Description
This Slow Cooker Sticky Caramel Pumpkin Cake is a moist and flavorful dessert featuring pumpkin puree blended into a tender cake, slow-cooked to perfection, and topped with luscious caramel sauce. Perfect for autumn gatherings or cozy nights, this recipe uses a slow cooker to deliver a soft, rich cake with an irresistible sticky caramel finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry 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
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 15 oz solid packed pumpkin (1 can)
Topping
- 16 oz caramel sauce (1 jar)
Instructions
- Prepare Slow Cooker: Lightly coat a 4 1/2 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and turn it on to the ‘high’ setting to preheat while you prepare the batter.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon. Whisk together to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl for about 3 minutes or until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which will help create a tender cake texture.
- Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate them into the batter and maintain volume.
- Incorporate Pumpkin: Blend in the solid packed pumpkin until well mixed, ensuring the pumpkin puree is evenly distributed throughout the batter for moistness and flavor.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat at low speed for about one minute or until the batter is smooth and homogeneous, avoiding overmixing.
- Cook the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into the preheated slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on the high setting for approximately 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is done.
- Cool and Invert: Once cooked, let the cake stand uncovered for 10 minutes to slightly cool and set. Invert the cake onto a wire rack to release it from the slow cooker, then invert again onto a serving plate for presentation.
- Add Caramel Sauce and Serve: Drizzle half of the caramel sauce over the warm cake. Serve the cake warm, offering the remaining caramel sauce on the side for extra indulgence.
Notes
- Make sure butter is softened to room temperature to achieve the best creaming results.
- If you prefer a more spiced flavor, add extra pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
- Use a slow cooker with a 4 1/2 quart capacity for best results; adjust cooking time slightly if your slow cooker is larger or smaller.
- To easily invert the cake, you can line the slow cooker with parchment paper before pouring the batter.
- Serve the cake warm with additional caramel sauce for extra sweetness and moisture.
