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My brother watched my mother’s chocolate cobbler go into the oven one night and asked her where the fruit was. There isn’t any. It is a cobbler in name only, made in the black cast iron skillet from things that were always in the pantry: flour, sugar, milk, butter, cocoa and a kettle of water. No peaches, no berries, not even a bar of chocolate. My brother had his spoon in it before it stopped bubbling, and he has not asked about fruit since.
It goes in looking like a mistake. Butter is melted right in the skillet, a plain batter goes on top of the butter without being stirred in, and a dry layer of sugar and cocoa is sprinkled over the batter like sand. Then you pour boiling water over the whole thing, right over the cocoa, and slide it into the oven without touching it. The water has to be truly boiling, straight from the kettle; that heat is what melts the sugar and cocoa into a sauce as it sinks. In the oven the batter rises up through everything and bakes into a crackly brownie crust, and underneath it you find a thick, dark chocolate sauce.
Why this chocolate cobbler works
- Boiling water. Straight from the kettle, it dissolves the sugar and cocoa on contact and starts the sauce; warm tap water leaves a gritty layer.
- Never stirred. The layers sort themselves out in the oven. Stir and you get a muddy cake with no sauce.
- Butter on the bottom. Melted in the skillet first, it crisps the edges of the batter and enriches the sauce.
- Cast iron. It holds the heat evenly, so the top crust cracks and shines and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
- Cocoa, not chocolate. Cocoa dissolves smoothly into the water and gives a deep, dark sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 8, baked in a 10 inch cast iron skillet or an 8x8 inch baking dish. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the batter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (10g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk (120ml)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the topping
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (100g)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g)
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water (360ml)
Natural or Dutch-process cocoa both work; Dutch-process gives a darker, smoother sauce. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or a spoon of whipped cream.
How to make chocolate cobbler
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Put the butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and set it in the oven for a few minutes until melted. Take it out and set it on the stove.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla until just smooth. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter over the melted butter in dollops and spread it gently toward the edges. Do not stir it into the butter.
- In a small bowl, mix the topping sugar, brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle it evenly over the batter, all the way to the edges.
- Bring the water to a full boil. Slowly pour the 1 1/2 cups of boiling water over the back of a spoon all over the top. Do not stir. It will look like a soupy mistake.
- Set the skillet on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is set, crackly and shiny and the sauce bubbles thickly at the edges.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes, until the bubbling stops and the sauce thickens. Spoon it into bowls from the bottom so every serving gets crust and sauce, with ice cream on top.
Tips that make the difference
- Measure the water after it boils, or boil a little extra, so you pour a full 1 1/2 cups.
- Pour slowly over a spoon so the water does not dig holes in the cocoa layer.
- The baking sheet underneath is not optional: the sauce can bubble up over the skillet rim.
- The center will look soft under the crust. That is the sauce; judge doneness by a set, cracked top.
Variations
- Baking dish. Use an 8x8 inch dish: melt the butter in it in the oven and bake the same way, adding about 5 minutes.
- Pecan. Scatter 1/2 cup chopped pecans over the batter before the sugar and cocoa.
- Mocha. Use 1 1/2 cups hot strong coffee in place of the boiling water for a darker sauce.
- Peanut butter. Drop small spoonfuls of peanut butter over the batter before the topping.
Storage and make-ahead
Chocolate cobbler is best warm, the day it is baked. Cover leftovers and keep them at room temperature for one day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Rewarm servings in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds; the sauce loosens again as it warms.
It does not freeze well, because the sauce turns grainy when thawed.
Frequently asked questions
How hot does the water have to be for chocolate cobbler?
Boiling, straight from the kettle. Boiling water dissolves the sugar and cocoa topping and starts the sauce; warm water leaves a gritty layer on top and a thin sauce.
Do I stir after pouring in the water?
Never. The batter rises up through the water in the oven and bakes into the crust, while the water and cocoa sink underneath and turn into the sauce.
Why is there no fruit in chocolate cobbler?
It is a cobbler in name and shape only. The brownie crust over a sauce looks like a cobbler topping over fruit, and in the South that was enough to earn the name.
How is this different from hot fudge pudding cake?
They are close cousins. Chocolate cobbler bakes over melted butter in a cast iron skillet, so the edges crisp and the top cracks like a brownie, and the sauce is a little thinner and richer.
Butter in the skillet, batter on top, sugar and cocoa over that, and a kettle of boiling water you never stir. It goes in looking like a mistake and comes out the best thing in the house.
Chocolate Cobbler (Brownie Crust, Its Own Fudge Sauce)
Southern chocolate cobbler: a simple batter spread over melted butter in a cast iron skillet, topped with sugar and cocoa, then 1 1/2 cups of boiling water poured over and never stirred, baked at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes into a brownie crust over fudge sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Put the butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and set it in the oven for a few minutes until melted. Take it out and set it on the stove.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla until just smooth. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter over the melted butter in dollops and spread it gently toward the edges. Do not stir it into the butter.
- In a small bowl, mix the topping sugar, brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle it evenly over the batter, all the way to the edges.
- Bring the water to a full boil. Slowly pour the 1 1/2 cups of boiling water over the back of a spoon all over the top. Do not stir. It will look like a soupy mistake.
- Set the skillet on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is set, crackly and shiny and the sauce bubbles thickly at the edges.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes, until the bubbling stops and the sauce thickens. Spoon it into bowls from the bottom so every serving gets crust and sauce, with ice cream on top.
