Ingredients
Method
- Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Spread the drained sweet potatoes across the bottom. Break up any very large pieces just enough to make the layer fairly even; there is no need to turn the whole batch into a smooth purée.
- Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over the sweet potatoes from edge to edge. Spread it into an even layer, but do not stir it into the filling. You are building a topping, not mixing a cake batter.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix as evenly as you can, moving around the surface instead of pouring it all into one spot. Leave the layers undisturbed. Cover and cook on High for 2–3 hours or Low for 4–5 hours. Begin checking near the shorter end of the range. The filling should be hot and bubbling around the edges, and the topping should look set with buttery golden patches rather than remaining dry and powdery. Slow cookers vary, so use those signs along with the clock. Do not expect a uniformly dark, crisp oven-baked crust from a covered slow cooker.
- Turn off the slow cooker and let the cobbler rest for 10–15 minutes before serving. That short pause gives the filling a chance to settle. Spoon it warm into bowls or onto plates and serve it plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Serves 6–8. Use a 4–6-quart slow cooker. Cook on High 2–3 hours OR Low 4–5 hours; rest 10–15 minutes. Grease the insert lightly. Optional additions and serving toppings are not part of the three-ingredient base. This adaptation has not been kitchen-tested.
Add a little spice
For a warmer holiday flavor, sprinkle a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice over the sweet potatoes before adding the cake mix. Keep it a light addition so the sweet potatoes still have their own flavor.Try the pecan variation
Scatter chopped pecans over the buttered cake mix before cooking if you would like a little nutty crunch. They make a nice optional variation for a fall gathering. Leave them out when serving anyone with a tree-nut allergy; adding pecans makes this more than a three-ingredient dessert.Make the filling smoother
If someone at the table prefers fewer chunks, mash the sweet potatoes a little more before adding the topping. The same ingredients can give you a softer, smoother filling without changing the rest of the method.A few details worth remembering
- Drain first. The recipe calls for drained canned sweet potatoes, not the cans' full contents of syrup.
- Keep the cake mix dry. Do not follow the package's cake-batter directions for this cobbler.
- Leave the layers separate. Spread each layer gently rather than stirring everything together.
- Start checking early. Look for a set topping and bubbling filling near the beginning of the stated time range, since cookers do not all run alike.