Almond Butter Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cake with Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Frosting

Almond Butter Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cake with Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Frosting

YIELD: 8 slices PREP TIME: 10 minutes COOK TIME: 30 minutes TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Almond Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cake

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 cup quick oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup creamy almond butter with sea salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (lowfat or full fat)

Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Glaze

1 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (I like full fat for this)

1/3 cup powdered cane sugar

1 vanilla bean, split down the middle

Slivered almonds, for topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat together the pumpkin and almond butter until smooth. Mix in the brown sugar, again until smooth. Whisk in the egg and extracts.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary, until just incorporated. Mix in the Greek yogurt, again until just incorporated.

Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper, and grease the whole pan liberally. Add the batter, using the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it out and push it into the sides. The batter is thick and doesn't spread much, so make it as even as possible.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool until just slightly warm to the touch.

For the glaze, whisk together the yogurt and powdered sugar, then whisk in the vanilla bean seeds.

Top the cake with the glaze, and sprinkle on slivered almonds (optional, but pretty). Cut into 8 slices.

To make these into muffins, simply fill 12 greased muffin liners with the batter, and bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

I highly recommend using full-fat Greek yogurt for the frosting - it's thicker, creamier, and less tart than the lower-fat versions, so it results in a more frosting-like taste and consistency. You may use either fat-free, low-fat, or full-fat Greek yogurt in the batter with good results.