Pumpkin Maple Spice Cake
Ingredients
First the Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- 1 cup butter (very soft)
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup Gentle Sweet or ( 1/3 cup Truvia)
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cup THM Baking Blend – measure this scantly, do not pack it down! or try this DIY Quick Mix
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (divided, I use 3/4 for the cake and 1/4 for garnish) *don't leave them too big or the cake won't slice well
Maple Cream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup very hot water- Do Not Boil-
- 1/2 cup Gentle Sweet or (1/4 cup Truvia or Pyure blend)
- 1/16 teaspoon xanthan gum or two donks
- 1 dash of mineral salt
- 1 teaspoon maple flavoring (I used Watkins from Wal-Mart)
- 1/4 teaspoon high-quality vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened well)
- 1/2 tsp molasses
Instructions
For the cake:
- Soften the butter to room temperature. Then add in the pumpkin and sweetener and beat, next add in the eggs one at a time, beating after each and then add the flavorings. Really beat some air into this cake at this stage.
- Now sprinkle the baking blend right on top of the well mixed wet ingredients then sprinkle the baking soda and powder on top of all along with the nuts and mix by hand, just until it is mixed in well.
- Grease a bundt pan very well and drop the batter in by spoonfuls, it is fairly stiff.
- Place in the oven to cook at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. It's been getting done in 30, but I always check it after 20. Test for doneness by inserting a fork in the dampest looking part of the cake and when the fork comes out clean the cake is done. The pumpkin in this cake makes it a little more dense than the others, but it is very cakey when cool. Do not overcook!
- While the cake cooks make the icing. I converted this icing last year from a copy cat recipe I used to make that is similar to Applebee's warm maple cream sauce which they serve over their ice cream topped blondies.
Now for the frosting * Have a whisk handy for when you ad the xanthan gum.
- Heat the water to very Hot in a medium saucepan. To the very HOT water, sweetener, and xanthan gum *(I couldn't sub gluccie it continued to thicken.. Whisk this mixture around for just a minute or two and then add in the salt, flavoring and vanilla extract.
- Whisk this all together well!
- Add to the saucepan the butter, softened cream cheese, and molasses
- I use an immersion blender to mix the frosting ingredients in thoroughly, but if the cream cheese is softened (I use the microwave) you should be able to use regular beaters. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the cooled cake and reserve the extra for serving with the cake.
- Garnish with the nuts.
Notes
Make sure you use a non stick pan for this cake. (I replaced my big heavy 30 year old bundt pan for the purposes of these grain free cakes and paid just $7.99 for mine, but it has a nice finish and is a little smaller and very light weight.) I have made many cakes now and have never had one stick, but I know they would have if I'd used the old pan because they are fragile when hot.
The pumpkin in this cake makes it a little more dense than the others, but it is very cakey when cool. Do not overcook!
Recipe by Nana's Little Kitchen at https://www.nanaslittlekitchen.com/pumpkin-maple-spiced-cake/