the lazy baker – WordPress test9

slow cooker chocolate cake with frosting

I’m a busy working mom, like many of you, and adore recipes that use real ingredients to create delicious, simple, and fast treats for my family. Although you have seen versions of a slow-cooker chocolate cake that use a cake mix and pudding mix, can I encourage you to try making this recipe instead? I would love you to take the extra few minutes to use real ingredients that you have touched and measured for yourself. This chocolate cake is ridiculously fast to make and will become a family favorite that you are happy to get in your crockpot before you head out to work, schedule it, and have it ready to be eaten after dinner or for your kids when they get home from school.

This chocolate cake is utter magic. Magic because it is utterly decadent and rich, magic because the frosting is created while the cake cooks in the same pan!, but magic mostly because this delectable cake is made in the slow-cooker!

I often question the practicalness of some slow-cooker recipes. Especially the ones that are for 3 hours and then done. Or for 2 hours and then you add something and cook for an additional 2 hours. Isn’t the idea of a slow cooker to allow you to set supper up to be cooking while you are working? Who the heck works 3-hour shifts? Eh, it must just be me that doesn’t see the value in 1400 Slow-Cooker Recipes.

(You are going to start to stir the batter and want to yell at me that something is wrong. There isn’t. The stuff is thick! Just stir it gently with a wooden spoon until the giant chunks are gone and call it a day. Put it into your greased slow-cooker and let the magic work. It works out, promise!)

This recipe I get. When I eat this cake with it’s built-in frosting I understand why slow-cooker recipes exist. In the 3 hours this cake is cooking, the frosting is cooking up too. It SELF FROSTS itself. No really…when you cut the cake, you automatically get frosting! BAM!

But is it good? I have had my share of slow-cooker recipes that I didn’t think were worth the trouble. They were only so-so. But this. THIS is mouth-watering! I use a couple of special ingredients to keep this cake rich, full of flavor, and lighter in calories. It isn’t light and fluffy like my homemade chocolate cake instead, it’s rich, fudge-y, and dark. THIS is the cake I use for ice cream sundaes, coffee dates, and regular appearances on the meal menu.

Stout.

Using a dark, rich alcohol like stout allows me to remove the milk from the cake recipe, quite a bit of the sugar, AND contributes a wonderful rich flavor to the cake. Using stout works fantastic for this slow-cooker recipe because the slow-cooking time allows that alcohol to foam and bubble to the top of the cake, mixing with the sugar and chocolate, and creating a delicious frosting.

Nutella.

Now, you can use peanut butter (this is better for the calorie count!), almond butter, or cookie butter in place of Nutella. However, for the richest and most decadent flavor, and when making this for your kids, use Nutella. Obviously :).

(Do NOT stir in your boiled stout topping. Simply pour it on top and leave. Really. It all works out.)

[yumprint-recipe id=’264′]

microwave brownies in a mug.

This is a quick and easy dessert that serves just one. Perfect for when you are looking for a sweet midnight snack or your kids want an after-school treat. You can make up a microwave brownie-in-a-mug in about three minutes with ingredients you already have in your pantry…

And you can mix up the whole brownie recipe IN the mug (no extra dishes…score!) with a few quick and easy steps…

Seriously, this brownie was about 3 minutes. Including the cooking! Kinda like a glorified Easy Bake recipe…don’t you think? Please tell me I’m not the only one old enough to remember those guys. With their dangerous exposed light-bulbs, super expensive mixes, and little girls begging their parents for one?

Walah… a tasty, chocolatey, gooey brownie! All made up during the next commercial!

[yumprint-recipe id=’261′]

If you are looking for fast, easy, and simple recipes like this you shouldn’t miss our Lazy Baker ENTIRE CATEGORY full of short-cut recipes. Like pull-apart breads, petit fours, and even Grandma’s fudge. These recipes are meant for those that are a bit gun-shy in the kitchen and still gaining confidence in their cooking skills. We hear ya. No need to fuss and stress…use our cheater recipes to look like a kitchen super star!

lemon cake recipe |2 ingredient|

Why spend a lot of time and energy putting together a completely homemade cake when you can cook up a two-ingredient lemon cake recipe? We think that is a valid question.

Let’s get something straight; we love homemade cake. We have several recipes for homemade cake, including our favorite chocolate and white cakes. And we encourage everyone who likes baking to try them. Even people who don’t like baking should try them, so they can see how easy baking really can be. But sometimes, and for some people, spending a couple hours baking a cake just isn’t worth it all the time.

We have more important things to do. Or we realized at the last minute we needed to bring something for church. Or any number of reasons we just don’t feel like taking the time to bake a cake completely from scratch.

Enter the two ingredient cake easy lemon cake recipe.

We are not claiming that this cake is as delicious as homemade ones. It isn’t. And it would be very sad if all our work making cake from scratch didn’t matter. It does!

But, if you add a delicious frosting or a bunch of whipped cream…it’s still quite good. And there are some events that don’t require you to spend the time necessary to make the most amazing cake ever. Good is good enough. In those cases, make this cake!

This is also a great starter cake for kids. A box of mix, a can of soda, and a supervisor to make sure they don’t burn themselves on the oven is all you need. Then, as they get older, you can graduate them to 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies.

[yumprint-recipe id=’124′]

3 ingredient Popcorn Balls [Lazy Baker]

I say Popcorn Balls you say…

HARD!

I say Popcorn Balls you say…

HARD!

You, my dear lovelies are wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit childish. But I’m right and you are wrong. Bam!

Yes, aLOT childish.

That’s it. That is all the ingredients you need for these cheater popcorn balls.

Prepared Popcorn
I’m using Fudgy Peanut Butter Popcorn and Cinnamon Roll Carmel Corn both from Tastefully Simple
1 bag of large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter

You simply act as if you are making a batch of marshmallow treats. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in the microwave (I start with 60seconds and stir, then 20 second intervals after).

Stir about 32 oz of prepared popcorn into the marshmallow mixture. Stir well!

Tip: It helps to use a rubber spatula that is slightly damp or sprayed with cooking spray to help it not stick to the popcorn.

Use your hands (again with the tip…damp hands!) and squish that gooey popcorn into balls. Squish them pretty hard, even to the point of hearing some crunching, to ensure they will hold together well.

Wrap them up with some plastic wrap and set them aside for Christmas munching. Or gifting. Be sure to experiment with different kinds of popcorn and additions. Try adding peppermint bits, sprinkles, dried cranberries, and even bits of candy!

[yumprint-recipe id=’260′]

Tastefully Simple’s Blog has alot of easy recipes and simple entertaining solutions you will want to check out for your Holiday parties and dinners! And, of course, we have plenty more recipes using their great products!