Chocolate Mud Cake

I've been reading an awesome slow-cooker blog, and if I didn't have a job, our slow cooker would probably get used a lot more often.  But when both of us work 10 hour days (okay, I work 10 hour days, his are 12 hours), it's hard to make use of a slow-cooker during the week.  So I use it on the weekends when I'm at home or just running errands.

I should preface this by saying that the slow-cooker isn't mine.  It's Scott's.  A 4-quart Hamilton Beach that he bought in college (for the record, I would like a 6 or 8 quart one for Christmas).  The first thing he ever cooked me was in the slow-cooker, and then first thing I ever made in the slow-cooker was a cake like this one.  I LOVE the molten chocolate lava cakes you can get for dessert at Chili's or Applebee's, so that's originally what I thought it would be like.  It's not quite the same, but that's probably because it comes out of a "light" cookbook.  And if I could figure out the full-fat version, that would probably be a bad thing anyway.

In this cake, I thought the chocolate was really dark and rich.  I probably would use milk chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chips and maybe Swiss Miss powder in place in the baking cocoa and just cut back on the sugar.  Scott thought it was perfect though.  It's pretty easy to put together and is ready in less than 2 hours.  Cooking time says 1-2 hours.  I stopped it and took the lid off at 1 and 1/2 hours. 

Chocolate Mud Cake
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking POWDER
2 T. butter
1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. sugar
3 T., plus 1/3 c. of processed cocoa powder
1 T. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. skim milk
1 egg yolk
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water

Mix together flour and baking powder.  Set aside.  In a microwaveable mixing bowl, melt the chocolate chips and  butter.  Stir together and then whisk in 1 c. sugar, 3 T. cocoa, vanilla, salt, milk, and egg yolk.  Then combine with the flour mixture.  Pour into a GREASED 4-quart slow-cooker.

Mix remaining ingredients together (brown sugar, hot water, and 1/3 cup of cocoa).  Pour carefully over the batter that is already in the crockpot.  DO NOT STIR.

Cook on high for 1-2 hours.  You'll know it's done when the cake pulls away from the sides.  Turn off the slow-cooker and remove the lid.  Let sit for about 25 minutes before serving.