Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Pecan Streusel Base

I am a huge fan of Fall foods. Having grown up in the north, I am of the mindset that food, like produce, has its own season. Some of my favorites are greens (collard, mustard, kale, etc.), root vegetables, apples in any form, and copious amounts of pumpkin. What are some of your favorite fall flavors or foods? I'm always looking to try new foods! Since we have just officially started Fall, I can now eat the above foods to my heart's content!!!

I had a can of pure pumpkin that I needed to use, so I started tossing ingredients together in a bowl, and I was really pleased with the final result. This is surprisingly versatile too. If you would rather have a pumpkin gingerbread loaf, then omit the streusel base in the pan and bake just a few more minutes. This recipe is great by itself or topped with a dollop of spiced cashew cream or even a little apple butter.

Omitting the streusel base, cuts out sugar, but it does not take away from the final product. With or without added brown sugar, this recipe is fabulous and sure to be a new Fall staple.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Pecan Streusel Base



 

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes

Yields 24 pieces

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 15 oz. can 100% pure pumpkin
• 4 flax eggs (4 tbs ground flax and 8 tbs water)
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 3 tbs tapioca starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Streusel Base (Optional)

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two 9x9 square baking pans or a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper. If you are using the streusel base, then sprinkle 2 tbs brown sugar into the bottom of each lined pan. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly over the brown sugar, then sprinkle 2 tbs of the pecans over the cinnamon in each pan. In a measuring cup, whisk together the flax and water to form your flax eggs and let them set while you mix the cake together. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the molasses, maple syrup, and pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, starch, salt, spices, baking soda and baking powder. 
3. Add the flax eggs to the pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. 
4. Divide the batter between the two pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving. You can serve the cake warm directly from the pan or cool completely and invert if you want to remove the cake from the pan.