If you love gingerbread, sticky toffee pudding and easy slow cooker desserts, you are going to LOVE this Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding! This wonderfully cosy Christmas dessert has a soft, warmly spiced gingerbread sponge with a gorgeous layer of caramel running through the middle. And the best part? The caramel is a cheat - there's no need to make it from scratch!
It takes just 10 minutes to prepare and then your slow cooker does all the work. While it cooks, your kitchen will smell amazing, making this the perfect pudding for a cold autumn or winter evening, or even as an easy alternative to traditional Christmas pudding.
Serve it warm on its own or with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream for the ultimate festive dessert.
- watch the step-by-step video -
What's does slow cooker gingerbread pudding taste like?
This pudding tastes like a cross between a soft gingerbread cake and a sticky toffee pudding.
The sponge is soft and fluffy with a gentle warmth from the ginger and cinnamon, while the caramel creates a rich, sticky layer running through the pudding.
It isn't overly spicy, so it's a great Christmas dessert for the whole family. Served warm with cold vanilla ice cream, thick cream or hot custard, it's seriously comforting!
Why do I I call this a gingerbread pudding and not cake?
Although this looks a little like a gingerbread cake, it is much more like a traditional steamed or sticky pudding.
The batter is cooked directly in the slow cooker and the caramel spooned over the top sinks into the sponge as it cooks, creating a delicious sticky caramel layer through the middle.
It is also designed to be served warm with custard, cream or ice cream, just like a traditional pudding.
Why you'll love this Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding:
- Just 10 minutes prep - the slow cooker does the rest.
- No mixing bowls needed - everything is prepared directly in the slow cooker.
- Soft, fluffy gingerbread sponge with a delicious caramel layer running through it.
- The perfect cosy autumn and winter dessert.
- A brilliant alternative to traditional Christmas pudding.
- Great for Christmas Day because much of the preparation can be done in advance.
- Serves a crowd and leftovers reheat really well.
- Delicious with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Egg-free and nut-free.
AN EASY ALTERNATIVE TO CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Not everyone is a fan of traditional Christmas pudding, so if you're looking for something different to serve on Christmas Day, this slow cooker gingerbread pudding makes a brilliant alternative.
It's festive without containing dried fruit, and you don't need to steam it for hours. Most of the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time, and then you simply combine everything and let the slow cooker do the work.
You can even leave it on the keep-warm setting for a short time once cooked, making it particularly useful when you're juggling the rest of Christmas dinner.
FAQ's For My Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding
This Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding is pretty simple so I really don't need to give you much guidance, but here are a couple of points worth noting:
Self-raising flour. This forms the base of the gingerbread sponge. You don't need to add any separate baking powder.
Light brown sugar. I usually use light brown sugar, which gives the pudding a lovely soft gingerbread flavour. You can use dark brown sugar instead if you prefer a darker, richer-looking sponge.
Spices. Ground ginger and cinnamon are classic festive spices adding extra warmth and giving the pudding its classic gingerbread flavour.
Salt. Just a small pinch helps balance the sweetness.
Milk. I use semi skimmed milk to bring the batter together, but whole milk will work too.
Unsalted butter. Melted butter gives the pudding a lovely rich, soft texture.
Vanilla essence. Adds a subtle extra layer of flavour.
Carnation Caramel dessert filling. This is the secret to the gorgeous caramel layer running through the middle! In the UK, I use a 397g tin of Carnation Caramel dessert filling. You can use Dulce de Leche instead if that's what you can get where you live.
You can prepare most if it in advance, and I often do. Mix the dry ingredients together in the slow cooker pot and put the lid on until ready to cook. You can measure out the butter into a bowl and cover with clingfilm/saran wrap until ready to use (can be left at room temp). The milk can also be measured out into a jug and the vanilla essence added. Then that can be covered with cling film and refrigerated until ready to use.
Yes. Dark brown sugar works well in this recipe and will give the gingerbread pudding a darker colour and slightly richer flavour.
Yes. If you can't find Carnation Caramel dessert filling, you can use Dulce de Leche instead. Just make sure you use a thick caramel or Dulce de Leche rather than a thin caramel sauce, as you need to be able to spoon it over the top of the batter before cooking.
All slow cookers are different. You need to leave up to 2 ½ hours the first time you make it as it can take 2 - 2 ½ hours to cook. My recipe is based on my 3.5ltr slow cooker. If yours is smaller or bigger, the pudding may not turn out as expected, especially if you don't tweak the cooking time.
The centre should be soft, but the pudding shouldn't look wet or uncooked. Gently shake the slow cooker to check the centre. If it still visibly jiggles, give it a little longer. Slow cookers vary, so the cooking time is a guide rather than an exact time. My timings are based on making this recipe in my 3.5ltr slow cooker. As stated above, if your slow cooker is smaller or bigger, the pudding may not turn out as expected, especially if you don't tweak the cooking time.
This Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding best served warm, but you don't have to serve it immediately. If your slow cooker has a keep-warm setting, you can leave it on there for up to an hour before serving. Place a tea towel underneath the lid first so that condensation doesn't drip back onto the pudding.
If your slow cooker doesn't have a keep-warm setting, you can turn it off, replace the lid with a tea towel underneath and keep it warm for 30 minutes at least.
I would recommend:
- Vanilla or clotted cream ice cream
- Hot or cold custard
- Whipped cream
- Thick double cream
For us, warm gingerbread pudding with cold vanilla ice cream is the ultimate combination!
I wouldn't recommend simply doubling the recipe. The pudding would become much deeper, which could affect how evenly it cooks and where the caramel ends up.
It may also take considerably longer to cook, and your slow cooker may not be large enough for the increased quantity. If you need to serve more people, I'd recommend making two separate puddings instead.
Absolutely! This is actually a great Christmas Day dessert because you can prepare most of the ingredients in advance.
Measure the dry ingredients into the slow cooker pot and prepare the wet ingredients ahead of time - even the day before is fine. Then on Christmas Day plan to spend a few minutes combining the wet and dry ingredients, spooning over the caramel and starting the slow cooker around 2½ hours before you want to serve it.
Once cooked, it can be kept warm for a short time before serving, so you don't have to worry about getting the pudding onto the table at exactly the moment it finishes cooking.
This is a great one for little hands to get involved with! They can help measure out all the ingredients and also have a go at spooning on the caramel.
You can store any Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding leftovers in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). Leftovers can also be frozen, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge.
For more on food safety and storage read on >
The easiest way to reheat individual portions is in the microwave. Heat until steaming hot all the way through. Around 50 seconds to 1 minute is a good starting point for an individual portion, although the exact time will depend on the size of the portion and the power of your microwave.
This recipe is suitable for vegetarian, egg-free and nut-free diets. It IS NOT SUITABLE FOR vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free diets.
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Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding
Special Equipment
- Slow cooker - recipe based on a 3.5ltr
Ingredients
- 225 g self raising flour
- 120 g light brown sugar see notes
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 150 ml milk
- 140 g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 397 g tin of Carnation Caramel dessert filling or Nestle Dulche de Leche
Serve on its own or with thick cream, vanilla ice cream or custard
Instructions
- Make sure your slow cooker doesn't smell strongly of savoury food, give it a good wash or soak if so. Then add all dry ingredients to your slow cooker pot, and stir well with a hand whisk, breaking up any sugar lumps. If your slow cooker pot isn't non-stick, grease it well first.
- Melt the butter in the microwave for around 1 minute. Then add it to the jug with the milk in. Add in the vanilla essence. Pour the wet ingredients into the slow cooker and immediately stir very well. Level out the batter as best you can.
- Spoon the caramel all over the top of the batter, using a knife to get it off the spoon. Use the back of the spoon to roughly level out the caramel, DO NOT mix in. This will form a gorgeous caramel sauce running through the pudding (it will mostly sink down into the middle of the batter).
- Cook on high for 2-2 ½ hours or until the middle no longer jiggles when you gently shake the slow cooker.
- Once done, can be served immediately or pop a tea towel just under the lid and draped over the slow cooker. Leave it on the slow cookers 'keep warm' setting (if your slow cooker has one), until ready to eat. Otherwise it will keep it warm with a tea towel and a lid on for up to a hour with the slow cooker turned off. It reheats really well too in the microwave, see storage notes.
Notes
STORAGE
Nutrition - per serving
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