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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, and it is absolute perfection with this Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe!
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!
You'll also want to try this Keto Pumpkin Coffee Cake - it has a decadent cheesecake layer and is topped with a delicious streusel topping!
So, what do you need for this Pumpkin Pecan Cake?
For the Cake:
¾ Cups Baking Blend
¾ Cups Xylitol (or the equivalent of your favorite sweetener)
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Mineral Salt
¼ Cup Melted Coconut Oil (I use refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor.)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
¼ 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
¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Cup Chopped Pecans to sprinkle on top
Pumpkin Pecan Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ¾ Cups Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend
- ¾ Cups Xylitol or the equivalent of your favorite sweetener
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Mineral Salt
- ¼ Cup Melted Coconut Oil I use refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor.
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ 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
- ¼ 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
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| 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
Hi 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
Hi Julie! I tried doubling it and baking it in a 9x13, and I experienced the same thing. I think it is best kept to a smaller size pan. 🙂
Diana
This is the ABSOLUTE BEST cake I've made EVER!!! The hardest thing is to limit myself to one piece!!!
Amy
I have stevia extract. How much would I use in this recipe please?
Sarah Hardy
I would not advise using only stevia extract, as the sweetener adds some bulk to the recipe.
Elaine
Pumpkin 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
Thank you!
Jenni LeBaron
This cake looks incredibly moist and flavorful! I love a good pumpkin cake!
Amelia
Is 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
It 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
Thanks for the suggestion to whip the egg whites! I'll give that a try next time 🙂
Debbie Hamilton
Every 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!
Michelle
Hi Sarah. Can I use Gentle Sweet instead of Xylitol for the sweetner?
Sarah Hardy
Definitely! You may not need quite as much Gentle Sweet since it is sweeter than plain xylitol.
Traci
This is one of the best Trim Healthy Mama desserts I’ve ever had! I used 2/3 of a cup of gentle sweet +2 doinks of Stevia n the cake instead of xylitol. I also added 1.5 teaspoons of maple extract to the frosting. It’s absolutely perfect! Thank you.
Julia
I made this cake yesterday. I wasn’t too sure about it. I thought I over baked it, it was a little dry and I only had enough cream cheese to make half the frosting. It sat overnight and all day in the fridge and wow! This is moist and so delicious! I’m impressed. I can’t wait to try more if your recipes! Thank you!!
Sarah Hardy
Wonderful! I'm so glad you liked it!