Autumn Pumpkin's Cake

by Maddalena Scarselli

The season of pumpkins has just begun, why not then sweeten it with a tasty and healthy pumpkin dessert?

A healthy and tasty recipe that will appeal everybody!

Instead of butter, we will use coconut oil and maple syrup instead of sugar to make the cake less caloric and healthier. We'll make the frosting with the cream of low-fat cheese and the Greek yogurt.

Pumpkin itself has many health properties, in fact it is rich in vitamin A that promotes sight and helps to keep the skin healthier, it is an excellent source of fiber and therefore satisfies with fewer calories; it is also an excellent source of potassium, much more than banana, and potassium has many health benefits. It contains a good dose of vitamin C and so the pumpkin pie is a good choice for the wellbeing of the whole family, for a snack but also for a healthy Sunday breakfast.One warning, melt the coconut oil before using it and mix it with the pumpkin puree at room temperature, so that it will be uniformly incorporated into the cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup of spelled flour or whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

1 sachet of baking powder for cakes

a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 cup of boiled and reduced pumpkin in puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla powder

1/2 cup of maple syrup

For the frosting:

400 gr. of spreadable thin cheese

1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

5 tablespoons of brown sugar

1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C°

In a bowl, beat together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the melted coconut oil with the pumpkin puree, and add the eggs , vanilla and maple syrup. Stir to obtain a soft cream and add it to the mixture of previously prepared flour. Pour the mixture into a 24 cm diameter cake pan and cook for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Preparation of the glaze:

Mix the cream cheese with the yogurt and powdered sugar, and beat until a smooth mixture is obtained. Then put it on the cake and let it rest in the fridge to thicken it, since there is a reduced sugar content and the glaze will be less rigid than the one commonly prepared. As an alternative (I prefer) eat the hot cake with the addition of a little place on the surface as you see in the picture.