This moist, delicious pumpkin cake recipe is a healthier version of the classic fall flavor. Topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting, you’ll feel like you’re indulging with every bite!
I’m an everything pumpkin girl.
Pumpkin French Toast, Pumpkin Donuts, and Pumpkin Swirl Black Bean Brownies are my BFFs in the fall (or really, any time).
BUT…
It’s really easy to get so into yummy baked goods that I overdo it.
So, I’m trying to be more mindful of what I bake. Specifically, I want to use more whole grains and less sugar. If I can use a natural sweetener, that’s even better.
Thankfully, this healthy pumpkin cake recipe checks all those boxes!!
HEALTHY PUMPKIN CAKE
I love this moist pumpkin cake recipe because it’s easy and straightforward to make. But I also love it because it’s:
- Made with whole grain flour – which has great health benefits.
- Lightly sweetened with a natural sweetener.
- Super moist!
- Guilt-free.
- Picky eater approved.
I do want to say that if you’re used to super-sweet desserts, you’re not going to like this. There is JUST ENOUGH sweetener to make this qualify as a dessert, but not so much that you’ll end up in a sugar coma. Which is a good thing, right? I think so!
I don’t feel bad letting my kids eat this for breakfast or an after-school snack. And I don’t feel bad if I sneak a second piece when the kids have gone to bed!
PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
This is a cake, so we need the common cake players:
- Whole grain flour. Typically, cakes use all-purpose flour or cake flour, but this is a healthy pumpkin spice cake recipe, so we’re using whole-grain einkorn flour.
- Ground cinnamon + ground nutmeg + ground ginger. Close to pumpkin pie spice, but it doesn’t include cloves or allspice. If you want to use a pumpkin spice blend instead of the individual spices, you’ll need 2 ½ teaspoons.
- Baking powder + baking soda + salt. To leaven the cake, and salt for flavor.
- Coconut oil + large eggs. Minimal fat and binder. I haven’t tested using a flax egg, but I’m betting it will work.
- Vanilla extract + maple syrup. Flavor and natural sweetener without going overboard.
- Pumpkin puree. Both homemade fresh pumpkin puree and canned pure pumpkin puree will work. Be sure NOT to use pumpkin pie filling!
- Frosting (optional). I recommend using cream cheese frosting, and my simple frosting recipe has just 4 ingredients: cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Read below for other options if cream cheese frosting isn’t your favorite.
Jovial Foods offers einkorn flour in both whole wheat and all-purpose. Save 10% off all items in the store (with exclusions on special promotional items such as cookbooks and new harvest oil) when you use coupon code DWCRUMBS. Plus, get free shipping on orders over $99. You can also find Jovial Foods Einkorn Flour on Amazon.
I make my own whole grain flour with a Mockmill (you can read my honest review of the Mockmill here) because it’s cheaper, but also because we realized my daughter was sensitive to gluten after doing the Whole30 as a family. If you’re curious about einkorn, you can read more about it here.
HOW TO MAKE A PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Most dump recipes are “dump and bake,” and while this one requires a turn or two of the spatula, it still qualifies as a dump cake recipe to me!
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking dish. Set aside.
Step 2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk together.
Step 3. Combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Give the batter a stir or two until everything is combined.
Step 4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and use the spatula to smooth it out. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
Step 5: As for the frosting, it’s just as easy! Simply mix the ingredients in a small mixing bowl or a stand mixer and spread on top of the cooled cake.
Note: If you want a sweeter pumpkin cake, I recommend adding ¼ – ½ cups of granulated sugar to the recipe, depending on your preferences. Remember that you can start with ¼ cup and add more.
PUMPKIN SPICECAKE FAQS
Should I refrigerate a pumpkin cake?
If you want to make this ahead of time, I recommend baking the cake and storing it at room temperature for 2-3 days. Make the cream cheese frosting just before serving. You CAN refrigerate the cake, but doing so will dry it out a little bit. It’s better the day it’s made. The same goes for leftovers. They can be stored at room temp for a few days, or in the fridge.
Can I make a different icing for the pumpkin spicecake?
I personally LOVE this pumpkin cake recipe with cream cheese frosting. A vanilla buttercream frosting or even a sprinkle of powdered sugar (try my homemade recipe) would be a great replacement for the icing if you’re not a fan of cream cheese.
Can I make this easy pumpkin cake recipe in a bundt pan? Or in a round pan?
Absolutely! Use whatever pan you’d like to make this recipe. The cooking time will likely need to be adjusted, so use a toothpick to test for doneness: Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake, and when the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready! A pumpkin bundt cake looks so pretty for holidays and pumpkin cupcakes are super fun!
Can you make a vegan pumpkin cake?
This pumpkin cake recipe can be made vegan fairly easily: replace the egg with a flax egg and skip the cream cheese frosting – use a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead.
What is pumpkin pie spice made of?
My own homemade pumpkin spice blend is made of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove. You’ll notice that this recipe doesn’t call for allspice or clove. If you don’t feel like measuring out each spice and want to use a pumpkin spice blend instead, go for it! You’ll need 2 ½ teaspoons.
RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CAKE MIX
Can you make this recipe for pumpkin cake with cake mix? The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes, but you’ll need to adjust a few things.
- I have a DELICIOUS recipe for homemade yellow cake mix, but I haven’t tried making this cake using that mix…YET!
- If you want to give it a shot, I recommend using 1¾ cups of cake mix INSTEAD of the flour, baking soda, salt, and maple syrup in the recipe (the homemade yellow cake mix already contains granulated sugar).
- The batter might seem very dry since you’re leaving out a good bit of a wet ingredient, so I would add either another egg or ¼ cup of Greek yogurt, one tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
Make sure you take notes so you can alter the recipe next time!
MORE YUMMY PUMPKIN RECIPES
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE ONE-BOWL HEALTHY PUMPKIN CAKE
One-bowl Healthy Pumpkin Cake
This moist, delicious pumpkin cake recipe is a healthier version of the classic fall flavor. Topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting, you’ll feel like you’re indulging with every bite!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking dish. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients – whole grain flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt – in a bowl and whisk together.
- Combine the wet ingredients – coconut oil, egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup – in a small bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Give the batter a stir or two, just until everything is combined.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to make the surface mostly smooth.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Let the cake cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. In a stand mixer, blender, OR by hand, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Add the salt and taste, adjusting the sweetener as desired.
- Spread frosting on cooled cake and serve.
Notes
- If you want a sweeter pumpkin cake, I recommend adding ¼ – ½ cups of granulated sugar to the recipe, depending on your preferences. Remember that you can start with ¼ cup and add more.
- If you want to make this pumpkin cake with cake mix, I recommend using 1¾ cup of cake mix (try my homemade recipe) instead of the flour, baking soda, salt, and maple syrup in the recipe (the homemade yellow cake mix already contains granulated sugar). The batter might seem very dry since you’re leaving out a good bit of a wet ingredient, so I would add either another egg or ¼ cup of Greek yogurt, one tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
Adapted from amyshealthybaking.com
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 679
