I don't know what it is about this time of the year, but without fail it always seems to FLY by. Back in October I looked at my calendar and saw that my project deadlines were nicely spaced out and would carry out between November and December, all wrapping up conveniently in mid-December prior to my holiday time at home. Well wouldn't you know, ALL of my projects decided they wanted to move up the deadlines and get things completed before the end of November.
(Cue madness and insane amounts of work to be completed in half the time)
I had every intention of posting this recipe for you a few weeks ago, but then my day job called and I had to work around the clock just to finish those deadlines, leaving zero time for My Engineered Nutrition. No good! I just couldn't WAIT to share this with you. I know that most of you who follow my recipes like protein powder recipes that are quick and on-the-go. Since it is the holiday season, this is a bit of a special treat:
Pumpkin Pecan Protein Cake!
The holidays are filled with gatherings of family and friends, which are great, but usually they are also filled with decadent foods and sweet treats. Don't get me wrong, I love it as much as the next person, but I'd also love to be able to lighten things up if I can. This cake is the perfect treat! I bet you wouldn't even guess it was made with protein powder unless someone told you, it's that good!
Compared to most sweets, it is low in fat, carbohydrates and sugar. What's not to love about that? As an added bonus, I'm also going to go out there on a limb and say you can eat this as breakfast cake as well. No judgement here.
I hope you give this a try and let me know how you like it. Happy Holidays!
Pumpkin Pecan Protein Cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Ingredients:
- 2 scoops True Nutrition Cinnamon Bun Whey Protein (1/2 cup)
- 1-1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I used Gluten Free Baking Flour but typical all-purpose flour will work as well)
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup lowfat Greek yogurt (2%)
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup light cream cheese (2 oz)
- 3/4 cup lowfat Greek yogurt (2%)
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
Baking Accessories:
- 13 inch x 9 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake pan by greasing with coconut oil or butter and lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Toast pecans by spreading them out on a baking sheet and placing in oven for 5-10 minutes. Be sure to keep a close watch on them so not to burn! Once toasted, roughly chop pecans. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients: whey protein, flour, coconut palm sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, combine your wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, mixing at medium speed until incorporated.
- Fold pecans into batter with a spatula until evenly mixed in.
- Pour batter into baking pan. Bake for 20 - 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Be sure not to over bake the cake since there is whey protein in the batter and it could easily become dry and rubbery. Allow to cool 10 minutes before icing.
- While the cake is cooling, combine light cream cheese, Greek yogurt and maple syrup in small bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Once cake has cooled, ice with cream cheese frosting and slice into 16 pieces and enjoy! Store remaining cake in refrigerator to keep fresh.
Nutritional Information (1 slice):
145 calories - 8 g Protein, 14 g Carbohydrates, 7 g Fat