Crock Pot Chocolate Pudding Cake

Sometimes I feel like I really need something sweet, but there aren't enough ingredients in my house to make anything really special. If you feel the urge to scarf down some warm, chocolate-y goodness, but don't have a lot of ingredients on hand, this is the dessert for you.

Crock Pot Chocolate Pudding Cake

What You'll Need: 

6 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup self-rising flour
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups very hot water

How to Make It: 

Pour the melted butter into a slow-cooker.  In a bowl, combine the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and the 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa. Stir in the milk and vanilla until everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the slow-cooker, on top of the butter. In another small bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter. Pour the hot water over everything in the slow-cooker- don't stir it! Cover the slow-cooker and let the cake "bake" on High for 2 hours. This would be really good with ice cream or whipped cream!

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

I'm not big on "specialty" equipment for the kitchen. For this cake, though, you will need a Bundt pan. My dad found one for me at a yard sale. I frequently see them at flea markets and things like that, too! Find a cute vintage one and keep it on hand for those times when you want to make a cake. Which should be all the time.

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

What You'll Need:

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cups peeled, finely chopped cooking apple (I ran four peeled and cored Granny Smiths through my food processor. You could also use a box grater.)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

A handful of raisins (optional)

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 tbsp evaporated milk

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a bowl at medium speed until creamy. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon with a whisk; add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating well. Stir in the apple and pecans (and raisins, if using.) Pour the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a serving platter on the pan, and turn the whole thing upside down to remove the cake. Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, for about two minutes or until the butter is melted. Pour the glaze over the cake and serve. 

Peach-Cinnamon Kuchen

There's something really special about peaches covered in cinnamon-sugar and baked in the oven for a while. Or any fruit, for that matter.

Peach-Cinnamon Kuchen

What You'll Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

1 large can peach halves, drained and patted dry (as dry as they can be)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 cup heavy whipping cream

How To Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter* until crumbly. Press the mixture onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the side of a 9 inch springform pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Arrange the peach halves, cut side up, in the crust. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle over the peaches. Bake for 20 minutes. Combine the egg yolks and cream and pour over the peaches. Bake for 25-30 minutes longer or until the top of the kuchen is set (it will still be custard like- don't worry, it will set up in the fridge.) Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate the leftovers.


*If you make a lot of biscuits and scones, you probably already have a pastry cutter. They're inexpensive little gadgets used to combine butter and flour mixtures to make them crumbly crust material. If you don't have one, you can still cut butter into flour using a fork- just keep stirring and mashing until the mixture is crumbly and you can pat it into a crust dough. It's also a great arm workout!

Pecan Blondies

This is a pantry-staple recipe. These things are so yummy, and a tiny bit impressive- but the nice thing is, you probably have all the ingredients on hand! 

Pecan Blondies

What You'll Need:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp butter

1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 lg eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup pecans, chopped

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a 3 qt saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the brown sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs and stir until well mixed. Stir in the flour and pecans just until blended (when you can no longer see the flour mixture). Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge comes out almost clean. Cool the blondies in the pan on a wire rack.