just pop it into the microwave and heat until warmed through.
Chocolate Cobbler Tips
How do you serve chocolate cobbler?
For the best chocolate cobbler recipe, serve warm with a scoop of ice cream. The cold ice cream will deliver a delightful contrast in temperature and texture. Vanilla is classic, but feel free to play around with flavors: chocolate, caramel, pumpkin, butter pecan and mint chip would all be tasty here. You can also serve it with homemade whipped cream.
Can you make chocolate cobbler gluten-free?
While some recipes are tricky to adapt to gluten-free, this dessert is easy to change, because the texture is quite soft. Simply use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, and follow the instructions in the ingredients section to make it self-rising.
