Triple Chocolate Mess Cake in a Crock-Pot

Yes, you can make a real cake in a Crock-Pot! A really delicious cake, in fact…

I am not sure what this says about the excitement level of my life, but this was an exciting cooking event for me because I honestly had doubts about how a cake would cook in a slow-cooker. Stephanie has some very yummy-looking baked dishes in a A Year of Slow-Cooking, but she’s a Crock-Pot goddess and I am a mere mortal, so I was nervous, but in an excited, optimistic what-the-hell kind of way.

The anticipation was almost like waiting to open a surprise gift that I was pretty sure I’d like a lot, and I didn’t even know what it was. A cake in a Crock-Pot?? Yeah, I need a life! But don’t tell me you are not a little curious too. That’s why I saved the picture till the end — don’t look!

I Googled crockpot cake (some might say crackpot kook might be a better term to search for me), and came across several recipes at group sites for Triple Chocolate Mess. It sounded intriguing and easy - chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding and chocolate chips.

They all had identical ingredients but very little detail as to which size Crock-pot, descriptions of the resulting cake, how to know when it was done, or pictures of what it looked like. What did they mean “mess”?  Would it be a real mess or was that just a term describing how you make it, like a “dump” cake? I’m OK with a bit of chaos; I have 2 children, a dog and guinea pig, but I prefer some general hint as to what my future holds.

I checked with A Year of Slow-Cooking again for some encouragement but Stephanie doesn’t have this one. I was on my own in Crock-Pot land and there was only one way to find out…. (In checking back with Stephanie’s site just now, I see I missed a similar pudding type cake and the tip about leaving the top open a bit…ooops.)

Finally the time was right, and I gathered the ingredients with excitement. I even made a special trip to the store to get vanilla ice-cream to go with it. I felt like I was preparing for a new guest.

First thing, I knew that it was critical to spray the inside of the Crock-Pot in order to minimize the mess. It was going to be messy enough, right? Maybe, maybe not, but whatever it was going to be, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life cleaning it. Two kids, a dog and a guinea pig are enough.

I combined all of the ingredients and poured them carefully in the pot, and clicked my broken knob to low. After a few hours the smell was really delicious, like walking past the Mars candy factory a few miles from my house. I strolled by the cake occasionally, peaking surreptitiously, afraid to be too intrusive (I was the type of kid that never snuck open Christmas presents) although I was dying of curiosity. How high would it go? How messy would it be?

After 5 hours, I decided it was time for the toothpick check. Really, I thought to myself, I need a long skewer, as the cake was several inches high. Only a few inches from the top, but it didn’t seem like it would get any higher. It looked set but glistened with moisture on top. The toothpick was gooey so I let it cook for awhile more. Then I forgot about it — oops again - but it looked perfect at 7 hours, so I turned off the the Crock-Pot and let it cool.

We ate a leisurely dinner (stuffed artichokes on the grill; post to come) but the Crock-Pot cake was always in the back of my mind.  Would it be a gooey mess inside?  Would it taste good? Would the kids eat it? Most importantly, would it come out clean, like a real cake?

Finally dinner was done and it was time for the Crock-Pot Miracle. I should have video-taped it! I slid a butter knife around the sides and all seemed solid and good to go. I place a serving plate on top, remembered to call my daughter to share in the miracle, and out it came, a solid (if oddly cylindrical and somewhat jaunty) cake! Ta-da!

The (jaunty) Crock-Pot Miracle - Triple Chocolate Mess Cake

I cut it into pieces and the recipients were very happy with the goodness the Crock-Pot gods bestowed upon them! This cake was awesome - very moist, not too gooey, rich, but not too sweet. Not dry cakey but not soft pudding at all. Solid! A real cake by all acceptable definitions.

I must admit that the sides were slightly overcooked — OK, a bit burned if you must know the truth, but hardly noticeable. Next time I’ll probably just cook for 6 hours, or until the sides begin to pull away. And I’ll vent the top to make sure it’s not too soft. I will definitely be making this and other cakes in the Crock-Pot again. The shape was odd, but actually somewhat elegant — powdered sugar on top would have helped the aesthetics, but the thin slices were perfect and not awkward.

A solid neat slice of Triple Chocolate Mess Crock-Pot cake

Triple Chocolate Mess Cake in a Crock-Pot

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake Mix - 1 package (I used a dark chocolate mix)
• Sour Cream - 16 oz.
• Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix - 1 package
• Chocolate Chips - 1 8 oz. bag (I used the mini-sized)
• Canola Oil - 3/4 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Eggs - 4

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and blend thoroughly with a large wooden spoon.
2. Spray or rub the Crock-Pot with oil.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the Crock-Pot and turn on to Low.
4. Vent the top a bit (an inch at most) by placing something between the top and the pot (I didn’t do this, but I think it would help.)
5. Cook for 4 hours and check for done-ness with a knife in the center, which should come out fairly dry. Also, the sides of the cake should be separating from the sides of the pot. If not, let it cook for another half an hour and check again. The first Crock-Pot cake you make will require a bit of checking but once you have determined the timing on one cake, future cakes will be more predictable and easier (see below for more information on how to tell if your cake is done.)
6. Cool for at least a half an hour or more. The cake stays warm for a long time.
7. When you can’t wait anymore, slide a dinner knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pot.
8. Center a serving plate on top of the pot and flip it over so that the cake falls onto the plate. You may need to jiggle it a bit, and when it has come out, slowly lift up the Crock-Pot.
9. Your wonderful cake is ready!

Goes great with vanilla ice cream - or on its own.

About determining if your cake is done: Crock-Pots are inherently moist cookers and so the top will always be much moister that a typical oven-baked cake. But, the top will be the bottom once you flip it, so it doesn’t have to look perfect. And, the knife will probably never come out bone-dry, because Crock-Pot cakes are very moist.  It’s important to make sure the sides don’t overcook, so doneness will be a combination of the middle being fairly dry and the side being well done but not over-cooked. Even if your cake is a little messy in the middle, it will still be delicious.

Other Crock-Pot Cakes and Bread you might like to try:

• Double Vanilla Mess Cake in a Crock-Pot
• Pumpkin Walnut Bread in a Crock-Pot
• Coconut Cake in a Crock-Pot

Tags: cake, chocolate, crockpot