Pumpkin Snack Cake

Moist pumpkin snack cake, served with homemade whipped cream. A perfect Fall dessert or afternoon snack!

Moist pumpkin snack cake with homemade whipped cream. Recipe from @bakedbyrachel

This past weekend the Mr and I attended a wedding of one of his friends. It had so much rustic charm. The setting offered picturesque views of Mt Monadnock and the colorful season change. One of my favorite parts was the the dessert table. Instead of the traditional tiered wedding cake, they had an apple pie bar! As you can probably guess, I was pretty excited about that. Pie almost always wins over cake. I only wish we’d though of doing something like that for our wedding. But of course, when we got married things were still pretty traditional with only some starting to consider candy bars. Weddings these days are so unique and full of fun surprises from the ordinary.

I have a few hotel complaints… the first being that there seems to be an industry lie going on. Whenever I’ve booked a king size bed, it has never been a king. Maybe slightly larger than queen, if that. And then if you book a queen, you get something closer to full size.

The next issue being… the air in this particular room would turn on and off even if you left it on a specific setting. And, I’m not a fan of sleeping in complete silence so I immediately downloaded a sleep noise app after I remembered Gina using one on our Chicago trip! The noises offered on this particular app were kind of hilarious. It’s advertised for sleep and meditation noises, so I understand, but still… who would want to mediate or sleep to purring cats or chimes (to name a few)? What I did find interesting (and it’s super smart of the app developers) is that there were both country and city sounds! I chose a thunderstorm noise because I’ve always loved a good storm!

Moist pumpkin snack cake with homemade whipped cream. Recipe from @bakedbyrachel

As promised, amazing pumpkin goodness! It’s finally October… actually, it’s nearly a full week in. HOW is that even possible?!

Normally I’m all for piling the frosting sky high on cupcakes and cakes. The more the better! But not in the case of this cake.

The great thing about this pumpkin cake is that you can truly eat it for snack or dessert! Slice off a piece and enjoy whenever or pair with homemade sweetened whipped cream for a light and flavorful Fall treat!

This pumpkin snack cake is hands down the absolute best pumpkin cake you’ll ever have. It’s perfect. It’s super moist and packed full of amazing flavor, from the pumpkin to the traditional seasonal spices.

Just be sure to grab a slice quick, this snack cake is a crowd pleaser and will disappear in no time!

Moist pumpkin snack cake with homemade whipped cream. Recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Pumpkin Snack Cake

Moist pumpkin cake, served with homemade whipped cream. A perfect Fall dessert or afternoon snack!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cake, Pumpkin
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Batter:

  • 1 C pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 C applesauce
  • 3 Tb vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp all spice
  • Pinch cloves
  • 1 C all purpose flour

Whipped cream:

  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 3 Tb powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat 350°F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the sides of the pan. 
  • In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients. Mix in sugars until fully combined. 
  • In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients in small batches, mixing until no streaks remain. 
  • Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Smooth out top with a small offset spatula. 
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely. 
  • In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Keep chilled until ready to serve. 
  • Serve cooled slices with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. 
  • Store cake in an airtight container for up to serveral days. 

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

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22 Responses to “Pumpkin Snack Cake”

  1. #
    1
    Medeja — October 6, 2015 at 7:43 am

    It looks like a perfect autumn treat indeed!

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      1.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:26 am

      Thanks Medeja!

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    2
    Nutmeg Nanny — October 6, 2015 at 8:12 am

    I agree about the hotel beds! I swear they are LIES! Also I hate when the AC shuts on and off. There is nothing more annoying than almost being a sleep and being jolted awake by the AC shutting off. However, this pumpkin snack cake would totally make up for lack of sleep if it was waiting for me in the morning :)

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      2.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:27 am

      HUGE lies and annoyances. But yes… if they offered this at the hotels I’d forgive them lol ;)

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    3
    Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes — October 6, 2015 at 9:22 am

    This sounds incredible and so moist. Lol about the purring cat noises. Did they have an electric fan noise? That’s what I would have chosen. I am always so bummed when it gets too cold for the fan in the fall.

    • #
      3.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:28 am

      It does have a fan noise and normally I would have enjoyed that but it just wasn’t working for me that night. I think if it was an oscillating fan noise it may have been better.

  4. #
    4
    Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche — October 6, 2015 at 9:40 am

    I’m generally not the biggest fan of ‘plain’ cakes (I’m the sort of person who licks all the icing off and leaves the cake haha), but this looks SO good – beautifully moist, and I bet all those spices make it so tasty. It looks great!

    • #
      4.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:28 am

      Thanks Becca! I’m positive you wouldn’t miss the frosting here ;)

  5. #
    5
    Kelly | Eat Yourself Skinny — October 6, 2015 at 10:45 am

    This cake looks absolutely delicious! I can never have enough pumpkin in the Fall! :)

    • #
      5.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:28 am

      Thanks Kelly!

  6. #
    6
    Tasha @thatssoyummy — October 6, 2015 at 11:30 am

    Forget snack time, I’m gonna eat this for breakfast!

    • #
      6.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:28 am

      I’d be right there with you!

  7. #
    7
    Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox — October 6, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    An apple pie bar would be a dream come true! Seriously, and I’m all for white noise when I sleep but maybe not a thunderstorm. They just remind me of horror films, not good for sleep. But if I had this snack cake to keep me company, it wouldn’t matter…who needs sleep when you have this lying right next to you. :-)

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      7.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:29 am

      Haha well they do have rain and many other options besides thunderstorms so you’d be safe ;)

  8. #
    8
    Senika @ Foodie Blog Stalker — October 6, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    I am HOOKED on our sound machine!! It’s the LectroFan from Amazon. Not cheap, but I swear I sleep SO much better with it! Anywho, I will DEFINITELY be making this pumpkin snack cake! Your description (and pics) sold me in mere seconds. Pinned!

    • #
      8.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2015 at 7:29 am

      It’s funny how many people I’m finding out also love noises while sleeping! At least I’m not alone ;) And thanks, Senika!

  9. #
    9
    Amelia — November 5, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    Hi, sorry if this is a silly question, but when you say 1 cup of pumpkin – do you mean raw grated pumpkin or pumpkin purée? Thanks

    • #
      9.1
      Rachel — November 6, 2015 at 7:20 am

      One cup pumpkin puree should be used. Enjoy!

  10. #
    10
    Jay — December 31, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    No flour in this recipe? That’s not a mistake?

    • #
      10.1
      Rachel — January 1, 2018 at 8:54 am

      Flour is the last line of the batter ingredients.

  11. #
    11
    Kris Marie — October 20, 2023 at 8:07 pm

    This snack cake is absolutely delicious!! Will be on repeat for sure! Thank you!

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — October 23, 2023 at 6:12 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!

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