Towards the end of September, I flew back to Northern California to visit my parents and play with their new puppy. Since golden retrievers grow so quickly, I wanted to meet her while she was still small enough to hold and cuddle!
Grandma dropped me off at the San Diego airport early that Friday afternoon with plenty of time to go through security⌠But when I reached the checkpoint, nobody else stood in line, so I got from the outside curb to my gate in less than 10 minutes. That never happens!
In that part of the terminal, a few restaurants sit in the middle of the circle of gates, so I watched as people grabbed food for a late lunch and early snacks. Bagel sandwiches full of bacon and eggs, gigantic custom made-to-order burgers, sizzling hot baskets of friesâŚ
With French fries as one of my favorite foods (especially these healthier homemade ones!), I was sorely tempted to order some when the lady sitting across from me in the waiting area sat down with her cardboard to go box, the pile of those seasoned potato wedges threatening to spill out of the sidesâŚ
But this homemade Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Snack Cake was a much better option! And not just for my wallet⌠đ Itâs full of cozy spices and sweet comforting pumpkin flavor, but it contains no refined flour or sugar and only 99 calories!
And yesâitâs made for snacking! And breakfast⌠And maybe even a pre-bedtime treat? I wonât judge!
HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHY PUMPKIN OATMEAL CAKE
To make your healthy pumpkin oatmeal snack cake, youâll start with a mix of whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called âquick-cookingâ or âone-minuteâ oats, and theyâre smaller and thinner than traditional rolled oats. This means they soften faster while baking, so your snack cake turns out incredibly moist and tender!
Tip: You can find one-minute oats right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store! (Remember to buy gluten-free if needed!)
Next, youâll need just 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Yes, thatâs it! The rest of your cakeâs tender texture comes from pumpkin purĂŠe (like this⌠not pumpkin pie mix!) and Greek yogurt. You know how much I ⥠Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked treats a protein boost, too!
And of course, we canât forget the spices! Theyâre the best part! Youâll need a mix of cinnamon (Iâm currently obsessed with this kind!), nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. You could easily substitute pumpkin pie spice if you prefer⌠But I already keep each of those on hand, and my spice cabinet doesnât have enough space for a jar of store-bought pumpkin spice! đ
Then spread your batter into your pan, set a timer, andâŚ
Cut yourself a slice! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees Iâll see your picture! đ ) Iâd love to see your healthy pumpkin oatmeal snack cake!
Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (150g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1 Âź cups (150g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- Âź tsp ground nutmeg
- Âź tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purĂŠe, room temperature (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 6 tbsp (90mL) pure maple syrup
- Âź cup (60mL) nonfat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9â-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin purĂŠe. Add in Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the oat mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the oat mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the oat mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 25-28 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipesâŚ
⥠Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
⥠Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
⥠Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Scones
⥠Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
⥠Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Bites
⥠Healthy Pumpkin Pie Protein Overnight Oats
⥠âŚand the rest of Amy’s healthy pumpkin recipes!
This was AMAZING! Made exactly how it is besides swapping the flour for almond flour
I’m so happy that you loved this snack cake, Lauren! Thank you for taking the time to share and rate the recipe. It truly means a lot! đ I really appreciate you sharing your modification too. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work out!
We loved this. Made exactly according to recipe. Moist. Just sweet enough. For us, it is a quick breakfast!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this snack cake, Lore! Thank you so much for taking the time to share and rate this recipe. It really means a lot! đ
Does this freeze well?
Yes! Once the cake has fully cooled, it freezes really well. I like to cut it into individual portions to make it faster and easier to thaw. My favorite way to thaw those individual pieces is in the microwave on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through; it almost makes them taste freshly baked! đ I’d love to hear what you think of this snack cake if you end up making it, Kim!
My kids were super excited for this and unfortunately it just didnât live up to the expectations. Came was very dense and very plain. Weâll have find a way to doctor it up to try and salvage. I donât believe in wasting food , but my kids only ate 1 full piece between the 4 of them. Made according to the directions and will not be making again.
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Jamie! That sounds disappointing and not like how this snack cake is supposed to turn out, so we’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, we have some questions for you!
Would you mind elaborating a bit more about the “plain” flavor? Was it just not as sweet as you expected? Were you able to taste any of the pumpkin and spices?
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons for all of the ingredients â especially the flour, oats, and pumpkin?
Did you use regular instant oats or a DIY version made from old-fashioned rolled oats?
Which flour option did you use: regular whole wheat flour or our homemade gluten-free blend in the Notes section?
What brands of pumpkin purĂŠe and pure maple syrup did you use?
How long did you bake your cake?
How much did your cake rise?
Did it collapse while cooling?
We understand it was dense. Was it moist as well? Or was it crumbly and/or dry?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of the culprit (and how to fix it!) once we know your answers to all of them! đ
Also, in case it’s helpful, doctoring up slices with a drizzle of pure maple syrup or honey should help with the flavor, if they didn’t taste sweet enough! If it was the spices that were lacking, a sprinkle of cinnamon (or cinnamon sugar!) on top should also help. One more idea would be to add a glaze (like a maple glaze [â see the bottom of the Notes section!] or chocolate glaze) or even something like a little homemade chocolate frosting!
Hi, can almond flour be used in place of whole wheat?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Judy! I typically donât recommend that substitution in my cake recipes, including this one. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Almond flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like cakes, cupcakes, muffins, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and collapse while cooling. However, if you donât mind that texture difference with almond flour (where your cake will collapse and turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! đ
Another option would be these pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies! They have the same flavor as this snack cake, call for many of the same ingredients, and they can easily be made with almond flour. Because they don’t rise, like this cake, substituting almond flour will yield the same texture! (You can also omit the chocolate chips, if you’d prefer a plain pumpkin oatmeal treat instead!)
Iâd love to hear what you think if you decide to try making this snack cake â or the oatmeal cookies!
Thanks for the recipe! Used whole eggs because I didn’t have an immediate use for two random yolks. I imagine the cake is slightly less dense with just whites. Otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. Next time I’d probably increase the amount of ginger/cloves/nutmeg. Gave us a sweet tooth cake fix without being full-on-cake! Will definitely be adding to my repertoire. đ
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Ava! We consider it the highest compliment when we hear you plan to make one of our recipes again! Thank you so much for sharing and rating this recipe, it really means a lot! đ