Crockpot Apple Gingerbread Pudding Cake

This dessert may not look like much at first glance, but what about when I start throwing adjectives around? Warm, gooey, sticky, melty, rich, toasty, comforting. You sold yet?

What if I told you it was made from relatively clean and nutrient-dense ingredients? Or that it takes just 20 minutes to prep and then you turn on your crockpot for 2.5 hours and you're done?

The shining star on the ingredient list is blackstrap molasses, which are chock full of iron. Whole wheat flour is no slouch either. The recipe includes less added sugar than most desserts due to the natural sweetness of the apples. Top it off with a mix of warming fall spices—ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg—that have anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects, and we have a winner that I'll be making again.

Sure, it's a treat, not something to eat at every meal or even every day, but it's pretty harmless as treats go. (Although, as long as you're splurging on a treat, I do have to say this would be absolute perfection with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.)

CROCKPOT APPLE GINGERBREAD PUDDING CAKE

1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

3 medium apples, cored and sliced

1 1/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c date sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/3 c blackstrap molasses

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 c apple cider (look for one with no added sugar)

2 Tbsp butter

Coat the inside of your crockpot with coconut oil. Place sliced apples inside to form the bottom layer of your cake.

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, date sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a measuring cup, mix molasses and olive oil with 1/2 c water using a wire whisk. Pour liquid into dry ingredients and fold until moistened. Spread over apples in crockpot.

In microwaveable bowl, mix apple cider and butter. Microwave on high until it starts to boil, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Pour over mixture in slow cooker. At this point the mixture will be foamy and already starting to look a bit like a cake!

Close the crockpot and cook on high for 2.5 hours. Turn off slow cooker and let cake stand uncovered for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.