Pumpkin Snacking Cake

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) round or 8-inch (20-cm) square cake pan with a piece of parchment paper, and coat the bottoms and sides with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, both sugars, pumpkin puree, coconut milk and vinegar. Whisk until the batter is smooth—switch to a spoon or spatula midway if it’s getting too thick to whisk.

Step 3

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.

Step 4

When the cake is totally cool, in a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese (if it’s cold, you might want to first mash it with a fork), confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Spoon over the cake, swirling it out to the sides. Dust with a little cinnamon sugar.

Step 5

Cut the cake into 12 wedges or 16 squares. Serves 12 to 16.

Step 6

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Keepers by Deb Perelman (Knopf 2022)