Description

This Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pudding Cake is a delightfully simple and comforting dessert, featuring soft baked apples in a moist whole wheat cake, topped with a luscious homemade caramel sauce all made effortlessly in the slow cooker.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Cake Batter

1 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour) (about 125g)
3/4 cup brown sugar (about 150g)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large baking apples, peeled and diced

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar (about 200g)
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup hot water

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Instructions

Prepare slow cooker: Lightly grease a 3-4 quart slow cooker to prevent sticking, ensuring easy removal and clean-up later.
Make cake batter: In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until all dry ingredients are well mixed. Then add the buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Stir gently until smooth; the batter will be thick. Fold in the peeled and diced apples, then spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker.
Prepare the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup brown sugar and the corn starch until well combined. Sprinkle this sugar mixture evenly over the cake batter layer inside the slow cooker.
Add caramel sauce: Melt the butter in the hot water until fully combined. Pour this mixture carefully over the brown sugar topping in the slow cooker. Do not stir.
Cook: Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on high heat setting for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the cake is set and the top is moist. Initially, the sauce will be thin at the bottom; allowing the cake to sit for 10 to 20 minutes after cooking will thicken the caramel sauce.
Serve: Scoop portions onto plates or bowls, making sure to gather some of the luscious caramel sauce with each serving. Enjoy warm for the best flavor and texture.

Notes

This recipe creates its own hot caramel sauce as it cooks, making it an incredibly easy yet indulgent dessert.
For a thicker caramel sauce, let the pudding cake sit in the slow cooker for 10-20 minutes after finishing the cooking cycle before serving.
Using baking apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp will give a nice balance of tartness and sweetness.
You can substitute regular all-purpose flour if whole wheat flour is unavailable.
Make sure to grease the slow cooker well to prevent sticking and make serving easier.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 405
Sugar: 63g
Sodium: 174mg
Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Unsaturated Fat: 6g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 79g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 12mg