My son is going through a growth spurt and eating everything in sight so I look for anything that’s even remotely healthy for him to eat. I thought I’d try this recipe since he likes pumpkin as well as coffee cake and I wasn’t disappointed. This has a very subtle pumpkin flavor, so next time I may increase the amount of pumpkin and decrease the milk.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 T fine grain cornmeal
- 1 tsp + 1 T ground cinnamon, divided use
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 C plus 2 T sugar
- 1/2 C pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, preferably organic or egg replacer
- 1 C almond soy or rice milk
Ingredients for crumb topping:
- 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 T packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 C pecan halves, toasted and finely chopped
- 3 T Earth Balance
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8×8 inch square pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, rest of the spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for the cake.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin puree in a large bowl until well-mixed. Whisk in vanilla extract. Whisk in eggs until well-combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions; stir until dry ingredients are fully moistened.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Whisk remaining 2 T sugar and remaining 1 T cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter. Spread remaining batter over top in an even layer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, salt, and nuts for the crumb topping. Add in the Earth Balance, and stir with a fork until crumbly. Scatter crumb topping evenly over the batter in the pan.
- Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 35-40 minutes. Do not overbake, as it will be dry.
- Allow cake to cool in pan before cutting into pieces and serving. Coffee cake is best served the same day it is baked.
(9 servings)
