Pumpkin Spice Cake
{with "cream cheese" frosting}
Ok, I'm gonna tell you the something. I started out trying to make a pumpkin pie bar & it was disgusting! That may not be what you want to hear from the person you are getting recipes from, but when I was working on my waffle recipe, I posted a picture on social media of the major flop in my kitchen. They were terrible & stuck to my waffle maker & made the biggest mess ever. Many people told me how encouraging it was to see my mistake. Transparency is the key to being connected with people. So you should feel like my best friend. HA.
I think it's easy to get the perception when we watch someone's life on a blog or on social media that everything is perfect & things turn out amazing all the time. The truth is they don't. Recipes don't & life doesn't, and I don't serve my family dinner on a plate looking like the pictures on this blog. BUT I eventually got the Waffles right & the pumpkin pie bars I set out to make turned into this wonderful Pumpkin Spice Cake. All cakes from scratch take a little work so put your apron on & get going. This one is worth the time!
It has a great flavor & you will feel good knowing you are feeding yourself & your family & friends something that is yummy & healthy. This cake will definitely make it to our thanksgiving buffet this year.
AND as for life not always turning out like the pictures, run to JESUS. HE makes all things good.
Pumpkin Spice Cake
{with "cream cheese" frosting}
ingredients
for the "cream cheese" frosting:
1 cup raw cashews {soaked for 1 hour in warm water}
1/2 cup palm oil shortening
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
for the cake:
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 can {15oz} pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon avocado oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
directions
preheat oven to 350
use 1 teaspoon of the avocado oil to grease the bottom & sides of an 8x8 glass baking dish
mix flours, coconut sugar, baking soda & all spices together in a medium bowl.
in a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin plus all the remaining wet ingredients & pour into the flour mixture. stir well.
pour cake batter into greased dish & bake 35-40 minutes.
as soon as you put the cake in the oven, drain the cashews from the soaking water & place them in a high speed blender. add in maple syrup, palm oil shortening, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice & salt. turn the blender on high & blend until the cashews become creamy & smooth & completely mixed with all the other ingredients. {this will probably take about a minute, alternately, if you do not have a high powered blender, you can do this in a food processor, scraping the sides as necessary to blend}
once the cake is done, remove from oven & allow to cool in the pan, on a cooling rack for about 45 minutes then frost the cake with the "cream cheese" frosting. {Just as a side note, my husband thinks this cake is better cold than at room temperature}
store leftovers in the refrigerator