Pumpkin Snack Cake

Last week Sunday, Lara and I were invited over to our friends' apartment for coffee after church. Wayne and Suzanne have had us over multiple times and it is always a wonderfully pleasant and relaxing way to spend a late Sunday morning. They serve us steaming hot, delicious coffee, and I usually offer to bring over some kind of cake, because really, what is coffee without cake? This past weekend I was ready to break out the pumpkin, so I came up with this simple pumpkin cake to snack on as we all enjoyed our mugs of coffee. It was the perfect addition to our Sunday, the ideal complement to a morning full of good conversation and hot drinks. 

Because we were going to be eating cake in the late morning, before lunch, I decided I didn't want the cake I made to be too rich and ruin my appetite for lunch. This cake has only 1/2 a stick of butter and isn't overly sweet, making it a perfect fit. Blending in a whole can of pumpkin and some Greek yogurt along with all of those warming, autumn spices adds up to a perfect combination of moisture and flavor. A simple and delicious snack cake to have at any time of day or night, just be sure to pour yourself a cup of good coffee before you dig in. 

Pumpkin Snack Cake

From Delectably Mine

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch springform pan or a 8-inch cake pan with 3-inch sides with parchment paper and then spray lightly with oil. 

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time followed by the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin puree and yogurt. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, don't overmix. The batter will be quite thick.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the sides from the pan and slide the cake onto the rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.