Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting & Glazed Pecans - keto, low carb, sugar-free, gluten free
Phew, that title is a mouthful, but don't be scared, this is REALLY easy to make. This is special enough for Thanksgiving or just make up a few to gift to your friends, they will LOVE you for it!
PRO TIP : you can save yourself a little time by using about 1.5 - 2 tsp of pre-made pumpkin pie spice vs. adding each spice in individually.
PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE
1 pouch of our yellow cake mix
5 TBSP softened butter
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP sour cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves (optional)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
4 oz. softened cream cheese
2 TBSP heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar-free powdered sweetener (like Lakanto or Swerve powdered sugar)
1.5 - 2 tsp maple extract (like Watkins)
MAPLE GLAZED PECANS
1 oz. chopped pecans
1 tsp butter
2 tsp sugar free maple flavored syrup
pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8.5 x 4.5 bread pan with parchment paper. If you use a larger bread pan you'll need to reduce the baking time. FYI - pan measurements are done across the top, not the bottom, of the pan.
2. Add all of the wet cake ingredients into one bowl, and all of the dry into another bowl. Mix ingredients in both bowls well before combining. Pour batter into lined pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
3.While the cake is cooling, make the glazed nuts. Simply melt the butter and syrup together in a small microwave safe bowl, then add in the nuts and salt. Stir to coat all of the nuts well, then microwave on high for 30 seconds. Take the bowl out, stir nuts, and heat again for 30 seconds. Do this until the nuts soak up ALL of the syrup and the bowl looks dry, it took me 2 minutes total in my microwave. Spread out on parchment paper and allow to cool in the fridge.
4. Lastly, combine all of the frosting ingredients and blend until smooth. This makes a frosting that is not too thin, and not too thick. You can easily adjust this by adding more, or less, heavy cream. This makes plenty for your cake, and you'll probably have a little let over. oh no ;)