This Warm Chocolate Fudge Skillet Cake is my go-to easy cake that rivals all others. A super simple flourless chocolate cake made with eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, a splash of bourbon, and sweet chocolate chunks. All baked together until puffed on top and warm and gooey in the center. The cake gets baked inside flaky puff pastry for a delicious and unique twist. This rich cake is warm, fudgy, and almost molten-like, while the outside is flaky and delicious. And even better when served with ice cream on top. It’s the perfect Mother’s Day cake…or maybe just your Friday night dessert!

I really do love each and every recipe I share with you guys, but there are some that I just really, really love. This cake is one of them. It started out as a simple flourless cake concept, but while testing, it turned into so much more.

With Mother’s Day on Sunday, I wanted to share a dessert that I knew my mom would LOVE. I’ve been really into fruit recipes lately, so chocolate has kind of taken a back seat. We all know how my mom feels about chocolate. She’s what you call a chocoholic. And while she’s really tried to cut sugar out of her daily life (except for her morning and evening cacao/cocoa sessions), there are some things she just can’t resist.

Homemade chocolate cake is one of those sweets she can never turn down. And if it’s warm? While geez, all bets are definitely off. She might even have a second slice.

I’ve really been wanting to share a flourless chocolate cake with you guys for a while. But I just couldn’t quite figure out a way to make my flourless cake extra special. There are a lot of basic flourless cakes out there. And most sound totally delicious, but I wanted to share something new.

I’ve had an idea in my head for a while now. But before I started testing this cake, I gave it another thought. Hmm, can cake have a crust? So I tested my cake recipe concept inside of an easy puff pastry crust, and wow, it worked. And just in time for Mother’s Day. All I can say is that I’m so excited!

In Asher’s words, “this cake is unreal….delish”.

Let’s talk details

If you’ve ever made a flourless cake, you probably know that most are really pretty simple. And that’s the cake we are making today, just in a skillet.

You’ll want to start with the pastry. I use a sheet of thawed frozen puff pastry. I take an eight-inch skillet, butter it, then fit the pastry inside and pre-bake it. This ensures that the pastry gets a little cooked before adding in the cake.

The secret here is to use a good heavy-duty skillet, preferably cast iron. It will give you the flakiest, butteriest pastry. That said, if you don’t own a skillet to bake this in, use an eight or nine-inch baking pan. Both options work, but I prefer the skillet!

While the pastry is baking, make the cake. It’s easy and you don’t even need a mixer. What you do need are eggs, a little cocoa powder, sugar, instant coffee, and butter. Plenty of butter for this one!

Then simply whisk it all together and done. I do like to brown the butter first for added flavor, but it’s also not necessary if you’re short on time.

The two ingredients I love to add are bourbon and vanilla. If you have vanilla beans, that’s even better. The rich bourbon really helps to highlight all the chocolate within the recipe. And something about the combination of vanilla, bourbon, and chocolate is just magical.

And lastly, don’t skip out on those chocolate chunks (or chips). You’ll fold them into the batter just before baking. The chunks help to create that warm and gooey center that everyone will find delicious.

When the cake comes out of the oven it will be pretty proofed up on top and wiggly in the center. But as the cake cools, it will set up a bit.

Wait a handful of minutes before diving in. Then cut and serve this skillet cake while still warm and gooey…with ice cream on top. CRAZY DELICIOUS!

My suggestion…make this for Mom on Sunday, but give it a test run tonight. Trust me, you’ll be very happy you did. Also? If you have siblings, mom will love you most if you make this for her…a little dramatic, but honestly probably true.

This cake really is that good!

Looking for other sweets to serve mom this weekend? Try these:

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie

Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Custard Cake

Vintage Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Lastly, if you make this Warm Chocolate Fudge Skillet Cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

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4.29 from 14 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Warm Chocolate Fudge Skillet Cake.

Rich, warm, fudgy, molten-like cake on the inside...flaky on the outside. Delicious with ice cream on top!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 498 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
• ice cream, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. 1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

   2. Butter an 8-10 inch skillet. Fit the puff pastry into the skillet, allow the sides to overhang. Lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, beans, or rice.

   3. Bake until the pastry is set, 15 minutes. Remove pie weights, sprinkle the pastry with 1 tablespoon sugar and continue baking until the pastry is golden, 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce the oven temp 350°F.

   4. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and 1 1/2 cups sugar until well combined. Add the cocoa powder, instant coffee, and salt. Whisk in the melted butter, bourbon, and vanilla, until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Pour the mixture into the baked pastry.

   5. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the cake is puffed on top, but still wiggly in the center. The longer you bake, the more set your cake will be. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Serve the cake warm with ice cream.

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