Healthy Pumpkin Cake
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Published Sep 11, 2023, Updated Jan 21, 2024
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This healthy pumpkin cake is gluten-free, naturally sweetened and perfectly moist. It’s packed with fall flavors and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin season is here and I’m so excited to share this healthy pumpkin cake recipe with you today! It might just be my new favorite pumpkin treat on EBF and I can’t wait for you to try it!
This cake is made with a combo of almond and oat flour, sweetened with coconut sugar and has no oil or butter thanks to the use of Greek yogurt and pumpkin. And don’t even get me started on the cream cheese frosting… that’s definitely the best part, IMO!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The pumpkin spiced cake paired with the cream cheese frosting is chef’s kiss!
- It’s the perfect festive dessert to make for fall!
- This cake is made healthier with oat and almond flour, Greek yogurt and coconut sugar, so it’s gluten-free, oil-free and naturally sweetened.
- It’s moist, fluffy and loaded with fall flavors.
What Makes This Pumpkin Cake Healthy?
The great thing about this particular pumpkin cake recipe is that it’s relatively healthy in comparison to traditional recipes…
- I swapped traditional brown sugar or white sugar for coconut sugar
- I used less sugar than traditional pumpkin cake recipes
- I used Greek yogurt instead of oil
- I used a combo of almond flour and oat flour instead of traditional all-purpose flour
Ingredients Needed
- pumpkin puree – you can use canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree. If using store-bought, just make sure the ingredient list is only “pumpkin” – you don’t want to accidentally buy pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugars.
- Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt keeps this cake moist without the need for oil or butter and adds a touch of protein. I recommend using plain whole milk (full fat) yogurt for the best results.
- eggs – binds the ingredients together and provides structure for the cake.
- vanilla extract – a nice flavor enhancer. A little goes a long way!
- coconut sugar – a natural sweetener that’s a healthier alternative to refined sugar.
- almond flour – a light, gluten-free flour that’s nutrient dense and low in carbs. I recommend using blanched almond flour because the skins have been removed so you’re left with a fine-textured, light-colored flour that works perfectly for baked goods.
- oat flour – another gluten-free flour that provides a healthy amount of fiber. You can make your own oat flour or buy oat flour from the store.
- salt – to bring all the flavors together.
- pumpkin pie spice – a must for this pumpkin cake! You can easily make your own pumpkin pie spice at home with a combo of cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg or use a store-bought blend.
- baking soda – helps the cake rise and become fluffy.
- cream cheese frosting – the combo of pumpkin spice + cream cheese is pure perfection. I love using my healthy cream cheese frosting recipe, which is made with maple syrup and Greek yogurt.
How to Make
Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F and either grease an 8×8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal later.
Mix dry ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add your oat flour, almond flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda and stir to combine.
Whisk wet ingredients: In a separate, larger mixing bowl, whisk together your pumpkin puree, eggs, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract and coconut sugar until smooth and combined.
Combine: Add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined.
Bake: Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Cool: Once baking is complete, allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes. After that, you can transfer it to a wire rack for further cooling.
Make frosting: While your cake is cooling, make your frosting by adding all the ingredients to a medium bowl and whipping together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until combined and fluffy.
Frost and serve: Once the cake has completely cooled, you can go ahead and frost it. Once frosted, your cake is ready to serve and enjoy!
Substitutions & Notes
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin is the star ingredient in this cake and I love the flavor of this cake, but you could also use sweet potato puree or butternut squash puree instead of the pumpkin puree if you’d like.
- Greek yogurt: You could swap out Greek yogurt with regular yogurt or sour cream by using a 1:1 ratio. For dairy-free options, you could use a vegan yogurt. I would just recommend using plain yogurt to not add any extra flavors or sweeteners to the cake.
- Coconut sugar: If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand, white granulated sugar or cane sugar will work just fine.
- Eggs: I haven’t tested this cake with an egg substitute, but I bet flax eggs or chia seed eggs would work. Let me know if you try it in the comments below!
- Flour: I’ve only tested this cake with a combo of oat and almond flour so I don’t recommend using a different flour as I’m not sure how the cake will turn out.
- Frosting: I love the cream cheese frosting, but feel free to skip this or use your favorite frosting. See my suggestions below for ideas!
Frosting Ideas
I love serving this cake with my cream cheese frosting, but feel free to skip the frosting or swap it out with a different frosting. Here are some ideas:
- vanilla buttercream – use a store-bought buttercream or make this easy vanilla buttercream frosting at home. Add a dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to taste for a spiced buttercream frosting.
- chocolate – chocolate + pumpkin is such a great combo so if you’re a chocolate lover, consider topping this cake with a rich chocolate frosting. Use store-bought or make this simple homemade healthy chocolate frosting.
- simple glaze – if you prefer something less rich, a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, a touch of vanilla extract and a little milk can be a great option.
- powdered sugar – for the simplest topping, a dusting of powdered sugar can add a touch of sweetness without overpowering the cake’s natural flavors. This is ideal if you’re short on time or ingredients.
How to Store
Leftover pumpkin cake will stay fresh for 1-2 days stored at room temperature. For longer storage, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
If storing in the freezer, I recommend cutting the cake into individual servings before freezing. Then you can pull out one piece at a time as needed. Let the cake thaw overnight in the fridge or for a few hours at room temperature.
Pumpkin Cake FAQ’s
Yes, you can certainly make cupcakes with this recipe. The baking time will likely be shorter though so I’d start checking for doneness around the 18-20 minute mark. Use a toothpick to test; it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Make sure to adjust the amount of frosting as well, since cupcakes generally require less than a whole cake.
Absolutely, you can double this recipe to make a larger cake (like a 9×13 size) or more cupcakes. Just note that you’ll likely have to adjust the baking time so keep an eye on it to avoid over-baking. Always use the toothpick test to check for doneness.
Yes, it’s crucial to let the cake cool completely before applying the frosting. This prevents the frosting from melting into the cake, allowing it to keep its shape and texture.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Low Sugar Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Brownies
- Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl
- Healthy Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
Be sure to check out all of the pumpkin recipes as well as the full collection of dessert recipes on EBF!
Healthy Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan or line with parchment.
- In a medium mixing bowl add oat flour, almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and stir to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, eggs, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
- Add cake batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
- Let cake cool for about 15-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool longer.
- While cake is cooling, make frosting.
- Once cake is completely cool, frost and serve
Notes
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin is the star ingredient in this cake and I love the flavor of this cake, but you could also use sweet potato puree or butternut squash puree instead of the pumpkin puree if you’d like.
- Greek yogurt: You could swap out Greek yogurt with regular yogurt or sour cream by using a 1:1 ratio. For dairy-free options you could use a vegan yogurt. I would just recommend using plain yogurt to not add any extra flavors or sweeteners to the cake.
- Coconut sugar: If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand white granulated sugar or cane sugar will work just fine.
- Eggs: I haven’t tested this cake with an egg substitute, but I bet flax eggs or chia seed eggs would work. Let me know if you try it in the comments below!
- Flour: I’ve only tested this cake with a combo of oat and almond flour so I don’t recommend using a different flour as I’m not sure how the cake will turn out.
- Frosting: I love the cream cheese frosting, but feel free to skip this or use your favorite frosting. See my suggestions below for ideas!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Step #3 includes the addition of maple syrup. In the ingredients list there is no maple syrup ..can you please clarify the amount of maple syrup needed?
Hi Margaret – Thank you for catching that, actually there is no maple syrup in this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Brittany! I just wanted to ask a general question about the greek yogurt. Since there are so many versions of greek yogurt ie 0%, 1%, 2% etc… what would be your recommendation when it comes to this option?
Thanks for your time and I look forward to making this recipe and rating it 🙂
Hi Robin – Great question, I almost always use full fat greek yogurt for the best results. Hope you love this recipe!
How would you adjust this (sugar/vanilla) if all you had on hand was vanilla Greek yogurt? Would love to make this but we don’t have plain Greek yogurt in the house.
Hi Gail – I don’t think I would recommend adjusting anything, just know the cake will be a tad sweeter. Hope you enjoy!
Hi – does the nutrition include the frosting? Thanks!
Yes it does! Hope you enjoy this cake!
I did use whole wheat flour instead of almond due to allergy in house. It turned out great! Only needed 25 mins to bake.
YAY! Happy this recipe came out great for you using, whole wheat flour. Thank you for sharing and coming back to leave your review & star rating, I really appreciate it. 🙂
The batter turned out really thick and gooey after baking. Was this supposed to have some kind of oil?
Hi Brooke – nope, no oil in this recipe, the full-fat greek yogurt and pumpkin puree should have been plenty to keep this cake super moist and fluffy. Did you change anything about the recipe?