Whenever I make any pumpkin treat around here, my family totally devours it! My boys would eat my Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins by the dozen if I would let them! Of course I’m so glad they like what I make, but with so many baked goods flying out of my oven, it can get a little crazy around here. So I decided to take the base recipe for the pumpkin muffin and make it a little healthier, so that I can feel good about the boys (and myself) eating it for breakfast, lunch, and in between.
To do this, I added Greek yogurt, decreased the amount of sugar, and used white whole wheat flour instead of white. The result was a slightly less sweet but still delicious perfectly snack-worthy cake, AKA Healthier Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake!
It’s super easy to throw together, and you don’t even need to get out the mixer. This recipe calls for coconut oil, but if you prefer you could use vegetable or canola oil. If you had flavored vanilla Greek yogurt instead of plain on hand, that is a fine substitution as well.
Now I don’t have to feel quite as guilty when my boys inhale my pumpkin treats! Might just need to make a double batch of this one though, because it still only lasted one day!
P.S. If you make this, promise me you will cut a slice when it is still warm from the oven (use a plastic knife and it won’t stick) and eat it with a smear of softened butter and a drizzle of honey!
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Healthier Pumpkin Snack Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 large pieces or 12 small pieces 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
A moist, perfectly spiced snack cake made with pumpkin puree, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, and white whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (any oil is fine)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- 8 ounces canned pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 by 9 inch baking pan by spraying with nonstick spray or lining with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together coconut oil, sugars, eggs, yogurt, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter and stir until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely, then cut and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 small piece
- Calories: 232
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 212mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 8.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 2.7g
- Protein: 4.4g
- Cholesterol: 32mg
Sarah Grace says
As a fellow lover of all things pumpkin, I must say, this looks AMAZING. I love how you used greek yogurt in it too in order to take some fat out 🙂 And coconut oil adds SUCH a great taste in my opinion to anything!
xo,
Sarah Grace
http://freshfitnhealthy.com
Julie says
Thank you Sarah Grace!
Jessica | Nourished by Nutrition says
This is a great recipe! It reminds me of my pumpkin bar recipe, but your snack cake is so nice and fluffy! I’m definitely going to give this a go! I love making little tweaks to recipes and getting a delicious result. It looks like you’ve definitely accomplished this! Great job!!
Julie says
Hope you enjoy Jessica! Thanks :0)
Jeanette says
My friends say they enjoy my baking because it’s not too sweet. I believe that many boughten goods are overly sweetened to try and cover for cheap (and mostly unhealthy) ingredients. Quality ingredients always boast flavor. Poor ingredients are “covered up” with loads of sugar. This is why I’m attracted to your site!
Julie says
Very true! What’s nice about homemade foods is that we get to control the ingredients according to our own tastes 🙂
Sue Atwood says
I tried this recipe Julie and though not as nice looking as yours, it’s really good. I need something to snack on that has something healthy to it and I’m thinking this will work nicely for me. I may even try adding a few chopped dates. I enjoy your site a lot.
Julie says
Thank you Aunt Sue. I like the chopped dates idea! Happy Thanksgiving.
Sue Atwood says
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Julie. Love to you all.
Cathy Maxwell says
This is my new favourite cake and muffin recipe! I lLOVE the ingredients. I add a few chopped dates or raisins and sprinkle a little brown sugar and cinnamon on the tops before baking. I enjoy your site.
Julie says
Thank you so much Cathy!
JessM says
Brown sugar and cinnamon on top is a great idea. Dresses it up a little.
Rashmi says
Hi Julie,
This cake looks too good. Seriously great job! I really wanted to try it but I don’t have coconut oil. All I have is vegetable or sesame oil. Is it possible to sub in one of those 2 to get the same taste and texture?
Thanks,
Rashmi
Julie says
Yes, try the vegetable oil. Hope you enjoy!
Kathy Lintz says
The cake was so wonderful! I give this *****
Julie says
Thank you Kathy!
JessM says
I can see why you called it a snack cake. It’s only mildly sweet, so you don’t feel so bad snacking on it. 😉 It’s the perfect sweetness and spice, but still fluffy (unlike pumpkin bread so dense). Thank you for sharing, this snack bread has been a perfect quick breakfast for my kindergartener. 😊
http://www./ says
hombre que sean andaluces no quiere decir que hagan rock andaluz y si ha colaborado angel ruiz (the storm) tampoco tiene que ver con eso,ya que storm era una banda de hard rock puro y duro.pero en todo caso pedazo de banda de rock duro que acabo de descubrir y que me a gustado mucho , pero de rock andaluz nada de nada,hacen rock y son andaluces y algun tokecillo moruno se les puede oir de vez en cuando pero de ahàa que cambien de estilo a lo triana, me parece exagerao,buenisima banda
Annette says
Thanks so much Julie. Have just made this Oh so simple cake. I substituted 1/2 cup of flour with oat bran (always just that little bit healthier – and nobody notices when they’re eating it) and added a few poppy seeds – they just go so well with pumpkin! The raw mixture tastes delicious – can’t wait for it to come out of the oven. My cholesterol levels have become normal in the last 6 months – I say thanks to healthy fats like coconut oil – my doctor and I am amazed and love the flavour it adds!
Julie says
Thank you Annette! Glad to hear you are seeing good results!