Crocking Cherry Chip Cake

It's another "Baking Monday" for me I suppose. . . it is Monday, right? With all of our bad weather (I know that is a relative term, but for us, the weather has been frightful) and the school cancellations, I am a bit confused on my days. I also decided since we were stuck at home, I would use my fabulous crock pot and make some lovely dinner. I have this amazing crock pot, we lovingly call it the "3-holer" because it is 3 smaller crock pots in one device. Anyway, I was looking on my favorite inspiration site, Pinterest, and found a fabulous new Chicken Chili recipe and then my old stand-by potato soup (I can't find the original link to it to give proper credit to its originator, but I will post a picture of my basic ingredients at the end).

Anyway, I was looking through Pinterest for a dessert to go in the crock pot. . . Logic told me I must put something in the final crock pot slot. . . upon my searching, I found this easy chocolate and fabulous dessert but I didn't have the ingredients. Since I was somewhat snowed in, and couldn't make it to the store, I took my cue from Rachael Ray who always says to look at a recipe for the "method." (I believe that the original person gave credit to Jello for the idea) I thought if it worked for chocolate pudding, chocolate cake and chocolate chips, surely, I can apply that method to what is in my pantry. I found a cherry chip cake mix, and some cherry chips, but I was struggling for the pudding. . . Cheesecake pudding mix, why not, it might be lovely! So I followed the directions on the page but I used my substitutions. You start by using a small box of instant pudding and 3 cups of milk (this is more than what you would use to make pudding). Whisk that up in the bottom of your crockpot. Then mix up your cake according to package directions. Poor the cake mix directly on top without stirring. Turn it on high and let cook. It will depend on the size of crockpot you put it in on the cook time. My crockpot was smaller and it took nearly 3 hours. (The original person posting said it took them about 2 hours) Then you put your "chips" (mine are cherry) on top, put the lid back on and turn the crock pot off. The heat will melt the chips nicely. I also didn't realize this is supposed to be a lava-type cake. I kept waiting for it to set up and it never did. . . Once I decided to test it, I realized the pudding didn't get mixed into the cake completely which makes for a liquidy goodness at the bottom. I am pretty certain that is how it's supposed to be. . . and if it isn't, it is quite a lovely mistake!

Now that this is a family approved recipe (all but my little guy, he's not a big dessert eater) I needed to blog about it. I realized the sky is the limit with the pudding, cake, and chip combos. Imagine putting on some mint chips on a chocolate cake, or using any number of different puddings. . . or maybe a banana pudding, and yellow cake and peanut butter chips (ok, so maybe that is just my own weird flavor combo). Anyway, I would love to know if you tried it and what flavors you used. I'm always looking for a new flavor combo.

Oh, and before I forget, here is the picture of the ingredients for my potato soup. Mix these ingredients and I put a little onion flake in it too. Cook it on low for several hours. Garnish with bacon, cheese, and green onions! Yummy!

Dessert Recipe Makeovers

With the weather potentially frightful weather later in the week, I had to get a few things done today. Write a blog post was not on my original agenda, but I thought hey, why not! While the weather was somewhat spring-like on this first day of December, I needed to get in a run. I wanted to spend the rest of my day baking. If I start a "baking day" with a run, I don't feel guilty at all about tasting my goodies!!!! This post is not my typical post. I am going to share three different "recipes" and my twist on them -- banana bread, peanut butter cookie yumminess (I really have no idea what they're called, they're just yumminess!!!) and another take on a butterfinger cupcake.

I have a go to banana bread recipe. It's pretty much the only one I use. I feel so much better about myself when I eat the whole loaf, er, uh, I mean when I have a slice :) because I use more whole wheat flour than white flour. I would love to take credit for its awesomeness, but I cannot. I found the original recipe here on the Betty Crocker website. I follow the recipe exactly. . . well, actually I never add the salt (I generally can't find it, but I normally don't add salt to my sweet things, even though I know the salt is supposed to bring out the flavor even more) and instead of nuts I add about a cup of mini-chocolate chips--depending on how many I have. (So I guess I don't really follow it exactly) I use the mini instead of the full sized because I like the bread's texture better when I do it that way. I don't know if it's actually the case, but it seems to give it a bit more moisture using the chocolate chips. I truly find the banana bread a little dull without that pop of flavor the chocolate brings. I also love to eat a slice warm with a little butter on it, but I find this recipe just as enjoyable really, really cold. The other incredible thing about this recipe is that it makes two full sized loaves.

I had to use the word "recipe" loosely earlier. My next tasty confection is what I lovingly refer to as peanut butter cookie yumminess. It takes 2 ingredients. Store bought peanut butter cookie dough and mini-Reese's peanut butter cups. Personally I think it works better if you use the mini-cupcake liners in your mini-muffin tin (I even spray my liners with Pam). If you are out of the liners, it will work but I think it's too difficult to get the cookie out without the liner even spraying it with Pam. Anyway, place the liner in the mini-muffin tin. Place a ball of peanut butter cookie dough in the lined muffin tin. Bake for about 10 minutes. While the cookies are still hot, place a mini-peanut butter cup into the center. Now let them cool before you eat them, uh, I mean, remove them from the muffin tin. You actually could remove the cookies first before you put in the peanut butter cup, but this blog is about how I do it and what works for me. Just because something works for me, doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Recipes are just guidelines anyway. :)

My last baking item for the day will be a take on a butterfinger cupcake recipe I tried earlier this year. You can find it's blog post here. It was very tasty, but I honestly thought the cake itself was a little too crumbly for my preferences. I thought I would see what I could do with a yellow cake mix and store bought chocolate icing. Duncan Hines really has a very flavorful "whipped" chocolate icing that is a good texture to make the cute little cupcake swirl. I actually used it for cupcakes for a friend's wedding. Anyway for a different take on the butterfingery cupcakes, I made my yellow cake mix just like the box said. Then I added about a cup of peanut butter and half a small package of butterscotch pudding mix. Adding a pudding mix really punches up the flavor of a boxed cake mix. With the cake mix I used, I got about 21 cupcakes. After baking and letting cool, I topped with the chocolate store bought icing.

With time later tonight, I might just make some pumpkin muffins. Another two ingredient "recipe." Any flavor of cake mix, I will be using one of the kids' favorites if I do it. . . cherry chip and 1 can of pumpkin. I bake in my mini muffin tin for 12-15 minutes. The fabulous thing about this recipe is the options are boundless. Play up the pumpkin flavor with a yellow and add cinnamon chips or pumpkin pie spice.