This morning my friends and I were reminiscing about the good ol’ days of trick or treating. Seeing who could last the longest out in the cold collecting their bagfuls of candy. Who doesn’t remember the pillow cases and all the calculations behind minimizing the number of drop offs required to maximize the time spent going from house to house. More time spent going home meant you would miss out on the last couple houses that might still have their lights on waiting to give away the rest of their candy so they can call it a night.
Yup, those were the days. Instead, this morning I woke up realizing that it was another work day and I probably had to a bunch of meetings waiting for me and probably cooking of dinner and dishes in the evening. Yes, I will be giving away candy tonight, but it’s really not the same. So I figured why not “treat” myself this evening and bake a pumpkin flavoured dessert. Here’s is a quick little recipe makes just 2 (maybe 3, if you’re generous) servings to savour. It’ll be a great thing to do while to wait for the kiddies to come along. Plus, what better way to wind down Halloween then with a pumpkin flavoured dessert! It’ll be great to use the leftover pulp from the pumpkin carvings.
Nutrition Tidbit: Pumpkins are full of Vitamin A, carotenoids, alpha and beta carotenes, all great antioxidants preventing your body from free radicals. They’re also a good source of Vitamin C and magnesium, potassium and iron. On top of all that they’re a versatile ingredient, great for cooking and baking. Even their seeds make great snacks, being a great source of Vitamin E and protein!
Ingredients:
Pumpkin Cakes
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten1/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup all purpose flour1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of saltLow Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease 2-3 4 inch ramekins with oil or butter and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add in the egg and mix until well combined.
Stir in pumpkin puree until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet mixture a bit at a time until the batter begins to thicken.
Divide the mixture equally amongst the prepared ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Beat cream cheese and vanilla until smooth.
Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and mix until incorporated.
When the cakes are cool, spread a bit of cream cheese frosting on top and serve!
Makes 2-3 mini cakes.
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