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Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pudding Cake

written by Ashley Fehr

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4.87 from 15 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings

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Last updated on March 11, 2024

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This Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pudding Cake is SO simple, loaded with apples and makes its own hot caramel sauce as it cooks. Our new favorite dessert! With step by step video down in the recipe card.

caramel apple pudding cake in slow cooker

It wasn’t supposed to work. At all.

When I spread the cake batter in the slow cooker, I was still optimistic.

I sprinkled the brown sugar over, just like I do in my Grandma’s Hot Fudge Sundae Cake, and poured on the hot water.

I put the lid on, turned it to high, and crossed my fingers. Still pretty optimistic. It would work, wouldn’t it? (I made that Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding Cake, after all, and it turned out just fine!)

We were having friends over for dinner on a Sunday when I decided to test this recipe out. I figured it was just dessert, so what if it flopped and we had to have s’mores by the fireplace instead?

A few minutes later I peered in the slow cooker and it looked like a great big soupy mess. I lost all hope then and there.

clear glass bowl of apple pudding cake

But by some miracle, in a couple of hours a cake layer formed on top, the apples cooked perfectly, and when I dug in I saw the most glorious puddle of caramel sauce underneath.

Let me tell you — I never get it this right on the first try.

But this pudding cake is so, so right, and so incredibly delicious. I know I’ve said it before and I say it again — nothing gets me like a warm, gooey dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

I love that we can get perfect Canadian apples in the dead of winter — so sweet, crunchy and juicy. They make the perfect healthy snack, a sweet contrast in a savory dish, and pack a punch of fresh, juicy flavour in any dessert.

caramel apple pudding cake in bowl with vanilla ice cream

They are one of our favorite fruits and we always have a pile on hand, year round!

Love the caramel apple combo? Try this Caramel Apple Dip next!

Tips for making a Perfect Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pudding Cake:

  • Opt for an oval slow cooker instead of a round one. I’ve found that the round slow cooker are deeper and have less area on the bottom, which would result in a thicker cake layer that wouldn’t cook as evenly.
  • Chop your apples small, so that they are tender by the time the cake is cooked
  • Let the cake sit with the slow cooker off for 10-20 minutes before serving, this will help the sauce to thicken
overhead image of caramel apple pudding cake with ice cream melting over
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Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pudding Cake

written by Ashley Fehr

4.87 from 15 votes
This Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pudding Cake is SO simple, loaded with apples and makes its own hot caramel sauce as it cooks. Our new favorite dessert!
overhead image of caramel apple pudding cake with ice cream melting over
Review
Print
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 6 servings
Calories 405cal

Ingredients

  • 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
  • 2 large baking apples peeled and diced

Sauce

  • 1 cup brown sugar about 200g
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup hot water
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Lightly grease a 3-4 quart slow cooker (mine is a 2.5qt casserole slow cooker, so it has a wider base).
  • In a large bowl, stir together flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until combined.
  • Stir in buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until smooth (will be thick). Stir in apples and spread in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • For the sauce, whisk together 1 cup brown sugar and corn starch until combined. Sprinkle over cake batter and spread evenly.
  • Melt butter in hot water and pour over brown sugar in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours until cake is set (will be moist) on top. Sauce will be thin at first — for a thicker sauce, let sit for 10-20 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 405cal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 63g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 1.3mg

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  14. Melissa D says

    I have a 6 quart slow cooker, do you think this recipe would double okay? I have 9 adults and a bunch of kids coming for supper and I want to make this!

    Reply

  17. Jude says

    With some slight variations this is my Grandmothers recipe for what we called Pudding Cake. Recipe is so old it calls for “butter the size of an egg”. Mom would make it when there wasn’t much for dinner because it is so filling. My favorite dessert or late night snack!

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Thanks Jude! Grandmother’s recipes are always the best I think. My Grandma’s recipes never had much for detail either, but it’s always fun trying to interpret and recreate them!

      Reply

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