KateS

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Cake

October 24, 2013 by KateS 35 Comments

While pumpkin is generally the preferred flavor of fall, apple is my true favorite. I love going apple picking. And the farm’s warm caramel apples? They’re my true mark of fall. This is my favorite fall treat, in cake form.

Even though this is made in the slow cooker, and slow cooker dishes aren’t notoriously pretty, this is a company-worthy dessert. As long as you grease the crock really well, it’ll pop out in one piece and you’ll be able to slice it like an oven-baked cake.

The caramel sauce permeates the whole cake before settling at the bottom. The apples are also heavy enough to fall to the bottom of the crock, too. The result is, when you turn the cake out, you have a nice layer of caramel, lots of apple pieces and then a soft, moist caramel cake.

Ready to get cooking? Here’s what you’ll need:

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Cake

Ingredients

1 box vanilla cake mix
1 can apple pie filling
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 5 oz. can evaporated milk

Instructions

Grease the crock of the slow cooker very well.
In a bowl, mix together the cake mix, apple pie filling and water until well combined. Spread evenly in the crock.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together butter, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk until well combined. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then pour over the cake mix in the crock.
Cook on high for 2 - 3 hours, until the top springs back when lightly touched. Turn off, remove lid and let sit for 15 minutes.
Run a knife along the edge of the crock to loosen the cake. Invert the crock over a serving platter and let the cake drop out. Spoon any remaining caramel sauce over the top of the cake.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Sauce in the Slow Cooker

September 3, 2013 by KateS 20 Comments

Note from Tiffany: This is Kate’s recipe and post, but I couldn’t wait to make this cake! So I’ve added a few notes and photos of my own here too.

It doesn’t really feel like fall here yet, but I figure that as soon as kids are back in school, all things fall are fair game. Including pumpkin! I’ve been playing with pumpkin recipes for a while, and this was by far my favorite creation. I’d been trying to nail down a recipe for pumpkin cake to try, but when I couldn’t find one that included everything I wanted, I just went ahead and created my own. I love that it only needed a few ingredients and I loved that since it’s made in the slow cooker, I could set it up before company came and then serve a nice warm dessert after we’d all finished dinner.

If you wrapped all the goodness of fall up in one dessert, you’d get this cake. It’s a super moist chocolate pumpkin cake that’s cooked with a creamy caramel sauce. The caramel starts out onto and as it cooks it works its way to the bottom, creating a deliciously sticky layer. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it’s fall heaven!

Tiffany’s note: I think you can see in the photos that Kate’s caramel sauce was more saucy and mine turned out more gooey (it set up more). I think that’s because mine cooked for 3 hours on high and in a pretty big crockpot. If I’d used a smaller crock, I think that would have kept the sauce from setting up. I think a 4 quart crock is a better size for this recipe. Even though the caramel set up a bit, it was still delicious.

If you want to make this (and I know you do!), here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Sauce in the Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches with Creamy Ranch Slaw

August 14, 2013 by KateS 10 Comments

Can you believe we’ve made it to Day 75 in our Summer Slow Cooker Recipes series? There have been such a variety of recipes shared. Scroll to the bottom of this post and you’ll find a link to all of them.

The combo of chicken, bacon and ranch is one of my favorites. In my opinion, any dish with the three of them is bound to be good. One morning when I was pressed for time and trying to think of something to throw in the slow cooker for dinner, I realized I had all three on hand – and these sandwiches were born!

These are a great go-to dinner, especially in warm weather. Despite being a hot sandwich, the cool ranch slaw makes these feel light and refreshing. I love to pair these with fries and some veggies with dip.

Here’s what you’ll need:

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4.75 from 4 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches with Creamy Ranch Slaw

Ingredients

1 ½ - 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
3 oz. real bacon bits
1 bag coleslaw mix
Ranch dressing
Rolls for serving

Instructions

Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth and dressing mix. Pour over the chicken. Sprinkle the bacon bits over the top.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken once cooked.
While the chicken is cooking, toss the coleslaw mix with enough ranch dressing to lightly coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve the shredded chicken on rolls, topped with ranch slaw.

This is day 75 in our 75 Days of Summer Slow Cooker Recipes series. Find the other posts by clicking here.

Kate is a home cook living and working in New Jersey. In addition to sharing recipes with Eat at Home readers, she blogs her cooking adventures at Kate’s Recipe Box. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find her reading or tending to her garden.

Creamy Pina Colada Pie – No Bake!

July 2, 2013 by KateS 7 Comments

I love fruity summer drinks – spiked or not. It’s just so fun to sit out in the backyard with a glass of frosty, sugary goodness.

When I was grocery shopping a few weeks ago, I noticed Jello had some flavors based on drinks. I knew I had to get them and make them into something fun! The pina colada one turned into this fun pina colada-inspired pie. It’s perfect for summer because it’s cool and creamy and it reminiscent of the drink.

This recipe makes enough two fill two pie crusts. I made my pie virgin, but if you wanted a more authentic flavor you could add some rum extract. The pie freezes really well so I’d suggest making one for now and freezing one for later in the summer!

Ready to get started? Here’s what you’ll need:

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3.67 from 3 votes

Creamy Pina Colada Pie

Ingredients

2 8- inch graham cracker crust pie shells
1 3 oz. package pina colada jello
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water + enough ice to make 1 1/4 cup
1 8 oz. package whipped topping + additional for topping
1 cup pineapple tidbits drained and patted dry + additional for topping
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Instructions

Dissolve the jello in the boiling water. Add ice to cold water to make 1 1/4 cup. Stir the cold water mixture into the jello. Stir until slightly thickened and then remove the ice that hasn't melted.
Whisk in the whipped topping until thoroughly combined. Fold in the pineapple tidbits and shredded coconut. Divide between pie shells. Refrigerate for several hours until set. Top with additional pineapple tidbits and whipped topping before serving.

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Eggplant

June 13, 2013 by KateS 1 Comment

My husband likes his pasta sauce with meat. I prefer mine to be packed with veggies. This is our compromise.

After hours in the slow cooker, the eggplant becomes melt-in-your-mouth buttery. If you didn’t know it was in there, you might not notice it. It’s a great way to sneak in extra veggies! For the sausage, I prefer to use pre-cooked sausage because it’s easier to slice up, but any Italian sausage would work for this.

This makes a pretty big batch for the two of us, but it freezes nicely for future use.

Here’s what you’ll need:

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Eggplant

Servings:

Ingredients

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 16 oz. jar pasta sauce
1 T. Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large eggplant

Instructions

In the slow cooker, combine the crushed tomatoes, pasta sauce, Italian seasoning and minced garlic.
Coin slice the sausage. Peel and dice the eggplant. Add both to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve over pasta, topped with parmesan cheese.