My best friend asks for this rich gooey dessert every time she comes over. It is ridiculously chocolatey and magically creates its own sauce with just 3 ingredients.

This slow cooker 3-ingredient mint chocolate lava cake is the kind of rich, gooey dessert my best friend requests every time she comes over. It’s ridiculously chocolatey, with pockets of melted pastel-green mint chips and a thick fudge sauce that magically forms at the bottom as it cooks. The method borrows from classic self-saucing pudding cakes—where extra liquid bakes into a glossy sauce under a tender cake—but here we let the slow cooker do the work. With only a boxed cake mix, prepared chocolate pudding, and mint baking chips, it’s a practical, weeknight-friendly recipe that still feels special enough for company.

Serve this lava cake warm, straight from the slow cooker, spooned into small bowls so everyone gets both cake and plenty of sauce. A scoop of vanilla or mint chocolate chip ice cream is a natural partner, and a little whipped cream softens the intensity of the chocolate. I like to set out extra mint chips or chocolate shavings for sprinkling at the table. Coffee or espresso balances the sweetness, while a glass of cold milk is perfect if you’re serving kids. Because the dessert is so rich, keep the rest of the meal on the lighter side—simple roasted chicken or a big salad pairs nicely before this indulgent finale.

Servings: 8

1 box (about 15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix (any basic chocolate flavor)

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick spray to help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry chocolate cake mix with 1 cup of the pastel green mint baking chips. Stir just until the mint chips are evenly distributed; do not add eggs, oil, or water to the mix.

Pour the dry cake mix and mint chip mixture evenly into the bottom of the greased slow cooker, spreading it into an even layer with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

In a separate bowl, whisk or stir the prepared chocolate pudding until smooth and pourable. Gently pour the pudding over the dry cake mix layer in the slow cooker, covering it completely. Do not stir; the separation of layers is what helps create the self-saucing, lava-like texture.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of pastel green mint baking chips evenly over the top of the pudding layer so they stay visible and melt into little pools of minty color as the cake cooks.

Cover the slow cooker with its lid. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the edges of the cake are set and springy but the center is still soft, bubbling, and very saucy. Avoid lifting the lid in the first 90 minutes so the cake can rise properly.

Once the edges are set and the center looks like hot fudge sauce with soft cake pieces, turn off the slow cooker. Let the cake stand, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken slightly while remaining very gooey.

To serve, spoon the warm cake directly from the slow cooker into bowls, making sure to dig down to the bottom to capture plenty of the thick chocolate sauce, melted pastel green mint chips, and soft cake in every portion. Serve immediately for the best molten texture.

For a deeper mint flavor, add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the chocolate pudding before pouring it over the cake mix. If you prefer a slightly less intense chocolate profile, use a milk chocolate cake mix instead of dark or devil’s food. For a stronger visual contrast, mix 1/2 cup white chocolate chips with the mint chips on top so you get both creamy white and pastel green pockets. To make individual servings, assemble the layers in 8-ounce heatproof ramekins that fit inside a larger slow cooker with a bit of water around them (like a water bath), then reduce the cook time by about 30 to 45 minutes and start checking early. If you need to keep the dessert warm for a party, switch the slow cooker to WARM once it’s done; the sauce will gradually thicken but stay scoopable for about an hour. Leftovers can be refrigerated and gently reheated in the microwave in short bursts; the texture will be more like a very moist brownie with fudge sauce. If you want to cut the sweetness, serve with unsweetened whipped cream or a scoop of lightly sweetened frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.