This little slow cooker cake was born out of a busy harvest season and my coworker’s daily coffee habit. She always comes in with an iced caramel latte in hand, and one day I thought, “Why not bake her favorite coffee order?” With just three ingredients and a trusty slow cooker, this cake turns that sweet, milky coffee into a tender, coffee‑kissed dessert with caramel puddled on top. It’s the kind of simple, practical recipe farm wives and office folks alike can pull off on a weekday morning—no mixer, no fuss, and it tastes like it came straight from a fancy bakery case.
Serve this slow cooker iced caramel latte cake warm right out of the crock, scooped into small dessert bowls so you catch all the caramel pooling over the coffee‑moist crumbs. A little drizzle of cold heavy cream or a spoonful of whipped topping on the side echoes the latte feel, and a few ice cubes in a glass of milk or iced coffee makes a nice contrast to the warm cake. It also pairs nicely with salty snacks—pretzels or mixed nuts—to balance the sweetness if you’re setting it out in the break room or after Sunday supper.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Iced Caramel Latte CakeServings: 8
Ingredients
1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
2 cups iced caramel latte (chilled, your favorite coffee shop order or homemade, including ice melt)
1 cup thick caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping, divided (about 1/2 cup for baking, 1/2 cup for finishing)
Directions
Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick spray so the cake releases easily and the edges don’t scorch.
In a large mixing bowl, pour in the dry yellow cake mix. Slowly add 2 cups of iced caramel latte, whisking gently until the batter is mostly smooth. It will be thinner than a standard cake batter because the coffee stands in for eggs, oil, and water—that’s exactly what we want.
Stir 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce into the batter, just enough to ribbon it through. You don’t need it perfectly blended; a few streaks give the cake a richer caramel flavor in pockets, like a fancy bakery swirl.
Pour the batter into the greased slow cooker crock, smoothing the top with a spatula so it cooks evenly. If any caramel clumps sit on top, lightly nudge them under the surface.
Cover the slow cooker with its lid. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the cake is set in the center. The top should look dry and spring back lightly when touched, and a toothpick or butter knife inserted in the middle should come out with moist crumbs but not wet batter.
Once the cake is done, turn off the slow cooker and immediately drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup caramel sauce evenly over the hot cake. Let it sit, covered loosely with the lid propped slightly open, for about 10 to 15 minutes so the caramel soaks in and pools across the surface without steaming the top too much.
Serve the cake warm, scooping it straight from the crock with a large spoon so each serving has some of the moist coffee‑infused cake and glossy caramel from the top. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator once cooled, and rewarm gently in the slow cooker or microwave before serving.
Variations & Tips
To lean into the coffee shop feel, you can sprinkle a small pinch of flaky salt over the caramel right before serving for a salted caramel twist, or dust the top with a bit of cinnamon to mimic a flavored latte. If your coworker prefers a stronger coffee flavor, use a bold espresso-based iced caramel latte or reduce the latte on the stove by about one-third before cooling and measuring, which concentrates the flavor without adding more liquid. For a slightly firmer cake that slices more neatly, you can cut the latte back to 1 3/4 cups, but don’t go much lower or the batter may be too thick to cook evenly in the slow cooker. If you don’t have access to a coffee shop, make your own iced caramel latte by mixing strong chilled coffee with milk and caramel syrup, then measure out the 2 cups once it has cooled and some ice has melted—too much ice left in the cup will water down the batter. For a mocha-style version, choose a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow while keeping the other ingredients the same. Always make sure the iced latte you use has been refrigerated and is not past its safe use time, especially if it contains milk; dairy that has sat out more than 2 hours at room temperature should be discarded, not baked with. When the cake is finished, cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours since the batter is made with a milk-based drink. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat, and consume leftovers within 3 to 4 days for best quality and food safety.
