Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Cake
Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Cake
Gold crumb, cream frosting, a dust of cinnamon – 35 minutes, one pan
This is a pumpkin spice snack cake, not a flour sheet cake. Almond flour, pumpkin puree, and warm spice bake into a gold crumb, then a thick cream-cheese frosting and a cinnamon dust, like the square in the photo. No sugar. Thirty-five minutes.
Nine squares. Cool the cake before you frost it or the topping slides.
Why you’ll love this cake
- 7g net carbs per square – pumpkin spice without the sugar crash
- 6g protein from almond flour, eggs, and cream cheese
- About 35 minutes, one 8×8 pan
- Gold crumb, thick white frosting, cinnamon dust, like the photo
- No boxed mix, no wheat flour
- It keeps in the fridge for days
Health notes
- Sugar-free: Powdered allulose or monk fruit in the cake and frosting.
- Low carb: Almond flour and pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
- Nine squares: Macros are per square, not the pan.
- Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened. Use plain puree.
Key element – plain pumpkin puree, and cool before you frost
Pie filling is already sweetened and will jump the carbs. Plain puree keeps the gold crumb in the photo. Frost only when the cake is fully cool. Warm cake melts the cream cheese into a puddle instead of a thick cap.
Ingredients
Cake (9 squares)
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) almond flour, fine
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1/3 cup powdered allulose or monk fruit
- 1/4 cup melted butter or avocado oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 Tbsp powdered allulose or monk fruit
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Cinnamon, to dust
Swaps
- No coconut flour: Use 1 3/4 cups almond flour total. Crumb is a little looser.
- Greek yogurt frosting: Swap 2 Tbsp of the cream cheese for thick yogurt.
- Muffins: Same batter in 9 lined cups. Bake 16 to 18 minutes.
- Dairy-free: Use coconut oil in the cake and a coconut-cream frosting.
Instructions
| 1 | Heat and mix dry. Heat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease an 8×8 pan. Whisk almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, spice, cinnamon, and salt. |
| 2 | Mix wet. In a second bowl, whisk eggs, pumpkin puree, powdered sweetener, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth. |
| 3 | Combine. Stir dry into wet just until no dry pockets remain. Do not beat. Spread in the pan and smooth the top. |
| 4 | Bake and cool. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan 20 minutes, then fully cool before frosting. |
| 5 | Frost and dust. Beat cream cheese, powdered sweetener, cream, and vanilla until thick. Spread on the cool cake. Dust cinnamon. Cut 9 squares, like the photo. |
Pro tips
- Use plain pumpkin puree. Pie filling is sweetened.
- Spoon and level the almond flour. Packed cups make a dry cake.
- Stop mixing when the dry flour disappears. Overmixing makes it dense.
- Cool fully. Warm cake melts the frosting, and you lose the thick cap in the photo.
- Dust cinnamon last, just before you serve, so it stays on top.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per square (1 of 9) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 220 |
| Protein | 6g |
| Net carbohydrates | 7g |
| Total carbohydrates | 11g |
| Fiber | 4g |
| Total fat | 18g |
| Sodium | 180mg |
Estimates with almond flour, pumpkin puree, and cream-cheese frosting. Sugar or pie filling will raise carbs.
Variations
Pecan
Fold 1/3 cup chopped pecans into the batter before it goes in the pan.
Maple spice
Add 1/2 tsp maple extract to the frosting with the vanilla.
Cupcakes
Divide into 9 liners. Bake 16 to 18 minutes. Same frosting.
No frosting
Skip the topping and dust cinnamon on the warm cake. Macros drop a little.
Storage
| Method | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Up to 5 days | Cover so the frosting does not dry |
| Counter | Up to 1 day | Cream cheese frosting should go cold after that |
| Freezer | Up to 1 month | Freeze squares, then thaw in the fridge |
FAQ
Test your knowledge
5 quick questions about this cake
1. Protein per square?
2. Net carbs per square?
3. How many squares in the pan?
4. What pumpkin do you use?
5. When do you frost the cake?
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