Easter Comfort: Just 4 ingredients. I make it when I want dessert handled hours ahead.

This 4-ingredient slow cooker rose gold gooey cake is my secret weapon when I want dessert handled hours ahead, especially around Easter when the day is already packed. It’s basically a soft, golden cake that bakes right in a pool of jammy, rose-colored fruit reduction, so you get those glossy, bubbling pockets of sauce around tender, glistening mounds of cake. The idea is a mash-up of a dump cake and a self-saucing pudding, but simplified for busy weeknights and holidays—no mixers, no fuss, just layer and let the slow cooker do the work while you handle everything else.

Serve this warm right out of the slow cooker, spooned into bowls so you get both the golden cake and plenty of that jammy rose-colored sauce. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream melts into the hot pudding and makes it extra cozy, especially after a big Easter ham or roast. I like to set out some fresh berries on the side for a little brightness, and coffee or hot tea is perfect with the sweet, buttery richness. If you’re entertaining, you can switch the slow cooker to warm and let people help themselves over the next hour or two.

Servings: 6–8

1 (15.25 oz) box yellow cake mix

Lightly grease the insert of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray or a thin layer of butter so the cake releases easily and the edges don’t stick.

Spread the peach pie filling evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker. Try to cover the entire base so every scoop later has some fruit. The peaches will help create those soft, slow-roasted, golden mounds as they bake under the cake.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir the raspberry preserves just to loosen them. Dollop the preserves all over the peaches, then gently spread so you have a mostly even layer. This will cook down into that bubbling, glossy, jammy rose-colored reduction that pools around the cake.

Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the fruit and jam layer. Do not stir. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently even it out, making sure most of the fruit is covered but leaving a few tiny gaps so the fruit can bubble up.

Slowly drizzle the melted butter evenly over the entire surface of the dry cake mix. Aim to moisten as much of the mix as you can; a few dry spots are okay and will turn into a lightly crisp, golden crust on top.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. You’ll know it’s done when the top is mostly set and golden, the edges are glistening and slightly crisp, and you can see the rose-colored, jammy fruit mixture bubbling up around the soft mounds of cake.

Once cooked, turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the cake rest for about 10–15 minutes. This helps the sauce thicken into that glossy, spoonable reduction while keeping everything gooey and tender.

To serve, spoon the warm gooey cake into bowls, making sure to scoop down to the bottom to catch plenty of the jammy rose-colored sauce along with the golden, slow-cooked cake mounds. Serve as-is or with ice cream or whipped cream on top.

To lean into the Easter theme, you can swap the raspberry preserves for strawberry or a mixed berry jam, as long as it’s red or pink to keep that rose-gold look. If you prefer a slightly tangier dessert, add a squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon) stirred into the preserves before layering, which brightens the sauce without adding another core ingredient. For a richer flavor, use a butter golden cake mix instead of plain yellow. If you only have canned sliced peaches in juice (not pie filling), you can still make this: drain most of the liquid, toss the slices with 1/3 cup sugar, and use them in place of the pie filling. To prep ahead, you can assemble everything in the slow-cooker insert, cover, and refrigerate up to 8 hours; just pull it out while you preheat the slow cooker so the insert isn’t ice-cold when it starts. Leftovers reheat well: scoop into a microwave-safe bowl and warm in 20–30 second bursts until the sauce is bubbling again and the cake is soft.