Half coffee cake, half pumpkin pie. This low-sugar pumpkin spice cake makes a great morning coffee accompaniment or dessert for the fall season. Vegetarian.
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Typically when I want to do a recipe I’ve never tried before I go through a simple process of reading 5-10 recipes from blogs and/or cookbooks. I search for the ingredients that show up in most of the recipes. Then I craft my own version of it. In this particular case I was trying to get a recipe in while my 18 month old was sleeping so I couldn’t go through too many recipes. I was in search for a pumpkin pie recipe using fresh, roasted pumpkin and I went straight to the first recipe I found which was Martha Stewart’s. I reduced the amount of eggs used, replaced the sugar with dates as well as swapped the evaporated milk for whole milk.
Seeing as I was pressed on time, I quickly ran through the recipe and failed to notice that the recipe was for 2 pumpkin pies. It was only once I started blending the ingredients together that I realized, this is way to much filling! I re-read the recipe and found my error. I filled my pie crust with half of the filling and decided to create something with the other half. I did so, then i tasted the batter before pouring it and realized it lacked sweetness. The dates weren’t cutting it so I decided to add a sugar and spice mixture to it. I’ve since made this recipe on it’s own and well, I wouldn’t write this post if it didn’t work out, so let’s get to it!
HOW TO MAKE A LOW-SUGAR PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE
Bake Pumpkin. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut your sugar pumpkin lengthwise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Set seeds aside for roasting (optional). Use a peeler to remove the skin – see image below for reference. Rub a small amount of oil around the pumpkin, 1 tablespoon should be enough. Place pumpkin cut-side down on pan and roast for 40 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through the pumpkin. Let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Prepare the pie dish or cake pan. Use 2 tspn butter and rub all around your dish or pan (a great way to do this is to use the wax paper that packages the butter so you don’t get greasy fingers. Add a small handful of flour to coat the surface of your pan or dish, and shake out any excess flour.
Puree the dates. In a blender, add the dates and a tablespoon of water. Blend to a paste. Don’t worry about washing the blender as you’re going to use it to purée the pumpkin.
Cream butter and dates. In a food processor or by spoon, cream together the date purée and room temperature butter.
Add room temperature eggs. Add room temperature eggs to your butter-date mixture one at a time until nice and combined. If the eggs are too cold, put them in room temperature water for 5-10 minutes. If you add them too cold, they won’t combine well and will breakup the butter.
Combine dry ingredients. To ensure you don’t get clumps, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a small mixing bowl. If you notice any clumping, sift your ingredients.
Slowly add dry ingredients to butter-date-egg mixture. Pour about 1/3 of the dry ingredients in at a time until the dry and wet ingredients are combined.
Purée pumpkin and add milk. Next, purée half of the pumpkin using a blender and slowly add the milk until combined. Add the purée to the batter. Mix until combined. Check out my recipe for pumpkin pie or pumpkin khoresh for ways to use the other half of your roasted pumpkin.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Pour the batter into your prepared dish.
Swirl in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. next, slowly pour the mixture into the batter in a swirling pattern (see image of final cake below for reference). You may need to use a spatula or spoon to guide the mixture down into the batter.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any wetness (dry crumbs are fine).
Serve warm. Enjoy with coffee for a great morning treat or post-dinner dessert.
HEALTH TALK
Please take my advice like you do from a friend, not your doctor. I am not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist. I have a passion for health and cooking. Moreover, I hope to bring you information that will help you live a health-filled life.
While of course this is a dessert and should not be considered a health food, it is healthier than it’s high-sugar alternatives. First, the dates as a sweetener add fiber and other important vitamins to your diet versus processed sugar which lacks nutrients. Dates are high in dietary fiber, supporting a healthy digestive system and preventing constipation. They are also rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium – essential nutrients for our bodies. Secondly, pumpkins are a great source of fiber, as well as the antioxidant beta-carotene, which has been linked to a wide-range of health benefits, including regulating blood pressure, and reducing the risk of diseases like cancer and diabetes. For further reading on the health benefits of dates or sugar pumpkins, see the sources at the end of the post.
Furthermore, dessert should be part of a balanced diet and not consumed in large quantities. Enjoy a slice, not half the cake.
Print
Low-Sugar Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Half coffee cake, half pumpkin pie. This low-sugar pumpkin spice cake makes a great morning coffee accompaniment or dessert for the fall season. Vegetarian.
Ingredients
For Cake Batter:
- 1/2 a 3-4 lb sugar pumpkin, roasted
- 1/2 C whole milk
- 1/4 C half & half
- 3 dates
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/2 C flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
For cinnamon-sugar swirl:
- 1/2 C brown sugar, unpacked
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven. 400°F
- Prepare Pumpkin. Cut your sugar pumpkin lengthwise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Set seeds aside for roasting (optional). Use a peeler to remove the skin – see image below for reference. Pour water to fill your sheet pan 1/8 inch. Place pumpkin cut-side down on pan and roast for 40 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through the pumpkin. Let cool.
- Reduce Oven temp to 350°F
- Prepare the pie dish or cake pan. Use 2 tspn butter and rub all around your dish or pan (a great way to do this is to use the wax paper that packages the butter so you don’t get greasy fingers. Add a small handful of flour to coat the surface of your pan or dish, and shake out any excess flour.
- Puree the dates. In a blender, add the dates and a tablespoon of water. Blend to a paste. Don’t worry about washing the blender as you’re going to use it to purée the pumpkin.
- Cream butter and dates. In a food processor or by spoon, cream together the date purée and room temperature butter.
- Add room temperature eggs. Add room temperature eggs to your butter-date mixture one at a time until nice and combined. If the eggs are too cold, put them in room temperature water for 5-10 minutes. If you add them too cold, they won’t combine well and will breakup the butter.
- Combine dry ingredients. To ensure you don’t get clumps, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a small mixing bowl. If you notice any clumping, sift your ingredients.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to butter-date-egg mixture. Pour about 1/3 of the dry ingredients in at a time until the dry and wet ingredients are combined.
- Purée pumpkin and add milk. Next, purée the pumpkin (we’re only using half for this recipe) using a blender and slowly add the milk until combined. Add the purée to the batter. Mix until combined.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan. Pour the batter into your prepared dish.
- Swirl in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. next, slowly pour the mixture into the batter in a swirling pattern (see image of final cake below for reference). You may need to use a spatula or spoon to guide the mixture down into the batter.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any wetness (dry crumbs are fine).
- Serve warm. Enjoy with coffee for a great morning treat or post-dinner dessert.
Notes
Wondering what to do with that other half of your pumpkin? Try my pumpkin pie or pumpkin khoresht recipes.
Keywords: pumpkin, cake, low-sugar,
For more interesting reads on sugar pumpkins and dates as well as their health benefits, visit:
Kitchen Starts, Sugar Pumpkins
Bon Appétit, Sugar Pumpkins
Medical News Today, What are the Health Benefits of Pumpkin?
Healthline, 8 Proven Health Benefits of Dates
