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Chocolate Cobbler has a warm, fudgy pudding covered with a moist chocolate cake.  It’s like a chocolate lava cake, but wayyyy easier and just as delicious. Top it with a scoop of ice cream, and it’ll soon be at the top of your list of easy chocolate dessert recipes!!

A white plate with a scoop of fudge chocolate cobbler, vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

A couple of my siblings told me lately that they “couldn’t believe” I hadn’t added this family favorite to the blog yet. It’s a recipe I’ve been meaning to add for awhile now and let me tell you, it’s worth the wait!!!

You see, my mom is simply incredible….she become a chiropractor, raised four kids, helped on the farm and she was (still is!) a fantastic cook! For lunch, she’d typically serve some sort of meat (meatloaf is my fav!), a potato dish, some sort of veggie, and dessert. If Mom was in a hurry, this Chocolate Cobbler from one of the old cookbooks was a go-to dessert!

Chocolate Cobbler in a small bowl with vanilla ice cream on top.

A Chocolate Lovers Dessert

I’ve heard this dessert be called many different things over the years. My mom always called it Baked Chocolate Pudding. A former boss of mine called it boiled water cake. I’ve heard chocolate pudding cake, molten chocolate cake, molten lava cake and everything in between! But no matter what you call it, you’ll love a change from your typical fruit cobbler recipes!

Ingredients needed to make chocolate cobbler on a countertop.

Ingredients Needed

  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Walnuts or Pecans, Optional
  • Brown Sugar
  • Boiling or Very Hot Water

How do you make Chocolate Cobbler?

For real, this is a super easy chocolate cobbler recipe. There are just a couple important steps that you’ll want to pay close attention to…

Chocolate cake batter in a baking dish.

First, you’ll make a simple batter and spread it into the bottom of the baking dish. Or better yet, simply use the baking dish as a bowl to mix the ingredients!  This batter is quite thick – that’s just fine!

Dry ingredients for the chocolate cobbler topping.

Then in a separate bowl, you’ll combine the dry ingredients for the “topping” and sprinkle it over the cake batter.

Lastly, you’ll pour a cup of boiling water over the top and put it right in the oven. It’s super important that you DO NOT stir after pouring the water on top. I know, it seems odd, but it works.

Boiling water being poured into the chocolate cobbler dish.

While the cobbler bakes, the cake batter will cook and rise to the top and a fudgy chocolate sauce will form underneath. It’s. So. Good!

Tried this and it is GREAT!!!! Everyone should make this if you love chocolate. So easy and quick.

Sandy

A chocolate cobbler in a square glass pan.

Other Add-Ins and Toppings

  • Use pecans or walnuts in the batter.  Toast them ahead of time for even more flavor!
  • Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips or drizzle with caramel sauce once it comes out of the oven.
  • Try using hot coffee or espresso in place of the boiling water!  Coffee will enhance the flavor of the chocolate even more!
  • Top with a scoop of ice cream or homemade whipped cream!

How do you know when the cobbler is done?

Once the chocolate cobbler has been in the oven for about 25 minutes, I like to take a fork and see if the center of the cake is done.

If it’s done on the outsides and still looks like batter in the middle, it needs more time. Once the cake is done on top (no longer looks or feels like batter in the center), the next part is up to you…

Want a lot of sauce on the bottom (which I highly recommend)? Then, your chocolate cobbler is ready to eat! If you want a little less fudgy sauce, let it cook a little longer as more water will evaporate and there will be less sauce.

This Chocolate Cobbler is absolutely incredible as-is, but adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream is the best way to enjoy it! The ice cream will melt into the hot fudge sauce and turn into a chocolatey, creamy, delicious mess!

Ice cream melting on a plate of warm chocolate cobbler; a fork taking a bite.

How to Store Leftover Chocolate Cobbler

I always think that chocolate cobbler is best fresh out of the oven. The texture and chocolate flavor is just so perfect when it’s fresh! But leftovers are understandable…

Store at Room Temperature

If you plan to eat the cobbler in the next day (24 hours-ish), let the cobbler cool to room temperature and cover with plastic wrap.

Stored in the Fridge

If you plan to store this for more than 24 hours, you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.  I don’t recommend freezing the cobbler.

How to Reheat 

When you want to satisfy your next chocolate craving, add a scoop of the cobbler onto a microwave-safe plate.  Pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to heat it up and top with a scoop of ice cream!

Spoonful of Chocolate Cobbler.

Delicious Dessert Variations

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Chocolate cobbler on a white plate with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
4.83 from 39 votes

Chocolate Cobbler

Author: Kelsey
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
6
This quick dessert has a warm, fudgy pudding covered with a moist chocolate cake.  Add a scoop of ice cream and you’re set!!

Equipment

  • 1 1.5 qt. casserole dish or square baking dish

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional

Topping

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup water boiling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa.  Then stir in the melted butter, milk and vanilla.  
  • Spread the mixture into a greased 1.5 qt casserole dish (or square pan).  Set aside.
  • In another bowl, combine the dry topping ingredients (sugar, brown sugar, salt and cocoa).  Sprinkle on top of the batter; do not stir.
  • Pour the boiling water on top; do not stir.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is almost set.  The cake will rise to the top and a pudding will form on the bottom.
  • Serve warm with ice cream.

Notes

Make a Double Batch!  A double batch works great in a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Keep it Fudgy!  The longer this cobbler bakes, the less fudge pudding you’ll have on the bottom.  Therefore, don’t bake it for too long! (Just until the batter on top is done.)
*Recipe was edited in 2024 to increase the cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor.  (Changed from 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons in the “topping.”)

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 1mg
“Dance Around the Kitchen” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Chocolate Cobbler in a small bowl with vanilla ice cream on top and a scoop of cobbler on a spoon.

As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up on a pig, corn and soybean farm. We all helped out – my dad, mom, and all of us siblings. Okay now, I’ll admit that my brothers helped out quite a bit more than my sister and I, but we did help nonetheless.

Today, my brothers and dad run the farm, Mom does the paperwork (and lots of the field work), and my sister and I…..well I guess you could say we’re moral support 😉

Chocolate Cobbler in a small bowl with vanilla ice cream on top.

But no matter how busy life on the farm was, Mom would always make time to keep our bellies full. Especially in the summer when the four of us kids were home, we’d come inside for lunch with a big appetite.

My siblings and I requested this dessert probably more than any other. Luckily, it’s super easy to throw together and bakes up quickly. I still look forward to meals back home! <3

Chocolate Cobbler on a plate with vanilla ice cream on top.

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157 Comments

  1. Richard Prosper says:

    I made this recently. I dug into my wife’s stash of dark chocolate bars and crushed one whole bar into chunks and added it to the batter (Which I thinned a little with 1/2 cup of coconut milk) and grated 1/2 of another bar into the pudding mix (the other 1/2 I ate…shhhhhhh!!). It was decadent! *I added a few minutes to the baking time to account for the additional coconut milk. I didn’t take note of how many, I just jiggled the pan once in a while until the center started to firm up, then gave it a couple more minutes.

  2. Nicole Van Tassel says:

    5 stars
    This was amazing!! So easy to make (followed the directions exactly as written), very rich and decadent! Much easier and faster to make than cake. This will be my new go-to dessert when taking to a potluck or having friends for dinner.

    1. I’m so glad to hear that, Nicole. It’s been in my family forever and for good reason!! Glad you all enjoyed it as well. ~Kelsey

  3. 5 stars
    My FAVORITE chocolate recipe! So easy and purely wonderful!