I made this for a community potluck on the weekend--YMMV! I had a 2.5 quart crock and this came out super sweet. Somehow the chocolate cake was even more chocolately than expected. Best served with ice cream, in hindsight--or maybe use slightly less mix.

3 Ingredient CrockPot Slow Cooker Dump Cake
Yield: 6-8
Author: Stephanie O'Dea AYearofSlowCooking.com
Prep time: 20 Min
Cook time: 5 H & 30 M
Total time: 5 H & 50 M


Ingredients
2 (21-ounce) cans pie filling (I used one can of cherry filling)
1 (15-ounce) box cake mix
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 tablespoon water (I used about 1/4 cup water)

Instructions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker sprayed well with cooking spray. If you have a 6-quart and that's it, reduce cooking time by about a 1/3. (Christine's note: I lined the crock with aluminum foil instead)

Dump out the pie filling into the bottom of your prepared slow cooker.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together together the cake mix, melted butter, and water. You're going to have a crumbly cake mix, but what you're really trying to do is to "wet" all of the powder.

Pour this evenly over the top of the canned filling.

Cover, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or on low for about 4 to 5 hours.

Uncover, and continue to cook on high for another 30 minutes or so to release condensation.

Your cake is finished when the dough is set, and you can poke at it with your finger and not get a bunch of goop (technical term) on it.

The filling will bubble up and be intertwined with the cake mix. Spoon into bowls and eat warm or at room temperature.

Ahhhh…I love a big dinner because Chef Mike Rowave does all the cooking the next day.

Yesterday’s Christmas dinner turned out fabulous. I researched slow cooker turkey recipes and they all seemed to agree covering it in a rub of spices, adding a bit of water to the bottom and cooking it on low cooking it on low for 5-6 hours.

The celery I had on hand went South, so I made a layer of thick onion slices on the bottom of the crock, supplemented by a frozen veggie mix that included celery and carrots (carrots, celery and onion make a delicious mix known as mirepoix). I added a cup of boiling water and placed the 1kg turkey breast roast inside, which had plenty of room thankfully : -) I spooned a tablespoon of olive oil on top. Then, I sprinkled Greek seasoning, paprika, sea salt, pepper, and two cloves of crushed garlic on top, rubbing it all over with a silicon basting brush. Lastly, a layer of butter slices on top with my secret ingredient on top of that—pepperoncinis!

I made all the dishes on the menu except the soup because it was looking like too much food. But, we had the bacon and potato soup tonight with leftovers and it was just so delicious and warm. If I make another turkey roast, I’ll make it for 5.5 hours. It was just a touch dry.

There’s still lots leftover, so tomorrow it will become soup. For $21, it’s definitely some thrifty eats!

Now, I didn't get a great picture of my dinner plate, which is a shame. My phone just made everything look orange and over-saturated. But, I do have a picture of the dinner with my family. I gotta get Mom's stuff recipe sooner than later, LOL.

I always feel like I come out ahead if I use the slow cooker at least once a week. Last week I bought a pork roast from Sunterra for $15.50 that we had three dinners out of--score! Buying roasts sight unseen is new for me. I usually pick whatever looks like it will fit in the slow cooker. I never noted how much it weighed. Today I learned that 900 grams (about 2lbs) of beef brisket just barely fits in the slow cooker.

I tried to find some brisket recipes online, but I get frustrated by the long winded stories and too many ads. It's easy to forget that Better Homes & Gardens exists and they didn't disappointed with their beef brisket and barbecue sauce recipe.

Mmmmm! We had it with buns and coleslaw and it was just perfect. I substituted paprika and curry powder (and doubled up) for the cayenne pepper. I didn't have dry mustard, but I had grainy Grey Poupon which just added to the texture. I ended up nuking the final barbecue sauce mix instead of making it on the stove. Wow. Also I cooked it for eight hours instead of ten as our large slow cooker seems to run on the hot side. Can't wait to have leftovers tomorrow.

Of course, my picture wasn't as fancy, but gotta have a picture :-D My brisket fell apart easily.