Chocolate skillet cake is a dense, fudgy chocolate cake baked right in a skillet, with crisp edges and a soft, warm middle, served straight from the pan with vanilla ice cream melting over the top. It is a dessert for date night, a family movie night or the end of a dinner party.
How to make chocolate skillet cake: Melt bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips with butter in the microwave. Whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla, then flour, salt and baking soda. Pour into a buttered 10-inch oven-safe skillet and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean and the center reaches 160°F. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Why You’ll Love It
- Baked and served in one pan. The skillet goes from the oven to the table.
- Three cups of chocolate. Two kinds of chips make it deep and rich.
- No mixer. A bowl, a whisk and a microwave.
- Warm cake, cold ice cream. That contrast is the whole point.
Ingredient Notes
Bittersweet chocolate chips. Two cups.
Semisweet chocolate chips. One cup.
Unsalted butter. Twelve tablespoons, melted with the chocolate, plus a little more to grease the skillet.
Sugar. One cup.
Eggs. Four.
Vanilla extract. One teaspoon.
All-purpose flour. One cup.
Salt and baking soda. A 1/2 teaspoon of each.
Vanilla ice cream. For serving. The recipe gives no amount, so plan a scoop per person.
Ingredients
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the skillet
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
How to Make Chocolate Skillet Cake
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch oven-safe skillet with butter.
2. Melt the chocolate. Combine both kinds of chocolate chips and the 12 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals until melted.
3. Mix the batter. Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture.
4. Bake. Transfer the batter to the greased skillet. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Because the cake contains eggs, check that its center reaches 160°F with a food thermometer before taking it out of the oven.
5. Serve. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
How to Tell When the Center Is Done
This cake is meant to be fudgy, so the toothpick should not come out bone dry. Look for a toothpick that is mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs. That is the texture cue.
The safety cue is separate. The batter has four eggs in it, and USDA FSIS gives 160°F as the minimum temperature for eggs. A soft, fudgy center is fine. An undercooked one is not. Check with a food thermometer before the skillet comes out.
| Check | What to look for | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 35 minutes at 350°F | When to start checking |
| Toothpick | Mostly clean, a few moist crumbs | The texture is right |
| Thermometer | 160°F in the center | The eggs are safely cooked |
If the toothpick looks right but the thermometer reads low, give the cake a few more minutes and check again. The handle of the skillet will be as hot as the oven, so keep a mitt on it.
Tips for Success
How do I melt the chocolate without scorching it?
Microwave the chips and butter on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between rounds, and stop as soon as the mixture is smooth.
What size skillet do I need?
A 10-inch oven-safe skillet, greased with butter. Cast iron works well. Make sure the handle can go in the oven.
Do I bake it or cook it on the stovetop?
This cake is baked in the oven, uncovered. There are skillet cakes cooked covered on the stove over low heat, but that is a separate method.
Can I serve it warm?
Yes. Serve it warm from the skillet with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each portion.
Baking soda or baking powder?
The ingredient list calls for 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and that is what I use.
How Long Does It Take?
About 55 minutes: 20 minutes to melt the chocolate and mix the batter, and 35 minutes in the oven. The recipe makes 6 servings.
Variations
Frosted. Some chocolate skillet cakes are finished with frosting in place of ice cream.
Hot fudge pudding cake. A skillet cake that makes its own sauce underneath.
Flourless. A fudge skillet cake with no flour at all.
Each of these has its own amounts and method. This page is the fudgy, flour-based cake served with ice cream.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in covered, shallow containers and gives 3 to 4 days for refrigerated leftovers. Take the cake out of the skillet to store it. Warm a piece before serving if you like, and add the ice cream at the last moment.
What to Serve With It
For more chocolate, bake the chocolate brownie cake, the chocolate turtle cake or the homemade German chocolate cake. For other warm desserts served from the dish they bake in, try the pecan pie dump cake or the 4-ingredient slow cooker caramel apple dump cake. And for something without chocolate, there is Bea’s blueberry sheet cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell when the center is done?
A toothpick comes out mostly clean and a food thermometer in the center reads 160°F.
Can I serve the cake warm with vanilla ice cream?
Yes. That is how it is meant to be served.
Do I bake this cake in the skillet or cook it covered on the stovetop?
Bake it in the skillet, in a 350°F oven.
How many does it serve?
Six.
Final Notes
I check the center with a thermometer and a toothpick together, because I want it fudgy and safely cooked. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Chocolate Skillet Cake
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Ingredients
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter plus butter for greasing the skillet
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch oven-safe skillet with butter.
- Combine both kinds of chocolate chips and the 12 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals until melted.
- Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture.
- Transfer the batter to the greased skillet. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Because the cake contains eggs, check that its center reaches 160°F with a food thermometer before taking it out of the oven.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream.
