A Slice of Life: Rocky Road Slow Cooker Cake

THE CLOCKS have gone back and this means it’s almost winter, and that for me means lots of warming, home-cooked meals and relaxing at home with mulled wine!

One appliance I use a lot in the winter months is my slow cooker, simply because I can fill it with food, leave it unattended for a few hours (or go to work) and then return to a delicious, home-cooked meal!

The slow cooker is fabulous for making curries, stews, roasts, casseroles, bolognaise and dips etc. But is also great for making sweet items like jam, chutneys and my favourite item, cakes!

The appliance works by maintaining a relatively low temperature which allows unattended cooking for many hours.

The heating element heats the contents to a steady 79 to 93 degrees, and enclosed by a lid, the contents attain and maintain a constant temperature. Any liquid transfers heat from the pot walls to its contents, and also distributes flavour.

The great thing about slow cookers is that they are cheap to buy, economical to use and they're great for making the most of budget ingredients. They offer a healthier, low-fat method of cooking and require the minimum amount of effort.

In recent weeks I have found through some experimenting and trying out recipes I have been given from other slow cooker enthusiasts, that it is actually possible to bake all kinds of cakes from red velvet cake to chocolate cakes.

You can cook many more in between such as brownies, giant cookies and indulgent desserts like rich puddings, as they maintain a sauce inside the sponge after baking, such as toffee, butterscotch or berries.

The recipe that I have decided to share with you is a Rocky Road Cake, which is baked inside a slow cooker.

Rocky Road is a type of dessert made up of milk chocolate and marshmallow which is usually served in individual portions such as a cupcake or tray bake. But as I like Rocky Road, I thought I would try incorporating the idea into a slow cooker cake.

The main ingredients in traditional Rocky Road are marshmallows, biscuits, chocolate, raisins and nuts and so I have added all these ingredients to a slow cooker friendly gooey chocolate cake and it creates a rich, tasty and simple-to-make treat!

It is important to remember when making a cake in the slow cooker, to grease and line the pot, as failure to do so, can make the cake burn and also stick to the sides!

I would also recommend adding the marshmallows later, otherwise they will melt, and although this is delicious, the consistency of the cake is much better if they are firm!

I used a 3.5 litre oval slow cooker, but any variation will work fine, just amend the recipe to suit your slow cooker. Feel free to amend the toppings/fillings, you can add Maltesers, fudge, cherries or other nuts, and if you’d like the chocolate to remain intact, you can freeze it first. Enjoy your slow cooker creations!