Bazaar Pumpkin Cake

My last few blogs have been rather "intense" so I thought I would take a break from the heavy stuff and keep this one on the light side. . .pun intended.   Here comes the holiday season and I, like everyone else, am faced with two months full of parties and family meals full of sugar, fat, and a whole lot of carbs!  All wonderful for the palate but not so good for the waist line.  Believe it or not I LOVE THE FLAVOR OF THE HOLIDAYS . . .and no,  I don't eat tofu turkey or carob candy.  Having said that, I am also not willing to add the proverbial 5 to 10 holiday pounds each year.  So how the heck can you stick to healthy eating and enjoy your holidays?  Learn to alter your cooking . . .

This year my first "holiday" gathering is for the First United Methodist Church Bazaar.  I volunteered to help with the baking and was given the task of Pumpkin Spice Cake.  Apparently everyone follows the same recipe.  After looking over the official recipe (which contains 3 CUPS OF SUGAR!!!!) I have decided to go against the flow and make my own healthier version.  (Imagine that).  Instead of calling this "Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cake", because then no one would eat it, I present you with:

Bazaar Pumpkin Cake

 

½ cup plain or vanilla soy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup Baking Stevia
2 teaspoon molasses
1 can (15-oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a Bunt pan and set it aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the soy milk and vinegar and set aside (this will start to solidify weirdly, it’s all good).
3. In a large bowl, cream together the applesauce, stevia, and molasses until well blended.
4. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix well or beat until incorporated, then stir in the milk & cider vinegar mixture and mix/blend until smooth.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the AP/Spelt flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all four spices.
6. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin batter about one-third at a time, incorporating after each addition.
7. Scrape the batter into the greased Bunt pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Then invert and remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Whoever said you can't have your cake and eat it too?  Just remember MODERATION!

Happy Holidays. . .more recipes to come!