Using Your Slow Cooker to Bake

Do you know that you can actually bake in your slow cooker? A lot of people are not aware of this because they assume that only the oven can be used to bake the things that they want. There are some things that you can cook much easier with the use of your slow cooker than your oven. As much as possible, you would like to make things easy. You will also be using up less amount of energy with the use of your slow cooker.
Want to know some of the things that you can bake in your slow cooker? Read on.
1. Apple Cake
A lot of people think that anything that involves apples can surely be good. This recipe in particular can serve 8 - 10 people. Just make sure that you need a cake pan that can fit inside your slow cooker.
Beat the following in a bowl:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

You would need to stir in:

• 2 cups of chilled chopped apples

You would need to sift:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

You would need to mix in all of these ingredients together with the chopped apples. You may also choose to place some pecan nuts with the mixture but if you are allergic to nuts or you are not that interested in nuts, you may choose not to. Place on the bread pan and make sure that you grease the tin foil that you will be placing on top of the pan. For 3 - 4 hours, bake on high temperature.
When it is fully baked, make sure that the pan will remain on the slow cooker for about 5 minutes before you will take out the pan that contains the baked apple cake. Cool it further then slice.
2. Chocolate Fudge Cake
The great thing about this cake is that you do not need any pan in order to cook it. You can cook it directly on the slow cooker.
In the bowl before you place the cake on the slow cooker, here are the things that you would need to mix:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

You would need to stir in the following:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

The next thing that you need to do is make sure that you will spread the mixture that you have created at the bottom of the slow cooker. You can then mix in the following:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

You would need to sprinkle this over the batter that you have placed on the bottom of the slow cooker. You need to boil about ¾ cup of water to pour over the batter. Remember that you would need to cover this and cook on high for about 2 - 3 hours. Do not stir this even if it would look a bit uneven. You can check if the cake is already done when you insert a toothpick and the chocolate fudge does not cling to the sides.
3. Whole Wheat Bread
If you would want to bake something simple, you may be able to do that. You can bake your whole wheat bread without making your kitchen all hot and stuffy. This whole wheat bread recipe that you are about to see can serve up to 12 people.
You would need a deep metal pan or bowl that can fit into your slow cooker. If you do not have either, you can also choose a 1lb coffee can that you are not using anymore. Make sure that you will place the grease on the bowl and preheat your slow cooker to high with the cover on.

You would need a small bowl to dissolve yeast in ¼ cup of water. Leave it and let it sit. While waiting, you can combine these ingredients in another bowl:

• 1 cup warm milk or buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup wheat germ

Mix all of these ingredients together then you can add it with 3 cups of whole wheat flour.
Remember that you would have to knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Once you are sure that it has been kneaded properly, what you can do is place it on the greased bowl. Make sure that you will cover with aluminum foil. Place half a cup of water on the trivet or crumbled foil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover the cooker and bake for about 3 hours. Do remember that it does not mean that just because the bread is not brown does not mean that it is not cooked yet.
If you would like a bit of variation, you may want to replace ¼ cup of flour with ½ rolled oats that can give the bread a nutty taste.