Cream Cheese Cake

Serve it as a shortcake topped with your favorite fresh or stewed fruit. It’s also good topped with Butterscotch Caramel Sauce and is dense enough to dip into dessert fondue.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• Nonstick spray
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 (5.1-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 (18-ounce) package yellow or butter cake mix

1. Treat the slow cooker with nonstick spray. (Or if you want to remove the cake from the crock to cut it into layers, generously butter the inside and sides of the crock and dust the butter with some of the dry cake mix.)
2. Cream the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Beat in the pudding, eggs, cream, and vanilla. Fold in the cake mix. (The resulting batter will be thick—like cookie dough.)
3. Drop the batter into the slow cooker and lightly pat it down so it’s evenly distributed. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm by scooping it out of the slow cooker, or if you want to spoon fruit over the entire cake and cut it into wedges, let the cake cool, cut around the edges with a knife, and invert the cake onto a plate.

Freeze Leftovers

This cake works well as the cake portion for fruit, whipped cream, and chopped toasted nuts parfaits or in a trifle.