Pumpkin Chai Snack Cake
This pumpkin chai snack cake is soft, fluffy, and the most delicious Fall dessert! The moist pumpkin cake is flavored with real pumpkin puree and topped with creamy, luscious maple chai cream cheese frosting. You'll definitely want more than one slice!
Equipment
- 1 9x9 baking pan glass or metal
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Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- ½ cup avocado oil or vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 8 oz pumpkin puree
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Maple Chai Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
For the pumpkin cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the avocado oil and maple syrup together. Then, mix in the vanilla and eggs. After that, mix in the pumpkin puree until smooth.½ cup avocado oil, ⅔ cup maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, 8 oz pumpkin puree
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients in until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.1 ¼ cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth it out with a rubber spatula and bake for 18-22 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
For the chai cream cheese frosting
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature cream cheese and butter together on medium-high until it is smooth and no lumps remain.4 oz cream cheese, 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add in the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Then, mix on medium until fully combined and repeat with the remaining half of the powdered sugar and all of the spices. Then, mix in the maple syrup on low until smooth and silky.1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ⅛ tsp black pepper, ⅛ tsp allspice, ¼ cup maple syrup
Frosting the cake
- Once the cake has completely cooled, use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to smooth an even layer of frosting over the cake. Swirl in extra maple syrup and add a dusting of cinnamon if desired. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Make sure you're not using pumpkin pie filling that has already been flavored with spices. Pumpkin puree should only have one ingredient listed, pumpkin.
Don't overbake the cake. It is ready when it springs back to the touch or has a few moist crumbs when a toothpick is inserted.
Wait for the cake to cool completely before frosting! The frosting will melt and slide off if it's too hot. It'll take 30-40 minutes to cool on the counter.
Counter: Store leftover, unfrosted cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Refrigerator: Store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Frosted cake can be stored the same way. Leave it on the counter to come to room temperature before serving.
Freezer: You can freeze unfrosted or frosted cake slices wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the freezer. Let it thaw on the counter for a few hours before eating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 36.9gProtein: 2.5gFat: 12.9gSaturated Fat: 4.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.5gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 147.8mgPotassium: 165.2mgFiber: 0.8gSugar: 26.5gVitamin A: 166.5IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 65.8mgIron: 0.9mg
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