Posts Tagged ‘chocolate cake’
Easy Slow Cooker Desserts
Make Cheesecakes, Cakes, Rice Puddings & More in Your Slow Cooker!
When I think of slow cookers I think of my sister’s sweet and sour tender ribs or my friend’s delicious savory chicken, but I never think about desserts…until now. I just found a cool article written by Natalie Haughton, who is also the author of Slow & Easy: Fast-Fix Recipes for Your Electric Slow Cooker. In the article she shares cake, cheesecake, rice pudding, strata and fudge sauce recipes which all sound easy and delicious! I love all of the tips she gives to making desserts in the slow cooker, like watching the time carefully in order to prevent over baking, which she admits to doing. Unlike cooking dinner, desserts need less time to bake and should be monitored throughout. All in all the article is very informative and the desserts sound easy and quick! Please let me know if you try one…I’ve included the Chocolate Fudge cake recipe here.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE WITH PEANUT BUTTER GANACHE
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Dash salt
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, melted
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Butter bottom and sides of a 4-quart round electric slow cooker. Line bottom with a round of nonstick foil cut to fit bottom of pot. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk gently to blend dry ingredients. Add melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and 11/2 cups cold water. Whisk vigorously until batter is well-blended and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Turn batter into lined pot, spreading out evenly. Cover and cook on the low heat setting 4 1/2 to 5 hours, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. (Do not cook on the high heat setting as the cake will burn around the sides.)
Uncover and remove insert from cooker. Carefully run a knife all around edges to loosen cake. Let cool in pot 15 to 20 minutes. Then run knife around sides again before gently turning cake out of pot. You may have to coax it a bit with a spatula. Peel off foil and carefully turn cake right side up on a serving plate. Let cool completely.
Spread warm Peanut Butter Ganache over top and sides of cake. Use a small offset spatula or a dinner knife to draw swirls or a patterned design on top of cake. Let cool until set. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
PEANUT BUTTER GANACHE
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
In a glass bowl or a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine all 3 ingredients. Heat in a microwave oven on high power for about 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted when stirred. Mix until ganache is smooth and well-blended. Let stand or refrigerate briefly until frosting is of spreading consistency. Makes about 1 cup.