Indulge in this home-cooked replication of Red Lobster's beloved Chocolate Wave, featuring a warm, rich chocolate cake, creamy vanilla ice cream, and a luscious chocolate sauce.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8x8 inch square baking pan or a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Carefully stir in the hot water or hot coffee until the batter is smooth and thin. (The batter will be quite runny, this is normal.)
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
While the cake bakes, prepare the chocolate sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens slightly (about 3-5 minutes).
Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
Once the cake is baked, let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before serving. You can serve it directly from the pan or invert it onto a wire rack to cool slightly if preferred.
To serve, cut a generous slice of warm chocolate cake. Place it on a serving plate, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and generously drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.