Pumpkins are our not-so-little garden miracles. Our friendly squirrels get ahold of the pumpkin we put on our front steps each fall. Later in the summer, we notice a pumpkin plant growing in the front landscaping. The first year yielded one massive pumpkin, and this year is looking like a real harvest, with over a dozen orange blooms so far. So we celebrate pumpkins at my place! Enjoy this nutrition-packed cake anytime and don’t feel guilty. It’s full of whole grains and pumpkin, which is loaded with fiber, beta carotene and other nutrients. And it tastes fabulous! It is a cake that appeals to the masses.
Yield: 12 servings
3/4 cups organic brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter substitute, at room temperature
1 cup solid-pack canned pumpkin
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup soymilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown or turbinado sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch spring form pan. Beat the sugar and vegan butter substitute until smooth. Add the pumpkin and maple syrup and mix until smooth. Stir in the soymilk, vinegar and vanilla. In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Pour half of the cake batter into the pan evenly.
To make the streusel, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Toss in the nuts.
Sprinkle half of the streusel topping over the batter. Add the rest of the batter evenly and top with the rest of the streusel topping. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and the center bounces back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
(you can substitute other flours, like 1 cup unbleached wheat pastry flour and 1 cup spelt flour)
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