Healthy Pumpkin Cake

This easy, no-fuss healthy pumpkin cake is about to become your favorite pumpkin fall treat. Perfectly moist, tender, and lightly sweetened, it is loaded with warm and comforting pumpkin flavors.

Fall baking can sometimes feel daunting and overwhelming. While we all love the sweet, warm and cozy flavors, most fall baking recipes use huge quantities of sugar, involve many steps, and a lot of dishes afterwards. Let’s keep it simple, with this no-fuss pumpkin cake recipe – perfect for baking beginners!

This pumpkin cake is also on the healthier side, using a combination of sugar and natural sweeteners to bring structure to the cake and still satisfy your sweet tooth. With a perfect moist crumb, it’s the perfect fall treat to indulge in, without feeling too guilty about it. It became an instant kid’s favorite in my house, and adult’s favorite snack!

The EASIEST pumpkin cake recipe

Seriously, this is by far the easiest pumpkin recipe you can find. I baked it two days in a row, and the second day it took me less than 10 minutes until I put it in the oven. You don’t even need an electric mixer, a simple whisk will do the trick. Don’t overthink the recipe: just add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined, and it’s ready to go in the oven. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to ensure you let it long enough in the oven so the cake is bakes throughout (make the toothpick test to ensure the center is set).

Pumpkin cake ingredients and useful tips

• Pumpkin puree. Make sure you go for pure 100% canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix). If you make your own pumpkin puree, drain it in paper towel twice to get rid of the excess of humidity. If still very wet, you can reduce the amount for a total of 1 cup pumpkin puree (instead of 1 ¼ cup).
• Unsweetened applesauce. It sweetens the cake and keep it moist. I recommend unsweetened applesauce for a healthier version, but you can use sweetened applesauce if you’d like.
• Coconut palm sugar. While coconut sugar is still sugar, it lower the chances of blood sugar pike. We also use it for its sweet caramel notes, that resemble brown sugar.
• Granulated sugar. This pumpkin cake still contains refined sugar in small quantities. Here the granulated sugar brings additional sweetness and structure to the cake.
• Vegetable oil. I recommend vegetable oil, neutral in taste, such as canola oil or sunflower oil.
• Eggs. They bring moistness and a fluffy texture to the cake.
• So-called “dry ingredients”. Note that sugar does not count as dry ingredient. Dry ingredients include a mix of all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
• Cinnamon. Technically, it’s also a so-called “dry ingredient” but I mention it separately here, because cinnamon bring up all the pumpkin flavors. If desired, you could all ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice.

What makes this pumpkin cake healthier than a classic version?

While this pumpkin cake is not sugar-free, it is significantly less sweetened than a classic pumpkin cake. It uses a mix of unsweetened applesauce, coconut palm sugar and granulated sugar, that together lower the chances of blood sugar pike, bring additional fiber, while still give structure to the cake.

This pumpkin cake is also butter-free and dairy-free, and uses very small amount of vegetable oil.

Now the use of both the 100% pumpkin puree and unsweetened applesauce make the cake a great source of fiber.

With or without a cream cheese frosting?

This healthy pumpkin cake would do very well, topped with a layer of cream cheese frosting. If doing so, allow the cake to cool completely before adding the frosting. I also like it plain, for a simple and healthier version (cream cheese frosting is by nature very sweet). At the end of the day, with or without frosting, it’s up to you to decide!

How to store this healthy pumpkin cake?

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight containers at room temperature for up to two days after baking. After this, transfer the container to the refrigerator and eat within 5 days. Because of the use of pumpkin puree and applesauce, the cake has high levels of humidity, which makes it more prone to mold if not stored properly.

More pumpkin desserts you’ll love

• The BEST Pumpkin Bread
• Classic Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

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