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I pinned this recipe on Pinterest forever ago and finally decided to try it today.  I made very few substitutions – mostly just for the sugar.  It was super easy and I loved being able to have this cooking in the crock pot while preparing my dinner on the stove.  Right after we finished dinner and cleaned up, dessert was ready!  I made vegan coconut milk whipped cream to go on top but I also think it would be fabulous with some dairy free vanilla ice cream.  I was shocked at how amazingly this turned out.  It’s very spongy and almost has the consistency of bread pudding.  The outer part of the cake gets more done and the middle is like a pudding consistency.  It’s amazing.  It’s not low cal by any means, but my version is gluten free and free of sugar and dairy.  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chocolate Lava Cake

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour (tapioca starch)

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 cup ground chia seeds (I used ground golden flax seeds)

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups (roughly) coconut oil or butter (I used 3/4 cup melted coconut oil & 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter melted)

2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used a gluten free/vegan/unsweetened chocolate bar which I chopped with a nut chopper until pieces were the size of chocolate chips – I only used about 1/2 cup)

1 cup sweetener + 1/2 cup sweetener (sugar, stevia, splenda, etc*) – added separately

6 Tbsp cocoa powder + 1/2 cup cocoa powder – added separately

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

2 eggs (or 2 servings EnerG egg replacer for vegan)

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup splenda plus 1T vegetable glycerin* for moisture)

1 1/2 cups hot water

  1. In the bowl of a stand up mixer with blade attachment, mix together flours, flax seeds, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In a large microwave bowl, melt together oil or butter and chocolate chips until smooth, stirring occasionally.  Stir in 1 cup sweetener, 6 T cocoa powder, vanilla, milk, and eggs.  Whisk very well to blend thoroughly.
  3. Pour the wet mixture into the mixing bowl with the flours.  Beat on medium speed until well combined.
  4. Spread this batter into a slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  5. Using same bowl from earlier, microwave 1/2 cup sweetener, brown sugar (or sweetener/glycerin blend), and water until hot, about 2 minutes. Immediately whisk in remaining 1/2 cup cocoa powder and whisk well.  Pour this mixture of the top of the cake batter in the slow cooker.
  6. Cook on HIGH for 1 – 1.5 hours.  You’ll notice it’s done when the batter starts to pull away from the edges of the crock.  Remove the lid and turn off slow cooker (be careful not to let the water from the lid drip into the cake).  Allow the cake to rest for 1/2 hour with lid off before serving.
  7. Scoop out some of the outer “cakey” rim of the cake and then top with some of the gooey/pudding like center.  Top with fruit, whipped cream or ice cream.

*Notes*
I really like Swerve sweetener for a sugar substitute.  It bakes very well, has probiotic properties, is completely natural, and has zero grams of sugar.  It’s now sold at Whole Foods.  If you can’t get it, any cup-for-cup sugar substitute will do such as Stevia in The Raw or Splenda which can all be found at your local grocery store.

Vegetable glycerin adds moisture and sweetness to baked goods.  Many diabetics use it in place of honey or agave syrup because it doesn’t spike blood sugar and doesn’t register on the glycemic index.  I routinely use this in place of honey in recipes and it works great.  The reason I mix it with the sweetener in this recipe is because this called for brown sugar which is more moist than regular sugar.  By adding the glycerin you are mimicking the moisture-adding effect of the brown sugar.  I’m sure the recipe will be completely fine without it.  It was incredibly moist regardless.

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