kewl winter holiday spice cakes

Even though you’ve likely lit your fireplace, we can all use an extra dose of cozy warmth! These easy Kewl Winter Holiday Spice Cakes are sure to do the trick! They’re fluffy and light–light in texture and a lighter, healthier alternative to traditional cake. The delicious, aromatic spices and rich pumpkin puree ensures that this treat both looks and tastes great. Plus, if you bake the batter in holiday-themed molds (a special delivery from Santa!), the kewl-o’meter will go through the chimney!

what you need:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 egg whites
• canola oil spray OR nonstick cooking spray

what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly coat the molds of a ceramic baking dish with winter-themed shaped-molds (molds may be shaped like pumpkins, acorns, or maple leaves). A traditional loaf pan also works excellently as a substitute for the winter-themed baking dish. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – both of the flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and sugar.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – the pumpkin puree, canola oil, unsweetened applesauce, and egg whites.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the larger mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients, and whisk in order to combine the dry and wet ingredients until just moistened and a smooth batter has formed.
5. Pour the batter into the molds of the ceramic baking dish or loaf pan, evenly filling each of them with enough batter so that they are filled to approximately 4/5 capacity.
6. Place the ceramic baking dish into the oven, and bake for approximately 28-30 minutes, or until the cakes are completely cooked through, the batter has risen, their shapes have been formed and are well-defined.
7. Remove the ceramic baking dish from the oven and allow the cakes to cool.
8. Carefully remove the cakes from the molds. Serve and enjoy!

KewlTip: If you use a loaf pan, you may need to adjust the baking time of your batter, indicated below. A great technique for determining if your baked goods are cooked through is to carefully insert a thin tool, such as a wooden, heatproof toothpick or the tine of a fork, into the center of the cake after it has been baking and now looks like it may be ready to serve. When you remove the tool, if there are no liquids or crumbs on the toothpick, then you can turn off the oven and head to the table with your finished cake! If, however, any substances cling to the tool when you remove it, whether those are fluids or moist crumbs, it’s important to return the cake to the oven and allow it to finish baking, until it reaches the stage at which it can have a toothpick or tine of a fork inserted and removed cleanly.

Makes 6 cakes of various shapes, made in a 6-mold winter-themed ceramic baking dish.