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Pumpkin Pecan Cake – a lightly crumbed cake filled with the flavors of fall and topped with toasty pecans and a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. This recipe is low carb, gluten free, sugar free, and a Trim Healthy Mama S recipe.
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One more pumpkin recipe, please? Ok, maybe more than one. But now that we are already one-third of the way through October, I think it is perfectly acceptable to keep the pumpkin recipes coming!
It is no secret to my readers that I love pumpkin (and that my husband does NOT)! Actually, he admitted to me a couple of weeks ago that it is not pumpkin he hates, but rather all the spices that usually accompany it!
Be that as it may, I have still been enjoying my pumpkin treats. This cake looks a lot like my Pumpkin Bar recipe, but the texture is quite different.
My Pumpkin Bar recipe is quite dense, but this cake is lighter and has a more delicate crumb. I thought it was the perfect cakey texture.
For this recipe I also added chopped pecans to the top after frosting the cake. I think you could also add chopped pecans to the batter before baking the cake. I suppose it depends on how much you love pecans!
I added cinnamon to my cream cheese frosting, but one of my readers mentioned using maple extract in the frosting in place of the cinnamon. That sounds AMAZING! I will leave my recipe as it is, since that is how I tested it, but you can be sure I WILL try it with the maple flavoring!
So, what do you need for this Pumpkin Pecan Cake?
For the Cake:
3/4 Cups Baking Blend
3/4 Cups Xylitol (or the equivalent of your favorite sweetener)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Mineral Salt
1/4 Cup Melted Coconut Oil (I use refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor.)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
For the Frosting:
1 8 Ounce Cream Cheese, Softened
3 Tablespoons Gentle Sweet
3 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Cup Chopped Pecans to sprinkle on top
Pumpkin Pecan Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3/4 Cups Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend
- 3/4 Cups Xylitol or the equivalent of your favorite sweetener
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Mineral Salt
- 1/4 Cup Melted Coconut Oil I use refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor.
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Eggs
- 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
For the Frosting:
- 1 8 Ounce Cream Cheese Softened
- 3 Tablespoons Gentle Sweet
- 3 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Chopped Pecans to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Beat softened cream cheese, Gentle Sweet, Cinnamon, and Heavy Whipping Cream for 1-2 minutes, or until frosting begins to stiffen.
- Spread frosting onto cooled cake.
- Top with pecans.
- Cut into 9 servings.
Notes
Nutrition
| Nutrition Facts |
| Amount Per Serving |
|
Calories 286
|
|
% Daily Value
|
|
Total Fat 23g
35%
|
|
Saturated Fat 13g
64%
|
|
Trans Fat 0g
|
|
Cholesterol 79mg
26%
|
|
Sodium 241mg
10%
|
|
Total Carbohydrates 8g
8%
|
|
Dietary Fiber 4g
18%
|
|
Sugars 2g
|
|
Protein 6g
|
|
Vitamin A 19%
Vitamin C undefined%
|
|
Calcium 4%
Iron undefined%
|
Julie says
October 12, 2017 at 8:27 amHi Sarah, I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9X13 cooking for about 25 mins in my convection oven. I lowered the temperature about half way through as I thought it might be catching. I baked in a glass pan and while it smells soooo goooood I was disappointed that it didn’t really “rise”. I know that alternative flours don’t really rise the same way as flours with gluten, but I’m not sure I could honestly get 18 servings out of this.It looks so thin. Did I do something wrong, or do I just need to adjust my expectations.? Still happy to eat it though….so very happy:D
Thanks for all your hard work developing recipes for us mamas..
Sarah Hardy says
October 12, 2017 at 2:15 pmHi Julie! I tried doubling it and baking it in a 9×13, and I experienced the same thing. I think it is best kept to a smaller size pan. 🙂
Amy says
October 12, 2017 at 3:14 pmI have stevia extract. How much would I use in this recipe please?
Sarah Hardy says
October 14, 2017 at 11:52 amI would not advise using only stevia extract, as the sweetener adds some bulk to the recipe.
Elaine says
October 16, 2017 at 11:48 amPumpkin cakes are my favorite types of cakes. I have made so many of them but I can say 100% that your recipe is fantastic! Awesome work and great website!
Sarah Hardy says
October 16, 2017 at 10:32 pmThank you!
Jenni LeBaron says
October 21, 2017 at 9:06 amThis cake looks incredibly moist and flavorful! I love a good pumpkin cake!
Amelia says
December 17, 2017 at 7:24 amIs it really only 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree? I just made this and my batter was so dry that I had to dump it into the baking dish and press it down to even it out; I honestly think I could have just rolled it into balls and made cookies instead of trying to make it into a cake! I followed the directions exactly except I used all egg whites (6 Tbsp) instead of whole eggs because I can’t eat the yolks. My finished cake is barely even 1″ thick.
Sarah Hardy says
December 18, 2017 at 8:30 amIt is a very thick batter – the baking blend thickens the batter quite a bit. And yes, there is only 1/4 cup pumpkin. I have found that using much more than that caused the cake to be too dense and wet. As for the thickness, I would imagine that has to do with using egg whites versus whole eggs. In the future, I would suggest whipping the egg whites to help give more rise. 🙂
Amelia says
December 22, 2017 at 12:39 pmThanks for the suggestion to whip the egg whites! I’ll give that a try next time 🙂
Debbie Hamilton says
August 18, 2018 at 9:56 pmEvery time I make your recipes, they come out perfect! I cooked them as cupcakes and made 9 perfect portions. My teenage daughter does not like cream cheese iceing, so I decided to put the pecans on top and sprinkle them with a little on plan sugar and cinammon. They have a similar taste to the buttermilk spice muffins from Mimi’s Cafe here in California. AMAZING and her favorite! Well done yet again Sarah!