Slow cookers make a moist slab of holiday gingerbread

My slow cooker gets a workout at this time of year. Over the last few days it made cranberry sauce and stuffing for Thanksgiving, turned the turkey carcass into stock and simmered the leftover hambone into a steaming pot of Portuguese bean soup.

And then on Saturday night it baked a cake. A gingerbread cake, to kick off the Christmas season at my house.

Baking in a Crock-Pot can be a revelation. Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore, authors of the new “Slow Cooker Desserts” (St. Martin’s Griffin, $21.99), write that trusting desserts to an appliance normally used for soups and stews is not just “a plausible option,” but can also be the superior choice — “because the slow, even heat and moist environment makes the ideal cooking method and gives you the best flavor.”

I’ve found slow cookers to be especially great for cheesecakes and bread puddings, as they can be made without the water bath normally required when using an oven. Cakes emerge soft and delicate.

Also, not to state the obvious, but the holidays are a busy time, and a Crock-Pot can be left to its own devices for several hours while you run around taking care of business.

The Wyss-Moore cookbook provides much inspiration in the cake arena, as well as recipes for fruit crisps, candies and fondues.

A word about equipment: A 7-inch springform pan is best for cake-making in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. This is an odd size, difficult to find in stores. As an alternative you can use any straight-sided dish that fits into your crock, or many recipes can be made in a loaf pan. I use a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish that fits neatly in my oval slow cooker.

A word about size: You’re probably used to thinking of slow-cooker recipes as producing massive quantities, but with cakes, think petite. A 7-inch cake makes a nice dessert for a small party, a hostess gift or just for your family.

So here’s a gift idea: “Slow Cooker Desserts” and a 7-inch springform pan, for someone who loves his or her Crock-Pot the way I love mine. Both may be ordered from Amazon or other online sources if you can’t find them locally.

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Adapted from “Slow Cooker Desserts”

1-1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons white sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Dash salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup buttermilk (see note)

1/2 cup molasses

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Butter and flour a 7-inch springform pan (see note). Roll a 24-inch piece of foil into a strip, then form into a 7-inch ring. Place in bottom of a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts).

Whisk together flour, sugars, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In separate bowl, whisk together butter, buttermilk, molasses and egg. Pour into flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, if using.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place on top of foil ring in slow cooker. Cook on high 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove outer ring. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Notes

>> In place of buttermilk, stir 1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice into a half cup of milk. Let thicken 5-10 minutes.

>> In place of a springform pan, use a dish with straight sides at least 3 inches high, or an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Use baking parchment to make it easier to unmold the cake: Cut a strip wide enough to cover the bottom of the pan and long enough to lay across it and extend over the sides. You’ll be able to use the parchment as a sling to lift out the cake. If using a round dish, cut two wide strips of parchment and place them in the dish at right angles.

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