Happy Valentine’s Day! A day to celebrate love. A day to celebrate my half-birthday. A day to celebrate chocolate. So let’s get to it with this easy chocolate cobbler.
The origins of this recipe in my life go alll the way back to my early days in Chicago. I had a core group of gal pals – and the six of us would get together weekly for happy hours and $5 chocolate martinis. It was all very Sex and the City. They were the same group with whom I celebrated many a birthday, wedding, Super Bowl, Oscars or just a Saturday night in. If you know the kind of group I’m talking about and had one of your own, consider yourself as lucky as I.
Anyway, one such gathering, S came armed with this chocolate cobbler. I instantly needed the recipe and every once in a while I pop it out as a reminder of my good ole’ days. The recipe itself comes from The Pioneer Woman, and when I went to search for it on her site, I realized it was no longer there (at least that I could find). So, as a Valentine’s gift from me to you, I’m bringing into your awareness, with of course a few twists and turns of my own.
What is chocolate cobbler?
When you think of cobbler, you’re probably thinking a fruit situation. Ooey gooey seasonal fruit baked down and covered in some sort of biscuit or oat topping. This is not that. It’s actually more like a pudding cake akin to sticky toffee pudding or, as my coworkers described it – a sort of inside out lava cake. The cake bakes up soft and spongy and the sugar topping sinks to the bottom to create a self-saucing cake.
However you want to describe it, one thing we can all agree on is that it’s delicious.
What ingredients do I need to make this?
Honestly, probably everything you have in your very own pantry.
- flour, all-purpose sifted. I know you don’t want to sift it as much as I do but I also hate lumps. So we sift.
- sugar, brown and white. They serve different purposes, so keep an eye on the directions because these are sugars divided.
- cocoa powder. I used dark chocolate because that’s my pref.
- butter, unsalted and melted – meaning you don’t need to have any forethought to make this in a snap. No need to soften anything ahead of time.
- baking powder and salt, for the rising and balance
- milk, 2% here, but use what you’ve got
- vanilla and coconut extract, for flava
- extra chocolate chunks, for more chocolate
- water, for the secret sauce.
Oh and you’ve just got to serve it with either ice cream of whipped cream because it just adds to the sensation: hot + cold. solid + melty. delicious + more delicious.
Let’s dig into it!
Easy Chocolate Cobbler
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 TB unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder sifted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk your preference
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips
For the topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 TB unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder sifted
- 1 ½ cup hot tap water
- whipped cream to serve
- ice cream to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9" cast iron skillet or medium-sized casserole dish. You want something with a bit of a lip since this will rise a little.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 3TB cocoa powder, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, milk, butter, extracts and chocolate chips/chunks. Mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined, careful not to overmix. Spread evenly in the greased baking dish.
- In a separate smaller bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar and remaining 4 TB cocoa powder. Mix and sprinkle over the batter.
- Gently pour the hot water over the entire cobbler. Bake about 40 -45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let sit five minutes before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.
