The Great American Slow Cooker Book (7 page)

1
Spray the inside of a slow cooker with nonstick baking spray.

2
Beat the granulated sugar and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy and light, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, then the mashed bananas and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a second bowl until the leaveners are evenly distributed throughout. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour mixture into the beaten egg mixture just until well incorporated.

4
Mix the topping ingredients in a medium bowl: the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

5
Pour half the banana batter into the slow cooker; sprinkle half the topping mixture on this first layer. Then pour the remaining batter into the cooker, smoothing it out into an even layer. Top with the remaining topping, taking care to cover the cake evenly and as thoroughly as possible.

6
Cover and cook on low for 2½ to 3 hours for a small cooker, 3 to 3½ hours for a medium cooker, or 4 to 4½ hours for a large cooker, or until the cake is set and firm to the touch.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
The bananas will cause the batter to break. Don’t worry; the problem will be fixed when you stir in the flour mixture.

•
Pulse the pecan pieces in a small food processor or spice grinder until the consistency of standard cornmeal. For even more flavor, toast (and cool) the pecans before you grind them.

•
Because of varying sizes among the slow cookers—oval or round, of course, but also varying volumes—we have to give a range of timings on many baking recipes, as in this one. Check the cake at the lowest time marker to see if a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. If the batter is not yet set, continue baking, checking in 15-minute increments.

Serve It Up!
Cut slices right out of the cooker, using a knife suitable for nonstick surfaces. If
the insert to your cooker can be removed, cool the cake in the insert on a wire rack, uncovered, for 1 hour. Then set a cutting board over the cooker and turn the cake upside-down to release the cake. Remove the canister and set another cutting board on the cake; invert the whole kit and caboodle to stand the cake upright on the second cutting board.

1
Lightly butter the inside of a slow cooker.

2
Combine the flour, chocolate chips, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until the chips are evenly distributed throughout.

3
Beat the butter and sugar in a second bowl with a mixer at medium-high speed until creamy and rich, almost fluffy, 6 to 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the inside of the bowl and beat in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.

4
Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour ingredients until a fairly thick and moist batter forms. Pour the mixture into the cooker.

5
Create an even layer of paper towels over the opening of the cooker, with no gaps where moisture can escape. Set the lid in place and cook on low for 3 to 3½ hours for a small cooker, 3½ to 4 hours for a medium cooker, or 4 to 5 hours for a large cooker, or until the cake is set enough that a toothpick or cake tester inserted into its center comes out with no crumbs attached. (The cake will feel moist to the touch, but be done throughout.)

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
The layer of paper towels keeps any moisture from dripping back onto the cake from the slow cooker’s lid, so there are no soggy bits across the top.

•
Although the cake will taste great warm, it will be quite moist. It will continue to firm up, particularly if you remove it from the cooker and allow it to cool on a cutting board before slicing it into wedges. See the “Serve It Up” note for the previous recipe with exact instructions on how to do that maneuver.

1
Butter the inside of a slow cooker. Butter one side of each of the slices of the bread.

2
Layer the bread slices buttered side up in the slow cooker along with the pecans and brown sugar, making a layer of bread, then sprinkling it with pecans and brown sugar, before making another layer—and even more. The top layer should be only bread, buttered side up.

3
Whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until smooth and creamy; pour over the layers in the cooker, pressing the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon to make sure the egg and milk mixture has soaked through the layers.

4
Cover and cook on low for 2½ to 3 hours, until the casserole is puffed up and a flatware knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Bread puddings for breakfast? You bet! This one cooks up into a fluffy, sweet, and moist cake.

•
The best bread for this dish will in fact be slightly stale, certainly day-old—maybe even two-day-old. It’ll add extra firmness to balance all that butter.

•
Because of varying sizes and shapes among slow cookers, there’s no way to predict the number of layers you’ll make in Step 2. The count is actually less important than an even top layer.

•
Whisk those eggs in the milk for a good while, until the whole thing is uniform, even foamy, with no bits of egg white floating in the mix.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Ingredient lists call for light or dark brown sugar to be “packed.” That’s because brown sugar has added moisture (molasses) that keeps the sugar grains separated a bit. A true, dry measure is then hard to come by. To pack brown sugar into a measuring cup, mound it, then press down gently—not firmly—with the back of a flatware tablespoon, pushing the grains together to be able to add a little more sugar to the measure and thereby end up with the right amount.

1
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the bread cubes in an even layer on one or two baking sheets, then toast (one sheet at a time if necessary) until light browned and crisp, about 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

2
Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage bits and brown completely, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage pieces to a plate lined with paper towels, discarding any grease in the skillet.

3
Toss the bread cubes and sausage bits in the cooker. Whisk the eggs, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy, then pour over the contents of the slow cooker, pressing down to submerge the bread cubes as much as you can.

4
Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2½ hours, until the bread pudding has set and the liquid has been absorbed, with no excess liquid around the inside surfaces of the cooker.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This is certainly a hearty meal, rich and filling. You’ll want some strong coffee on the side.

•
Because of differences in the size of breakfast sausages—varying thickness of the links—it’s important you buy them by weight and use the appropriate amount. Choose mild or hot breakfast sausage, as desired. Or use your favorite breakfast sausage, even ones with cheese or chiles in the mix.

•
You can substitute honey for the maple syrup for a sweeter, brighter flavor.

SHORTCUTS
If you don’t want to make your own bread cubes, look for plain
fresh
croutons in your supermarket’s bakery section. (The ingredient list on the package should say “bread cubes,” period—no seasonings and no oil.)

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Maple syrup is sold in at least two grades in North American supermarkets: grade A (also labeled
grade 1
) and grade B (also labeled
grade 2
). Grade A is further divided into three categories: light, medium, and dark amber. Although we prefer the dark, rich, slightly bitter grade B for most baking, its punch can cancel out other flavors in a slow cooker, so we feel grade A (or 1) dark amber is the best choice.

Serve It Up!
A poached egg on each serving would certainly be welcome. Or toast pecan halves in a skillet with melted butter and season them with a little brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne before spooning them over the servings.

1
Lightly grease the inside of a slow cooker with unsalted butter.

2
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo bits to the slow cooker.