This week (10th October to 16th October) is National Chocolate Week and to celebrate, I chose to make a chocolate cake flavoured with orange in my new slow cooker which has a waffle topping which adds a different texture, colour and flavour.
Slow cookers are a fantastic way to cook cheaper cuts of meat which require longer and lower cooking than other, more expensive, cuts of meat such as sirloin steak or chicken breast. The slow and long cooking process breaks down the meat by softening the connective tissue resulting in tender meat.
But you may be surprised to learn that you can even make cakes and other puddings in your slow cooker. The main tips that I have read about baking cakes in a slow cooker is to remember to grease and line the ceramic pot with a disc of baking parchment and to place a tea towel or cloth under the lid to prevent any condensation making the surface soggy. But the hardest bit of the cooking process is the waiting!
If you are looking for more slow cooker baking recipes, I suggest checking out Lucy’s (aka @bakingqueen74) blog where she has created lots of different bakes to go in your slow cooker; you can find the slow cooker baking section here.
58g margarine
95g granulated sugar
1 large egg
95g self raising flour
10g cocoa powder
40g Choc Shot Orange Spice (if you don’t have this, 40g of melted chocolate with the zest of ½ orange)
1 toasting waffle, cut into pieces
Grease the pot of your 1.5L slow cooker well and line the base with a disc of baking parchment, allowing it to come up the sides slightly.
In a bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until the sugar has dissolved slightly. Add in the egg and beat until the egg has incorporated; don’t worry if it curdles. Add in the self raising flour and the cocoa powder and fold until it resembles a cake batter. Add in the Choc Shot (or melted chocolate) until the cake batter is a deep chocolate colour and pourable.
Pour all of the cake batter into the slow cooker pot and use the back of a spoon to level out the surface. Place the waffle pieces on the cake and push them in slightly.
Turn the slow cooker onto the low setting for 1 hour and 15 minutes, remembering the place a blue cloth or a tea towel under the lid. Then turn the slow cooker up to high for the last 35 – 45 minutes. The cake is done when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Leave the cake to cool in the slow cooker for 30 minutes before lifting out the pot, running a knife around the edge and turning out the cake. To serve, take a slice of the cake and accompany with some whipped cream or ice cream.
Andrew in the Kitchen 