Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (127 page)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Vera M. Kuhns

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 10 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours

Cooling Time: 10 minutes

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 medium-sized can pineapple slices, drained, juice reserved

6-8 maraschino cherries

1 box yellow cake mix

1. Combine butter and brown sugar in well-greased slow cooker. Spread over cooker bottom.

2. Lay pineapple slices over top. Place a cherry in the center of each slice.

3. In a good-sized mixing bowl, prepare cake according to package directions, using pineapple juice for part of liquid.

4. Spoon cake batter into cooker over top fruit.

5. Cover cooker with 2 tea towels and then with its own lid. Cook on High 1 hour, and then on Low 3-4 hours.

6. Insert toothpick in center of cake. If it comes out clean, cake is finished. If it doesn’t, continue to cook in 15-minute increments, checking after each one, until pick comes out clean.

7. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Then run knife around edge and invert cake onto large platter.

Make your favorite Christmas cookies and have a bag ready to send home with each guest.

Leona M Slabaugh, Apple Creek, OH

Low-Fat Apple Cake

Sue Hamilton

Minooka, IL

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours

Cooling Time: 1 hour

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

4 medium-sized cooking apples, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in lightly greased slow cooker.

2. Add apples, stirring gently to coat.

3. In a small bowl, combine eggs and vanilla. Add to apple mixture. Stir until just moistened.

4. Cover. Bake on High 2½-3 hours. Insert toothpick in center of Cake. If tester comes out clean, Cake is finished. If it doesn’t, continue cooking for 15-minute intervals, checking after each one with pick until it comes out clean.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm. Top with
whipped topping
or
ice cream
and a sprinkle of
cinnamon
.

Variation:

Stir ½ cup broken English or black walnuts, or ½ cup raisins, into Step 2.

Note:

The slow cooker is great for “baking” desserts. Your guests will be pleasantly surprised to see a cake coming from your slow cooker.

Creamy Orange Cheesecake

Jeanette Oberholtzer

Manheim, PA

Makes 10 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours

Standing Time: 1-2 hours

Chilling Time: 2-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert

Crust:

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Filling:

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, at room temperature

⅔ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1 tsp. orange zest

1 Tbsp. flour

½ tsp. vanilla

1. Combine crust ingredients in a small bowl. Pat into 7”or 9” springform pan, whichever size fits into your slow cooker.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and yolk. Beat 3 minutes.

3. Add juice, zest, flour, and vanilla. Beat 2 more minutes.

4. Pour batter into crust. Place on rack (or jar rings) in slow cooker.

5. Cover. Cook on High 2½-3 hours. Turn off and let stand 1-2 hours, or until cool enough to remove from cooker.

6. Cool completely before removing sides of pan. Chill before serving.

Serving suggestion: Serve with thawed
frozen whipped topping
and
fresh or mandarin orange slices
.

Invest in a microplane wand. They are wonderful for zesting citrus. Freeze amounts of lemon or orange zest to use in any given recipe. Orange zest is great in blueberry muffins or sweet potato casserole. Anything that calls for lemon juice will be even better if you also add some lemon zest.

Becky Frey, Lebanon, PA

Orange Slice Cake

Steven Lantz

Denver, CO

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Cooling Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

1 cup chopped dates

½ lb. candied orange slices, cut into thirds

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut

1 Tbsp. grated orange rind,
optional

1¾ cups flour,
divided

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ cup buttermilk

1. In a good-sized mixing bowl, combine dates, orange slices, nuts, coconut, and orange rind if you wish.

2. Pour ¼ cup flour over mixture and stir together.

3. In a separate big bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well.

4. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in buttermilk.

5. Add remaining 1½ cups flour and buttermilk, in which soda has been dissolved, to creamed mixture.

6. Stir in fruit and nut mixture.

7. Pour into greased slow cooker.

8. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

9. Allow cake to cool completely before removing from slow cooker.

Tip:

This cake is perfect with coffee in the morning or later in the day as dessert.

Note from Tester:

I chopped the dates and nuts in my food processor. I spooned them into a mixing bowl where I combined them with the other ingredients in Steps 1 and 2.

Then I continued using my food processor for Steps 3 and 5. No need to wash it in between.

I believe in saving time whenever I can.