I got this wonderful recipe from my mom. It was a favorite dessert at our house and I remember having it often as a child. We all love it! One year when my mom asked my little brother Matt what treat he wanted for family night, he told her "Water Brownies". None of us had any idea what the heck he was talking about. We couldn't figure it out, so she just made something else. A few weeks later, she made this dessert. When Matt saw her pull this out of the oven, he exclaimed excitedly, "Yay, you made water brownies!!!" I have called it that ever since.
No matter what you call it, it is sure to become a family favorite at your house too. It tastes fantastic. It makes it's own hot fudge sauce. It is economical. And it is super easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. You must serve it with ice cream though, or the dessert police will come to your house and haul you off.
I've been making this for years in the oven, but just found instructions for making it in the crock pot. I tried it this time, and it worked like a charm. I am including the instructions at the bottom of the recipe.
Water Brownies aka Hot Fudge Cake
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp oil (I used canola)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
2-4 Tbsp cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water
Stir together dry ingredients. Add milk, vanilla, oil, and nuts. Stir till well blended and spread in a greased 9" square pan. Mix brown sugar and cocoa and sprinkle over the top. Pour hot water on top- do not mix in! Bake for about 40 minutes at 350. Serve warm with ice cream.
Crock pot instructions: Spread batter in a well greased 3 1/2 quart crock pot. Bring to a boil the hot water, brown sugar, and cocoa. Pour over batter in crock pot. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. That's it!
-Serves 8-10
-This recipe really doesn't contain eggs, it's not a typo.
-If you are a true chocoholic, you can add chocolate chips to the batter.
-My favorite way to serve this is with pecans in the batter, and vanilla ice cream. So yummy!
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I am a fan of chocolate and a fan of my crockpot… this is a great idea!!
Yum! I love this cake, but haven't had it in ages. I'm intrigued by trying it in the crock pot. Also, I think I'm really going to like your blog
Wow, this is so great!!! Thanks for linking up this week. You are always Fabulous!!!
Hugs
Dee
CSI girl
Anyone think you could use a cake mix?
Lora, I wouldn't recommend using a cake mix. The cake batter here is very thick-thicker than a brownie. I don't think a cake mix, which is lighter and fluffier, would separate properly to make a dense cake and thick sauce.
anyone tried double recipe for a crowd in crock pot? Longer cook time I'm guessing
Melinda, I've doubled it and baked in a 9×13" pan for about 45-50 minutes, but I've never tried doubling in the crock pot. I'm sure it will take longer, but not sure how much longer. Maybe 5 hours?
We'll see what happens!! Smells wonderful!
Kara,
Just discovered your blog today. Have found some great recipes I definately need to try. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.
Thanks so much Beverly!!
When you double the recipe (for the oven) do you double the water mixture as well or does it become too runny?
You double the water mixture as well, and nope, it doesn't turn out too runny.
Does it matter what size crock pot I use? This looks delicious
I used a 3qt crock pot. I bet a larger one would work too, it would probably just cook faster. Let me know if you try it.
How many portions would this recipe give in the crock pot?
Juliann, it serves about 8-10 people, depending on serving size.
either I did something wrong or this isnt very good
. Should the cocoa be sweetened or unsweetened?
Sorry it didn't turn out for you Dawn. It should be regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like the kind in the brown Hershey can. Is that what you used?
Hi Kara,
I wanted to make this tonight in my crockpot but unfortunately it burnt!!! After 3 hours or so I could smell something else than chocolate..;-)
Next time i'm making it on low, or in the oven!
Greetings from Holland!
Tessa
I'm excited to try this out today! I'll be using the smaller crockpot. I'm glad I read your comment saying you used a smaller crockpot otherwise I'd be using my huge one (you may want to mention that in your instructions??). I'm sure it would not turn out the same!! My hubby will be pleasantly surprised when he comes home
This was always my families all-time favorite recipe! Vanilla ice cream was a requirement not an option. And the fudge sauce was magically made. Anxious to try it in my crockpot for sure.
I agree, vanilla ice cream is a must!!
When you double the recipe, do you use a 9" x 13" pan?
Yep, a 9×13" works just great!
I also cooked this in the crockpot and it burnt after a few hours.
I made this and it smelled AMAZING, and the "sauce" it made was great, but the cake had a weird texture… kinda heavy, and chewy/rubbery… is that normal? I was questioning the baking powder on the recipe, should it have been baking soda? Or maybe the texture is normal, I don't know. I think I may try it again in the oven but was wondering about the soda/powder thing
Sorry it's taken so long to reply, somehow this comment slipped through the cracks. If the cake was rubbery, it was probably just overcooked. I do prefer the texture when baking it in the oven though.
I found this on Pinterest and made it the other night and I'm not sure if it turned out right. The cake part came to the top and the sauce was on the bottom. Also the sauce seemed rather watery too me. Is it 1 & 3/4 cup water or 1 to 3/4 cup water?
Sandy, yes that's right, the sauce sinks to the bottom and the cake rises to the top. If the sauce was too watery, I'd try baking it on a lower rack in your oven. It is 1 and 3/4 cups water.