Happy Holidays y’all.  This time of year absolutely warms my soul.  It’s always bittersweet for me, though, because so much of my family lives in other parts of the country and we aren’t able to see each other.  But I love the twinkling lights, the holiday music and the gatherings with friends.  It’s my dream to have a big family of my own one day and a big house to fill for holiday gatherings!  

For Thanksgiving Eric and I had lunch with his parents then went and visited with my aunt and sweet cousins in the evening.  I pinned this cake recipe to Pinterest recently and decided, at the last minute, to bake it to take with us to my aunt’s.  It’s from Gluten Free Goddess and it’s divine.  As usual I made a few tweaks and thought I’d share with you all.  It was a huge hit – even with the vegan icing – people ate it up.  We came home with only 2 pieces which I devoured over the next two days.  Eric then asked what happened to them and requested I bake another cake as soon as possible.  So with that response I deemed it good enough to post on the blog.  It’s incredibly moist and has wonderful flavor!

 

This recipe is gluten, sugar, and dairy free and also very high in fiber!  If you prefer to use sugar, the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar.  The sweetener I use is fantastic and can be purchased online here.  For the money, it’s comparable to Truvia or any other stevia found in the grocery store but tastes SO much better!

 

Here ya go:

 

SPICED PUMPKIN WALNUT CAKE

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup coconut four

1/2 cup Ancient Harvest quinoa flakes

1/2 cup almond flour/meal

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 cups Swerve sweetener or other sugar equivalent

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

dash of ground cloves

dash of allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt

2 large organic free range eggs (or egg replacer)

1 cup cooked pumpkin puree

1/2 cup melted coconut oil (melted in the microwave and cooled slightly)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

*unsweetened almond milk

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of a 9X13 cake pan with parchment paper then spray heavily with non stick cooking spray.

 

In the bowl of a stand up mixer stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, spices, sugar, and salt by hand.  In a separate bowl mix together eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla.  Turn on mixer and slowly add wet ingredients to dry.  Beat for two minutes until the batter becomes smooth.  Stir in walnuts by hand.  

 

*The original recipe calls for brown sugar which is moister than the swerve we substitute with.  As I
mixed the batter in the stand up mixer I slowly added a bit of almond milk – maybe about a 1/4 cup – to make it smoother and add a touch of moisture.  This may not have been necessary but I was afraid it would be too dry without using brown sugar.  They turned out amazingly moist and decadent! 

 

Once the batter is thoroughly mixed, scoop it into prepared pan.  It will be thick.  Dip a spoon into water and use the back to smooth out the batter.  Bake on the center rack for 25-35 minutes.  I did exactly 30.  Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.  

 

Frost when completely cooled with frosting of your choice.  

 

VEGAN CREAM CHEESE ICING

2 cups powdered stevia or powdered swerve sweetener

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese

vegan vegetable shortening at room temp (I use earth balance shortening sticks)

gluten free flour

2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

In a small mixing bowl, stir together sweetener and cream cheese until all is incorporated (if you turn on the mixer before doing this, the powder will go everywhere).  Once it’s all incorporated, mix with hand mixer until smooth.  Add in the vanilla and mix well.  

 

I add shortening and a bit of flour to thicken up the icing.  This isn’t necessary but I like a thicker consistency.  Just use your best judgement – as I perfect icing recipes I’ll update 🙂