Instant Pot Chocolate Cobbler–a delicious brownie-like cake on the top with a rich, fudgy sauce on the bottom. Chocolate cobbler is like a lava cake but so much easier to make for a crowd. This is great for family dinners, potlucks and more! You can make this in your Instant Pot, slow cooker or oven.
Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below
Instant Pot Chocolate Cobbler
When I was growing up we would make something similar to chocolate cobber that we called chocolate pudding cake. The main difference was our recipe didn’t have much butter in it (only 2 Tbsp). It was probably considered “low-fat.” It was a recipe that was a product of the early 90s when we were overly obsessed with how many grams of fat were in each food we ate. It was a good recipe but the lack of butter made it extra sugary (think Snackwell cookies). I prefer this chocolate cobbler recipe that has a stick of butter in it for good measure. It’s richer, not as sugary as my childhood version. It tastes great served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
The cool thing about this recipe is you can make it in the Instant Pot (pot-in-pot method), in the slow cooker or in the oven. I bet you could even make this in a dutch oven while camping! It’s up to you and what you feel like doing. I actually prefer the oven version because the sugar gets crystallized on top. But really all the versions are tasty.
More Instant Pot Chocolate Recipes…
Instant Pot German Chocolate Bundt Cake
What Equipment Did You Use?
- 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot*
- A 3 quart Instant Pot liner*, used for pot-in-pot cooking inside the 6 quart IP liner.
- OXO sling/trivet* used to lower the pot-in-pot dish inside the Instant Pot
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Instant Pot Chocolate Cobbler
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A delicious brownie-like cake on the top with a rich, fudgy sauce on the bottom. Chocolate cobbler is like a lava cake but so much easier to make for a crowd. This is great for family dinners, potlucks and more! You can make this in your Instant Pot, slow cooker or oven.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
- Vanilla ice cream
For topping:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cocoa
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
- Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in the butter, milk, vanilla and chocolate extract.
- Spray a deep pot-in-pot dish with non-stick cooking spray. Scrape the batter into the dish.
- Make the topping by whisking the sugar, brown sugar, salt and cocoa together. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter. Pour the boiling water over the top and do not stir.
- Place the pan on top of a trivet/sling and lower the dish into the Instant Pot.
- Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 35 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Remove the pan and sling out of the pot.
- The cake will rise to the top and a chocolate sauce will form on the bottom. Scoop some of the cake into bowls, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle some of the chocolate sauce over the top of the ice cream.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
- Spray a crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in the butter, milk, vanilla and chocolate extract.
- Scrape the batter into the slow cooker.
- Make the topping by whisking the sugar, brown sugar, salt and cocoa together. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter. Pour the boiling water over the top and do not stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- The cake will rise to the top and a chocolate sauce will form on the bottom. Scoop some of the cake into bowls, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle some of the chocolate sauce over the top of the ice cream.
Oven Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in the butter, milk, vanilla and chocolate extract.
- Scrape the batter into the pan.
- Make the topping by whisking the sugar, brown sugar, salt and cocoa together. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter. Pour the boiling water over the top and do not stir.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until top is set. The cake will rise to the top and a chocolate sauce will form on the bottom. Scoop some of the cake into bowls, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle some of the chocolate sauce over the top of the ice cream.
Notes
I used a 3 quart Instant Pot liner* inside by 6 quart Instant Pot liner as a pot-in-pot dish. You can also use a 7×4 inch Fat Daddios pan*.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
In the cobbler part of the recipe, you call for cocoa powder. In the topping section, you call for cocoa. What’s the difference?
Sorry, they are supposed to be the same thing.
Can you use gluten free flour in this. Would it chnge time?
I am not sure. I don’t bake at all with gluten free flour so I am unsure on how it would work out.
Ooooh, this looks great! Chocolate extract . . . I’ve never purchased this. I have all the other ingredients, would it be terribly off if I did not use it? Maybe I could just double down on the vanilla?
You could do that with the vanilla and it’ll be fine. I would order some chocolate extract on amazon for the next time you make anything chocolate based. I add it in with brownies, chocolate cookies, no bake cookies etc. It brings the chocolate to a whole new level.
I’ll be looking for this! Sounds like I have been missing out!!!
Do you have to cover the top of the pot-in-pot with foil to keep the condensation off of the cake like you do with a cheesecake?
No you don’t have to
Hi Karen, I wonder if Espresso powder would be a good addition? What do you think? I have read this is the little secret to a great chocolate recipe?? If you think so, how much and would it be a replacement for the cocoa? Will be happy to rate this once I have made it.
Thank you for making time in the kitchen a little enjoyable.
I have seen lots of recipes like that. I bet a teaspoon or two would be great.