Slow Cooker Sticky Caramel Pumpkin Cake – There’s no denying that it’s time to start seriously thinking ‘pumpkin.‘
Halloween is still a few weeks away, but suddenly there are gourds and pumpkins popping up all over the place.
Speaking of pumpkins, one of them ended up in the most unexpected places the other day – in my slow cooker. When it came out, it looked like this:
Slow Cooker Sticky Caramel Pumpkin Cake
I realize this photo is only one-dimensional, but even those of us with the slightest of imaginations are pretty apt to discern that the cake depicted in this single dimension has an appeal that covers all bases. And all dimensions.
Let’s talk about cost. Some flour, a can of packed pumpkin, some eggs and sugar and a little butter. That’s pretty much it, none of those things are going to break the bank, I’m betting.
Love the ease and convenience of slow cooker recipes? Our Homemade Beef-a-Roni is a must try!
This entire recipe, with the cost of the caramel topping, is probably in the $5 to $8 range. Don’t care for caramel? How about a little-whipped cream? Ice cream? Plain? Nothing wrong with that option either.
Now, let’s move on to another very important dimension of cooking: Ease. This cake consists of only a few ingredients. They are simply mixed in a bowl and then scrapped into an awaiting slow cooker.
Not a baker? Who cares?! Easy and no baking skill required. Check.
Speaking of easy desserts with just a few ingredients, you may be interested in our 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. A lot of people tell us they are one of their favorites!
Now for one of the most critical dimensions of any food: Taste. Even when this one was “cooking” in the crockpot, I had a very good idea what this was going to to do my taste buds. Read: Go wild!
In conclusion, this pumpkin treat pretty much has it all. It’s affordable, it’s extremely easy to prepare, and it is scary delicious.
It is the perfect fall dessert for guests or family, for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any holiday.
If you were like me and thought that crock pots were just for making dinner and meals for the family while you are spending your entire day doing something else, I say, “Think again.”
“This pumpkin cake is a slow cooker wonder. “
Not only has it completely satiated my sweet tooth, but it has also sparked a determination within me to find more great desserts that can be made in a slow cooker. Please, give this one a taste. -Dan
Love Pumpkin? Be sure and check out ALL our great pumpkin recipes!
How to Make this Crock Pot Cake in an Oven
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make this slow cooker cake in an oven. Here is how to do that:
- Bake at 350° F.
- The type of pan you have will determine how long to bake.
- A loaf pan will require 45 minutes, a sheet cake or double layer cake will take about 30 minutes.
- It is recommended that you not use a glass baking pan for this cake as metal and ceramic pans seem to help keep the batter from falling.
To avoid using processed (granulated white sugar), you can use 1/3 cup of maple syrup and 1/3 cup of honey. If you don’t want to use butter, readers have used 2/3 cup of sunflower oil with great success.
Finally, some people have added a little extra pumpkin spice to the batter and a capful of vanilla. Try this recipe and let us know how you make it!
Here is a link to more Slow Cooker Cakes for you to enjoy too.
Some of our Most Popular Holiday Recipes
- Giblet Gravy
- How to Roast Prime Rib
- Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Open Face Apple Pie
- Cherry Christmas Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies
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Slow Cooker Sticky Caramel Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 15 oz solid pack pumpkin 1 can
- 16 oz caramel sauce 1 jar
Instructions
- Coat 4 1/2 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, turn to "high."
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in mixing bowl.
- Beat sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until light.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
- Add packed pumpkin, blend until well mixed.
- Gradually add flour mixture and beat at low speed for a minute or so until smooth.
- Spread evenly in slow cooker and cover.
- Cook on high setting 2 hours or until center-inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
- Let cake stand, uncovered 10 minutes.
- Invert onto wire rack, invert again onto serving plate.
- Drizzle half of caramel sauce over cake. Serve warm with additional sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Updated from the original post of September 19, 2014
I made this recipe with a couple substitutions with what I had on hand (used up the coconut sugar last week – I generally tend not to use regular sugar since it spikes my blood a bit too much). So: instead of sugar – 1/3 cup maple syrup + 1/3 cup honey, instead of butter (I love butter, but my Man can’t do too much of that) – 2/3 cup sunflower oil, and 2 additions: 1 Tablespoon Vanilla (Vanilla shots anyone? 😉 can’t get enough of the stuff) and an extra 2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice powder.
I baked the cake in 2 separate loaf pans since I don’t have a slow cooker or a cake pan; they turned out absolutely decadent and marvelously richly moist! I baked them for 45 minutes at 350. FYI – the pyrex glass loaf pan cooks faster, so I removed it a couple minutes before the clay loaf pan I used. Also, the pyrex glass loaf pan caused my cake to flatten after I pulled it out to cool, but stayed fluffy while baking, and the clay loaf pan held the cake’s shape quite nicely = evenly fluffy throughout bake time and cool time. I love my Clay Loaf Pan!
Thank you for the recipe! My Man and I are having cake for breakfast 😉 Yum! No drizzle since the cakes are sweet to our liking. Ok, maybe a little more maple syrup and honey on top (slirp, smack, and gone!).
Thanks for this comment, Sabell. So many people have asked if this slow cooker dessert can be made in an oven and it’s something I haven’t tried yet. I think that other people have done this but you are the first person to follow-up with the results, and we really appreciate it. Thanks so much for reading Platter Talk and we hope you can find more recipes on our site that you enjoy!