Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake

Wow... this is a moment made in heaven. I'm actually sitting here blogging, with Chloé in my arms and Logan playing quietly at my feet. I'd better hurry up :)

When blogging last weekend, I clicked on my link to the Cheeky Kitchen blog to check out what Brooke had been making lately. And she had just made this delicious slow cooker chocolate cake, which I have stolen straight from her blog (though I did let her know in advance that I was going to post it here).  

Oddly enough, I happened to have everything on hand that I needed for this recipe, including the plain Greek yogurt and the chocolate pudding. And I say oddly enough because I've only become addicted to plain Greek yogurt (with a sprinkle of maple sugar) in the past couple of months.  And we never, ever, ever have pudding in the house. So I'm not quite sure why there happened to be a package of chocolate pudding lurking in the back of my pantry.  Must be fate. So I was able to whip this up immediately.  It really takes only a few seconds to make.

Brooke recommends checking your slow cooker the first time you make this, to be sure not to overcook. I second that recommendation. I checked mine after 3 1/2 hours and it was already a bit overcooked.  Jerome suggested a crème anglaise would have made this less noticeable.  But alas, with a newborn, I did not have time to whip up a crème anglaise.  Next time, I'll just check it a bit earlier.  We stuffed half of this into the freezer to enjoy at some other date.

4 eggs
1 C brown sugar (I used 3/4 C)
1/2 C melted butter (I used light margarine)
1 package chocolate pudding
1 C flour (I used whole-wheat)
1/2 C milk
8 oz. plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 C chocolate chips (I used dark)
1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Spray a large crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.  Plop all ingredients into the crockpot and mix together until combined.  Pop the lid on the crockpot and cook for 4 hours on low.  Check the cake by inserting a knife in the centre.  It should come out fairly clean.  You'll know the cake is done when the edges begin separating from the sides of the pot.  Your first cake you make might require some checking until you get to know how quickly your slow cooker actually cooks the cake.

2.  Turn the crockpot off and allow the cake to rest for up to 30 minutes.  Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar to garnish.