There are two ‘fruits’ I love in fall: pumpkin and chestnut. Both are so tasteful, they are warming and very versatile.
For the pumpkin spice bites I took inspiration on two different blog-posts: for the cake batter I changed the recipe of Primavera Kitchen (I like already the name which means: spring kitchen as primavera is Italian). I don’t know how she got that orange color in her cake, but mine is much more ‘insignificant’. I omitted the chocolate chips and used ready pumpkin spice. And of course I used vanilla bean paste.. which I like much more than the alcoholic extract with no taste.
As I wanted to prepare squares I thought layers would be better, they are higher and have another color in between. I saw the pumpkin spice cake of Easy GF Recipes. And transformed her almond butter frosting into my almond butter-cream. I used almond milk and ghee instead of palm shortening and coconut cream.
In both the recipes I used just half of the sweetener than the recipes said. I am so far away from all sugary goodies that I have even difficulties to try my bakings when they have the sweetness most of the recipes want us to put in. But a little is good as it helps to underline the taste of the cake.
I had a lot of fun shooting those little babies. With a little drizzle of chocolate on the top, that just runs down the sides, it looks even a little ‘creepy’. BTW: they are super dooper yummy!
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp bourbon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 cup ghee (smooth)
- 1/4 cup almond butter (white)
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1.5 tbsp raw honey
- 1 tsp bourbon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (75% and more)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp bourbon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
- In a bowl add all the wet ingredients and whisk well until all is smooth and combined.
- In another bowl add all the dry ingredients and stir to combine flours, spices, baking powder and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ones and whisk until all is perfectly combined and smooth.
- Grease a square baking pan of about 8 x 6 inches or use parchment paper.
- Transfer the batter into the baking pan and level all evenly. Bake for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Take it out of the pan and put it on a cooling-rack. Cut the cake evenly horizontal into two layers and vertical into 15 equal squares (it should be a number divisible three). Leave the cake until cold.
- Meanwhile put all the ingredients for the butter-cream into a bowl and with an electric hand mixer combine all ingredients into a smooth cream. Let it set for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Put the butter-cream on 20 cake squares and put 10 of them on the top of the others. Now cover them with the remaining squares.
- In a Bain-Marie melt the chocolate with the coconut oil and vanilla and cover the pumpkin spice squares with chocolate. Transfer them back into the fridge and let them set for an hour or until the chocolate is dry.
- Serve them with some some hot tea or coffee!
On the still soft chocolate coat put some nut meal. On some of mine I put fresh ground walnuts from my garden. Such a perfect combination!