One more slow cooker dessert: Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Photo from Taste of Home

Probably a good many of us have made a hot fudge sundae cake (also called a hot fudge pudding cake) in the oven.  It used to be a very popular dessert in the 1960s and 1970s and I had several other variations of it.  A lemon one, a caramel apple one, and a toffee raisin one.  All were good, but I think the hot fudge one was the favorite of most people.

Once I realized that my newly acquired 3-quart slow cooker was the perfect size for desserts, I decided to try the hot fudge sundae cake from my Gooseberry Patch Slow Cooking All Year Round cookbook. 

Here is  the recipe:
HOT FUDGE SUNDAE CAKE
1 cup flour*
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tblsp. unsweetened baking cocoa, divided use
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk*
2 Tblsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups hot water

Spray a 2 to 3-quart slow cooker with non-stick baking spray.  Sift flour, sugar, 2 Tblsp. baking cocoa, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.  Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla.  Spread this batter evenly in the greased slow cooker.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and the remaining 4 Tblsp. baking cocoa.  Slowly stir the hot water until smooth.  Pour this mixture evenly over the batter in the slow cooker.  Do not stir!

Cover slow cooker and cook on High setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Turn off slow cooker.  Let cake stand, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes before serving. 

Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes; add ice cream if desired.  Spoon sauce from slow cooker over top.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

(The recipe also called for 1/2 cup chopped nuts, but I don't think they are necessary.  If you use them, fold them into the batter just before spreading it in the cooker.)

* When I made this, I used the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 baking flour.  I also used almond milk instead of regular milk.

Oh, my, is this delicious!  I've made it twice now for our potluck lunch at church.  The second time I doubled the recipe and again, used the 3-quart slow cooker.  It worked fine.  Both times, I had French vanilla ice cream available to serve with this.  Coffee ice cream would also be fantastic!

To take this to the potluck, since I was going to be at church all morning anyway, I just cooked it there.  I spread the batter in the slow cooker and did not do the rest of the prep until I got to church.  I had the brown sugar and cocoa combined in a covered plastic bowl and just stirred in the hot water when I got there, then poured it over the batter.

And I just realized that -- although I followed the directions to turn the cooker off and let stand 30-40 minutes before serving, I didn't take the cover off.  It didn't seem to do any harm, but I'll pay attention to that next time!

If your family or potluck crowd likes chocolate and you like the idea of a nice warm dessert without any last-minute fuss, give this one a try!