In high school, I played flute in the marching band. Every Saturday during the fall, the 250 of us musicians and color guard would arrive to campus by 5:30 am to load our instruments onto five large charter buses and head to various other high schools in Northern California for a band review.
Each band review followed a similar format. After arriving and patiently waiting on the buses for the drivers to maneuver about the small parking lots to find a space for us to fit, we climbed off and walked directly to the racks of uniforms and Dinkles (our special black marching shoes!) before finding our way to the locker rooms to change.
The Parade Competition came first, where we lined up in a huge block, nine people across, and marched down the city streets playing our specific song for the judges. Back at the parking lot, we changed into our street clothes again, ate lunch, hung out in the cargo space under the buses, and pretended to do homework until evening fell. Then it was time to pull on those uniforms again and warm up for the Field Show Competition before performing, changing yet again, and sitting in the football stadium bleachers for the Awards Ceremony.
While we were often in charge of our own lunches, either bringing them from home or buying something from the snack shack on the high school campuses, our Band Boosters always provided dinner for us. The menu switched each week, and we loaded our plates with meals like spaghetti and meatballs, soft tacos, and build-your-own subway sandwiches.
But for the final competition, which fell on our first weekend of Thanksgiving Break while the rest of the school was officially on vacation, the band parents took pity on us and arranged a full Thanksgiving feast. They set out turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry salad, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, buttery rolls, and our choice of pumpkin or apple pie for dessert. I always chose the pumpkin pie, but…
If this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting had been an option, it would’ve won—hands down! Supremely tender with hints of cozy spices and that thick layer of sweet, ever so slightly tangy frosting on top… It’s a slice of pure fall bliss.
And it can be our little secret that it’s actually healthy and clean eating friendly!
The cake batter begins with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made from a special type of white wheat, unlike regular whole wheat flour that’s ground from red wheat, so it has a lighter taste—but all of the same health benefits! It also has a lighter texture, closer to that of all-purpose flour, which makes it perfect for this tender cake. Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute, and regular whole wheat flour would work in a pinch.
Note: For a gluten-free option, see the Notes section beneath the recipe!
This recipe only contains 1 tablespoon of oil and an egg white, so the rest of the tender texture comes from—you guessed it!—pumpkin purée. Remember to buy regular pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. The latter contains refined sugar, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe! You’ll sweeten the cake with pure maple syrup instead. Pure maple syrup is different than pancake syrup, which consists of refined sugar and corn syrup, so the only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” Don’t substitute pancake or sugar-free syrup because those will affect the texture and consistency of the cake.
And of course, you can’t have pumpkin baked goodies without spices, so you’ll sprinkle in the perfect trio of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. They’ll make your house smell absolutely irresistible while the cake bakes!
The cake batter is very thick, so you’ll need to spread it into the square cake pan with a spatula. For easier removal, you can line the pan with foil, but that isn’t necessary! I find it makes for easier clean-up and one less dish to wash… Which is always a good thing in my book!
And now for the finishing touch: the cream cheese frosting! This recipe is made from a combination of regular Greek yogurt and Greek yogurt cream cheese. Greek yogurt cream cheese has fewer calories and more protein than regular cream cheese, but it still has the same iconic taste. I found mine at Safeway (their own Lucerne brand), and some Walmart stores carry the Green Mountain Farms brand, too. Remember to buy the brick-style block, not the tub!
Note: If you can’t find Greek yogurt cream cheese, substitute Neufchâtel cream cheese (⅓-less fat) instead.
The frosting is sweetened with one of my new favorite products, these vanilla crème stevia drops. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. You can find this brand that I used at health-oriented grocery stores, either on the baking aisle or the health food and supplements aisle, as well as online.
Then spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake, cut yourself a large slice, and…
Pure bliss!
| Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting | | Print |
- for the cake
- 1 ¾ cup (210g) white whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée, room temperature
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- for the frosting
- 4 oz (112g) Greek yogurt cream cheese (half of one 8-oz block)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp (48 drops) vanilla crème stevia
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray. (Optional: Line the pan with foil before spraying for easier removal and clean-up.)
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the maple syrup. Gradually add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 24-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled, prepare the frosting. Beat the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and stevia in a small bowl until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled cake.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup. Alternatively, ½ cup (106g) light brown sugar plus ¼ cup (60mL) milk may be substituted, but the cake will no longer be clean eating friendly.
I’ve found Greek yogurt cream cheese at Safeway and Walmart. If you can’t find Greek yogurt cream cheese, substitute Neufchâtel (⅓-less fat) cream cheese instead.
Most stevia-based sweeteners should work in place of the vanilla crème stevia. Do not substitute any other liquid sweeteners because they will make the frosting too runny.
The frosting can be made ahead of time; simply cover and chill until ready to frost the cake.
To store leftovers, I highly recommend one of these cake carrying containers! I lay a piece of parchment paper into the bottom, place the leftover cake slices on top, and snap the lid onto the pan. They’re the perfect height so that the frosting doesn’t get smooshed!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
thanks for your amazing recipe! can i use powdered stevia instead of maple syrup? and how much?
It’s my pleasure! What’s the exact brand and powdered stevia product name that you’d like to use? Many brands have different sweetness levels, so the amount (and any other recipe modifications) that you’ll need will vary. Once I know the brand and product name, I should have a much better idea of what you’ll need to do! 🙂
Hi Amy ???? I made this cake with my son today, and it didn’t turn out quite right. My only deviation from the recipe was replacing the whole wheat flour with Pamela’s all purpose GF flour (which normally works out fine). The end result was a super thin dense spongy/chewy cake with hardly any sweetness. Any advice???
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Angela! That sounds disappointing — and not like how this cake should turn out at all — so I’d love to help you figure out what happened. 🙂 How did you measure the Pamela’s All Purpose GF Flour? Did you use measuring cups or a kitchen scale? If the former, can you describe how you used them to measure?
Also, did you use an 8″-square pan? Did you use pure maple syrup for sweetness or something else? Finally, did you use an electric or stand mixer to make the batter? How long did you bake the cake? I know that’s a lot of questions, but once I know your answers to all of them, I’ll have a much better idea of what could’ve caused those issues!
I tried making this weekend and the flavor was so good! But mine turned out just a bit dense, but did not use white whole wheat flour. I used whole wheat flour, so I would recommend using the right flour. Do you think I just used white flour instead it would be less dense (I measured the flour using the correct method.) I also added a tablespoon of maple sryup instead of stevia and that substitute for the frosting and it turned out really good for me.
Hi, I’d like to make this for my baby’s first birthday, but prefer to make a round layer cake. If I doubled the cake recipe and used two regular round pans, would that work? Thanks!
I’m SO honored that you’d like to make my recipe to celebrate such a special occasion, Lindsay! Yes, that would work really well. 9″-round cake pans and 8″-square cake pans have almost the exact same surface area, so as long as you use 9″-round cake pans, you shouldn’t have to make any modifications to the recipe — other than doubling the ingredients! (Although to be safe, I’d recommend greasing and lining the bottoms of your pans with wax paper to make sure the layers slide out effortlessly!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake, and happy first birthday to your little one!!