This one-bowl vegan pumpkin cake pairs pumpkin and warm spices with lower sugar and flexible oil-free options. Add coffee for a pumpkin spice latte twist.
A lighter pumpkin cake that still aims for dessert territory
This pumpkin cake makes a specific trade: it cuts calories and added sugar while keeping the soft texture and spiced flavor people expect from a fall dessert. The recipe can be made with no oil, and the author says each slice has just 100 calories. That number comes with options and substitutions, so the exact result depends on what you use.
The cake is described as moist and fluffy, with pumpkin, cinnamon, and almond butter in the mix. It’s also vegan, dairy free, egg free, and refined sugar free. Everything comes together in one bowl, and the recipe offers low fat and oil free variations alongside the standard version.
What goes into it
The base is half a cup of pure pumpkin puree, fresh or canned. Check the label: pumpkin should be the only ingredient, rather than pumpkin pie mix. Water keeps the calorie count down in place of milk or cream.
Almond butter is optional. It stands in for the oil used in traditional cakes, though the recipe suggests Greek yogurt, mashed banana, or extra pumpkin puree as lower calorie alternatives. Flour options include whole grain spelt, white, oat, and all purpose gluten free flour; almond flour is offered as a low carb choice.
The sweetener options include unrefined cane sugar, white or brown sugar, and granulated sugar free sweetener. The recipe uses about half as much sugar as many similarly sized cakes, according to its author. Maple syrup and honey haven’t been tested, so their results are uncertain. Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice bring the flavor, while vinegar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla round out the ingredients.
Make it a pumpkin spice latte cake
Here’s an easy variation if you want coffee with your pumpkin: replace a quarter cup of the water with strong brewed coffee or espresso, or stir two teaspoons of instant coffee into the dry ingredients. For the optional cream cheese frosting, another half teaspoon of instant coffee adds the same note. Serve it with a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte if you want to carry the flavor through.
How to bake it
Set the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line the bottom of an eight inch square pan with parchment, or grease it with fat free cooking spray.
Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. If the almond butter is too firm to stir, warm it gently. Whisk in the pumpkin, water, almond butter, vinegar, and vanilla, stopping as soon as the batter is evenly mixed.
Spread the batter in the pan and smooth the top. Bake on the center rack for about 18 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack before loosening the sides with a knife and transferring it to a plate. Frost it once it’s completely cool—or leave it in the pan and frost it there. The author says the flavor gets sweeter by the next day.
The cake can sit at room temperature for a few hours while you serve or transport it. Refrigerate covered leftovers and eat them within five days, or freeze slices in a tightly covered container for up to three months. Thaw before serving.
Frosting and serving ideas
The cake works with store bought or homemade brown butter, caramel, vanilla buttercream, or chocolate frosting; powdered sugar is another simple finish. You can also serve it unfrosted as a breakfast coffee cake with berries or sliced fruit.
The author’s preferred pairing is Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting, a sweet and tangy option made without butter or shortening. For a pumpkin spice version, replace half the optional cinnamon in the icing with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.
Common questions
Can you make cupcakes? Yes. Line or grease a standard muffin tin and bake for about 15 minutes. Test one with a toothpick; it should come out mostly clean.
Need a larger cake? Double every ingredient for a 9 × 13 inch pan. The recipe says the baking time stays the same because the cake depth is unchanged.
Can you add an egg? Replace a quarter cup of water with one egg or a quarter cup of egg whites. For a vegan option, use one prepared flax egg.
For another pumpkin dessert, try Crustless Pumpkin Pie.
Print: 100 Calorie Pumpkin Cake
100 Calorie Pumpkin Cake
What the recipe delivers
This pumpkin cake’s appeal is the short bake time: it makes nine slices in 18 minutes, with 100 calories per serving. The recipe describes the result as moist and fluffy, with pumpkin spice flavor. It has a five-star average from 34 ratings, though that’s a small sample. The ingredient list keeps the cake low in fat by using pumpkin purée, water and just three tablespoons of almond butter. You can replace the almond butter with more pumpkin purée. For the flour, choose spelt, white or all-purpose gluten-free; for the sweetener, use raw cane sugar or a granulated sugar-free option. The recipe also links to [Katie Higgins’s keto pumpkin bread](https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/keto-pumpkin-bread/) as a low-carb alternative.Mix, bake and cool
Set the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line the base of an 8-inch square pan with parchment, or grease it well. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda. If you’re using almond butter, warm it until it stirs easily; then add it with the pumpkin purée, water, vinegar and vanilla. Mix until the batter is just combined and spread it into the pan. Bake on the center rack for 18 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting. The recipe suggests it tastes even fluffier and sweeter the following day. For nine slices, the full ingredient list is: 1½ cups flour (180g); ⅔ cup raw cane sugar or granulated sugar-free sweetener (130g); 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¾ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or extra cinnamon; ½ cup pumpkin purée (120g); ½ cup water (120g); 3 tablespoons almond butter, or extra pumpkin purée (45g); 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (10g); and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (10g). The recipe is categorized as an American dessert or snack, and credits Katie Higgins, whose [author page](https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/about/) is linked with the recipe.Storage and nutrition
Once the cake has cooled, it can sit at room temperature for a few hours. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to five days, or freeze them for as long as three months. View the nutrition facts for more detail. A slice is listed at 100 calories, with 23 grams of carbohydrates, 2.9 grams of protein, and 0.4 grams of fat. The full breakdown also lists 2.8 grams of fiber, 7.9 grams of sugar, 195 milligrams of sodium, 109 milligrams of potassium, 230 IU of vitamin A, 2 milligrams of vitamin C, 10 milligrams of calcium, and 1 milligram of iron. Saturated fat is 0.1 gram, polyunsaturated fat 0.2 gram, and monounsaturated fat 0.1 gram.More pumpkin desserts to try
If you’re choosing by calorie count, the options here range from a 40-calorie crustless pie to a 130-calorie pumpkin pie. The numbers are useful for comparing recipes, though they don’t say anything about portion size or how filling each dessert will be.
Crustless Pumpkin Pie (40 calories)
Flourless Pumpkin Muffins (52 calories)
Protein Pumpkin Bread (100 calories)
Pumpkin Dip (60 calories)
Healthy Pumpkin Pie (130 calories)
Pumpkin Mousse (100 calories)
For another lighter cake, try this Applesauce Cake.
The 100 Calorie Pumpkin Cake was first published by Chocolate Covered Katie.
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