Chocolate Cobbler

Chocolate Cobbler is an old-fashioned homemade cobbler that magically forms two layers as the cobbler bakes; a fluffy rich chocolate cake on top, and a pudding-like chocolate fudge sauce underneath. It's similar to a chocolate lava cake (molten lava cake) but much easier to make, dump & bake style, in one dish.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cobbler, homeamade chocolate cobbler with no cake mix

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 444kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter melted

Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups boiling water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set a 9x13 baking dish aside for later (no need to spray it).

Chocolate Cake Batter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cups granulated sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
Add in the milk and vanilla extract and stir with a spatula until well combined. The mixture will be thick.
1 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Evenly pour the melted butter into the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the chocolate cake batter over top of the butter. Try to spread it out as much as you can and drop spoonfuls of it all over the butter.
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter

Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and cocoa powder until combined. Evenly sprinkle this mixture over the chocolate cake batter inside the baking pan.
1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Slowly pour the boiling water evenly over the batter inside the pan. DO NOT STIR!
2 cups boiling water

Bake & Serve Warm

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chocolate cake part is set, and lightly browned, and the chocolate fudge sauce is bubbly around it.
Serve chocolate cobbler warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (we think vanilla bean ice cream is the best!).

Notes

Yes, it really is 1 TABLESPOON of baking powder. I always get questions like "are you sure?" and yes, it is 1 tablespoon.
Once you pour the boiling water over top of everything do not stir it! It will be tempting, but trust me, as the cobbler bakes it magically forms itself into two layers; a chocolate cake on top, and a gooey fudgy chocolate sauce underneath. If you stir it, the cobbler won't form right in the oven.
Whole milk is the best choice of milk.
If using unsalted butter add a small pinch of salt, about ⅛ teaspoon of salt in with the melted butter.
Make sure you are using boiling water from the stove top, a tea kettle, or an electric stove top kettle. The water must be very boiling when you pour it in. Don't boil the water and let it sit there until you need it, boil the water and immediately pour it into the baking dish over top of everything. Simply using very hot water from the kitchen tap will not be good enough - it needs to be boiling water. Also, measure the 2 cups boiling water after it has boiled because as water boils some of the water will evaporate, which decreases the amount measured.
You don't want to serve it straight out of the oven, as it will be too hot. But you also want to serve it while it is still very warm. I recommend letting it cool, and sit at room temperature, for about 5-10 minutes. I don't recommend letting it cool for to long or else you will lose that gooey, lava-like texture of the fudge sauce.
The best way to serve chocolate cobbler is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. However, other serving options are any kind of ice cream, freshly whipped cream, store-bought spray whipped cream, fresh fruit such as raspberries or sliced strawberries, or chopped nuts.

Nutrition