This chocolate dutch baby is a rich, puffy oven-baked pancake with deep cocoa flavor, crisp edges, and a soft, pillowy center. It's like a giant chocolate crepe meets soufflé! Quick to assemble, impressive to serve, and endlessly customizable with your favorite toppings!
For dutch baby pancakes, a blender (or immersion blender) does most of the work and the whole thing bakes up in under 20 minutes! It's perfect for a dessert treat, cozy breakfast or brunch gathering...especially for Valentine's Day!
Top this chocolate pancake with chocolate chips, a drizzle of Nutella, whipped cream, and/or berries. The combinations are endless!
Prefer a non-chocolate version? Go for this cinnamon apple dutch baby! Or, try some other breakfast staples like strawberry stuffed french toast, bailey's french toast, chocolate granola, or cinnamon pull apart bread!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
One bowl batter - toss everything in a blender or mixing bowl and buzz it up until it's smooth, airy, and pourable.
Rich chocolate flavor - cocoa powder makes for the perfect chocolate base, plus the addition of chocolate chips or a swipe of Nutella after baking!
Ready in 30 minutes - heat the oven and pan while you mix up the batter, add the butter, then bake for 20 minutes! That's it!
Breakfast or dessert - perfect to satisfy a dessert craving, or a sweet breakfast treat, and works beautifully with fruit, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or even ice cream.
Ingredients
- Eggs. Makes the pancake light a fluffy, and gives that "lift" and dramatic rise along the edges.
- Milk. Thins the batter and helps create a soft, almost custardy center.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness and helps get those nice, crispy edges.
- Flour. A small amount is used next to the cocoa to give the dutch baby some base structure.
- Cocoa powder. I love to use dutch-process cocoa for a darker color and deep, smooth chocolate flavor.
- Baking powder. Just a tiny amount helps with the lift and airiness of the pancake.
- Butter. Melts in the hot skillet, and helps to create crisp, caramelized edges.
- Toppings. We love mini chocolate chips or Nutella, and a bit of whipped cream and fresh berries.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use any variety of milk (even plant-based) in place of whole milk.
- Replate AP flour with a 1:1 gluten free baking blend.
- Add 1 teaspoon espresso powder to enhance the cocoa flavor.
- Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the top for a Christmas twist!
How to Make This Recipe
One: Add all ingredients to a bowl or blender.
Two: Blend up until well combined, fluffy, and airy.
Three: Add the butter to a preheated pan and let it melt.
Four: Immediately pour in the chocolate batter and place in the oven.
Hot tip! Don't open the oven door while baking or else it can fall too early!
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Five: Serve immediately with chocolate chips or Nutella and slice it up.
Six: Add berries and whipped cream if you want!
Expert Tips
- Blend for airiness. The frothier the batter, the puffier the dutch baby. Use a blender or immersion blender for best results.
- Get that skillet hot! This is what helps to create the dramatic rise.
- Don't open the oven early. The dutch baby may collapse early if it's exposed to cold air.
- Serve immediately. The pancake will fall as it cools, so it's best to serve it hot!
Testing Notes
- I tried prepping the batter ahead of time and reblending, but the dutch baby didn't get as puffy as blending right before baking.
- I originally used too much flour (not taking into account the cocoa powder), and it made it too gummy. As written now, the flour and cocoa combo allowed it to set up, and give a nice chocolate flavor without being stogy.
- I really liked the Nutella on this (more than chocolate chips), but most people have chips on hand which makes for an easier option!
Recipe FAQs
The pan may not have been hot enough, or the batter wasn't blended vigorously.
Yes, use any oven safe, heavy bottomed pan, skilley, or metal cake pan. Just preheat it until it's super hot!
No. You can use natural cocoa if that's all you have (but it will be light in color). I like dutch process becuase it provides a deeper, smoother chocolate flavor than natural cocoa.
Storage
Refrigerate: store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. It's best to store without whipped cream.
Reheat: warm in a 300°F oven or air fryer until heated through.
Freezing not recommended: the texture becomes too soft once thawed.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Chocolate Dutch Baby
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cut into tablespoon pieces
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips or ¼ cup Nutella
- Whipped cream & fresh berries for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ and add a 12” cast iron skillet to the oven as it heats up.
- Add the eggs, milk, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth and frothy (or use an immersion blender). If you don’t have a blender, whisk everything as vigorously as possible to add a bunch of air.4 large eggs, ½ cup whole milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup dutch processed cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- When the oven is preheated, remove the pan (use oven mitts!) and add the pieces of butter. Swirl until melted, then pour in the batter.¼ cup unsalted butter
- Put it back in the oven for 15-18 minutes until the sides have risen and it’s nice and puffy.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips or a swipe of Nutella.⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- Top with whipped cream and fresh berries - you can add this to the whole thing, or just individual servings. Slice and serve warm.Whipped cream & fresh berries
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