I like the concept of snack cakes. You can eat them any time of day and say that you need just a little something to hold yourself over before breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or bedtime. I need a little something lots of cake during most of these times. I especially like snack cakes when they do not come in pre-wrapped packages, like twinkies or ho hos or those little debbie concoctions. My favorite kinds of snack cake are the ones that are really just regular cakes with a “healthy” ingredient and an itty bitty slathering of frosting.
This pumpkin almond deliciousness does the snack cake trick. It’s made with pumpkin puree, almond flour, and a sweet almond butter frosting. I ate it for breakfast and in the afternoon, but if you want to just call it what it is — a moist, nutty, regular cake — you can make it for dessert as an alternative to pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin Almond Snack Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
For the almond butter frosting:
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons almond milk (regular milk also works just fine)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pan, line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment (or coat with cooking spray).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until just incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, until all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack and allow to cool completely.
6. Using a food processor or stand mixer, mix together the almond butter, softened butter, milk, powdered sugar, and salt.
7. Transfer your cooled cake to a serving platter and use an offset spatula to spread an even layer of frosting across the top. Sprinkle with toasted almonds, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from here.
