Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

Deanna and her boyfriend handled dinner last night (blueberry pancakes and sausage)... before I knew were were having a carb-rich dinner, I'd decided to make dessert in honor of Valentine's Day - something gooey and rich and simple (and not requiring my oven - hah!)

I selected the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook.  I am learning a thing or two about my slow cooker (other than that I really want a new one) - it cooks a lot faster than recipes say, and this was no exception.  The cake portion was just slightly dry...fortunately, combined with the fudgy sauce and ice cream, it evened out.   I will definitely do this again, and take the recommended time of 2 to 2 1/4 hours to 1 hour 45 minutes or less at HIGH.

Other than that, total success - and for everyone to have enjoyed a bowl after being stuffed on blueberry pancakes, it has to be good, right?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake
Serves 6-8

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 T canola, peanut or walnut oil
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used dark chips because that's what I had on hand)


TOPPING:
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water.

Vanilla ice cream for serving

Coat the slow cooker with butter flavored cooking spray (or grease with butter).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center and add milk, oil, and vanilla, stirring until well blended until you have a smooth batter (it will be thick).  Stir in peanut butter (warmed slightly in microwave if it is too stiff) and blend until smooth.  Add chocolate chips and blend again.  Spread batter evenly in the slow cooker.

To make the topping: In another medium bowl, combine cocoa and sugar; pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth.  Gently pour sauce over batter in the slow cooker - DO NOT STIR.  Cover and cook on HIGH until puffed and the top is set. (I suggest 1 3/4 hrs, book suggests 2 - 2 1/4 hours.)

Turn off slow cooker and let sit, covered, for at least 30 minutes before serving.

To serve, scoop cake into individual bowls, add a scoop of ice cream. Spoon fudgy pudding over cake and ice cream and serve.

We had a bag of those little individual serve ice cream cups - the vanilla ones with either chocolate or strawberry drizzle.  They're just the right amount of ice cream to go along with this cake, and a fun twist is that with the strawberry drizzled ice cream, the whole thing tasted like a chocolately peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

(Shared with Tuesdays at the Table, Get Your Craft On, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Show Me What You Got, Tackle It Tuesday, and Anything Related, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show and Tell Wednesday, Make It Yours Day, Getting Crafty on Hump Day, Crock Pot Wednesday, We Did It Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Transformation Thursday, Show Off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursday)