A delicious pumpkin cake, with low refined-sugar and some extra eggs and cottage cheese (or sour cream) for a bit of extra protein. Is it still a cake? Yes. But it's less sweet than my usual pumpkin spice layer cake. We like having a slice for breakfast, too.  Enjoy! 

A yummy slice of pumpkin cake

Low Refined-Sugar Pumpkin Cake!

Preheat oven to 350 F. If desired, line 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Or butter lightly. 

Note* You can halve this recipe and still bake in a 9 x 13 pan. It works perfectly, and just bakes in about 30-35 minutes instead of 50.

In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: 

3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1 - 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, mix together or blend to smooth it out a bit (you can use a stick blender to smooth, or mix the wet ingredients together in a blender):

2 cups pumpkin puree (homemade or canned 100% pumpkin)

6 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese OR 1 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup maple syrup OR agave syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

Mix together the dry and wet ingredients, just until combined.  Spread in a 9" x 13" pan lined with parchment paper.  

Batter, ready to pop in the pan.

Ready to bake!

Bake at 350 F for ~50 minutes, until nicely browned.  (If you've halved the recipe - or want divide this and to bake two thinner pans of cake, bake for ~30-35 minutes)

Cool on cooling rack. You can remove from the pan using the parchment paper to support once it's cooled 15-20 minutes.  Let the cake fully cool before frosting.  If you're impatient, you can eat it while warm and just add a dollop of frosting onto each piece before serving.

Beat the following by hand OR in a mixer until nice and smooth:
2 Tbsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 - 2 cups powdered sugar  (I find you can just adjust how much milk is added depending on the amount of powdered sugar being used, and it ends up being quite nice either way)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract
1-2 tsp milk, added slowly, until desired thickness

Spread the top with the cream cheese frosting. Serve and enjoy!  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. 

A yummy healthy pumpkin cake, ready to eat!

Healthy-style Pumpkin Cake Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!