1 Slow cooker 6 quart - Baking results may vary depending upon brand/shape of slow cooker, I used a KitchenAid 6 qt oval shaped slow cooker.
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Prep
nonstick baking spray
Cake Ingredients:
1spice cake mix
1cup pumpkin puree from can, not pumpkin pie filling
3largeeggs
1/2 cupneutral oilsuch as canola or avocado
1teaspoon vanilla
White Chocolate "Lava" Filling Ingredients:
1package, 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix
2cupsmilk
1teaspoonvanilla
1brick, 8 oz.cream cheese - cut into chunksroom temperature
1cupwhite chocolate chips
Optional - Whipped Cream - for topping:
2cupscold heavy creamsometimes called "whipping cream"
1/4cup powdered sugar
2tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mixif you want to make up to a day ahead
Instructions
Prep Slow Cooker:
I used a KitchenAid oval 6qt slow cooker - baking times/results may vary depending upon slow cooker brand/size/shape.
Spray with non-stick spray
Prepare Cake:
Add all of the cake mix ingredients (Cake Mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil, vanilla) to slow cooker and mix with a hand mixer* or by hand. (*My slow cooker has a ceramic insert and is safe to use with my hand mixer - you can alternatively mix in a bowl and pour into slow cooker, if your slow cooker is not metal utensil safe.)
Prepare White Chocolate Lava Filling:
In a separate bowl, mix together pudding and milk. Allow to set for about 5 minutes - will thicken. Mix in vanilla and room temperature cream cheese until smooth.
Pour white chocolate filling into the center of the cake mix. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips.
Bake in Slow Cooker:
Set slow cooker (covered) to high and cook for approx. 2 hours and 15 minutes. or until the cake around the edges looks risen and baked. The center of the cake will be gooey. (It will have a similar consistency to a baked bread pudding with a creamy sauce poured over top.)
Optional Whipped Cream for Topping:
Whip cream, sugar and optional pudding mix with hand mixer or stand mixer (or by hand with whisk).
Notes
To Bake in Oven:
Spray 13" x 9" baking pan with non-stick spray.
(Make sure the pan is at least 2.25 inches deep - the cake will rise pretty high.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare Cake and Lava filling as directed in recipe.
Pour cake into prepared baking pan, top with lava filling - (I like to leave about an inch of the cake batter showing around the edge of the pan.)
Sprinkle with the white chocolate chips.
You need to cover the pan to bake. If your pan doesn't have an oven-safe lid, you can cover the pan with foil like I did. My cake did rise and stick a little bit to the foil. So I would recommend spraying the inside of the foil with non-stick spray.
Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully take a little peak under the foil to see if the cake is pulling away from the side of the dish. (Watch for the hot steam.) It will still be moist, so won't look like a traditionally baked cake - it's more like a steamed cake/pudding. Re-cover with the foil and keep in oven an extra 5-10 minutes if needed.
Remove from oven and let the cake rest about 5-10 minutes. I keep it covered until serving. Definitely serve warm.
Refrigerate leftovers and rewarm in microwave before enjoying.
Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)