This 4-ingredient slow cooker golden molten bake is the kind of Sweet Sunday magic I wish I’d had when my kids were little and the house was full and noisy. It’s a simple, self-saucing butterscotch-style dessert that gives you a glistening golden-brown, cratered crust on top and an amber, spoonable molten layer underneath.
The idea comes straight out of old Midwestern church suppers and potlucks, where the slow cooker sat on a folding table and quietly did the heavy lifting while everyone visited. You stir a few pantry staples together, pour in hot water, and walk away—by the time you’re ready for dessert, the cooker has transformed it into a cozy, bubbling bake that looks like a little golden lake with craters on top.
Slow cooker golden molten bake with cratered top
Slow cooker golden molten bake with cratered top
Serve this warm right out of the slow cooker, spooning down through the golden crust to scoop up plenty of the molten amber sauce from underneath. It’s lovely in small bowls with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or just a splash of cold milk over the top the way my grandmother used to do.
A cup of coffee or hot tea balances the sweetness, and if you’re serving a Sunday supper, this pairs beautifully after a simple roast chicken, meatloaf, or a pot of beans and cornbread. Leftovers, if you’re lucky enough to have any, rewarm nicely and make a fine little treat with your morning coffee.
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Golden Molten Bake
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 cup light brown sugar, packed, divided
1 cup all-purpose baking mix (such as Bisquick or a similar complete biscuit/pancake mix)
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups very hot water (just off the boil)
Simple ingredients for golden molten bake
Simple ingredients for golden molten bake
Directions
Lightly grease the inside of a medium slow cooker (about 4 to 5 quarts) with butter or nonstick spray. This keeps the edges from sticking and helps the crust brown nicely.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the packed light brown sugar and the baking mix until there are no big lumps of sugar. This simple blend will form the tender base that bakes up under the crust.
Pour in the whole milk and stir just until the batter is smooth and no dry pockets remain. It will be a thick, pourable batter—don’t overmix. Spread this batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared slow cooker.
