I recently heard someone say, “Life isn’t about enjoyment. It’s about learning and growing each day.”
Nothing against learning and growing…but I’m not going to write enjoyment off that quickly.
I’d rather look at every new experience as an opportunity to learn and grow while finding enjoyment in the process.
Take healthy eating, for example. We learn about nutrition and identify foods that are more harmful than good, and we grow by removing these items from our diet. Then we have the opportunity to enjoy a whole new array of foods.
When you take dairy, gluten, grains, soy and sugar out of your diet…it can leave you wondering if you’ll ever enjoy food again.
Been there. And I have good news.
There’s still enjoyment to be found in food. Yes, even super healthy food. Like this Pumpkin Spice Cake. It’s filled with wholesome ingredients and yet it’s impossible not to enjoy it.
So cut yourself a slice of cake, learn, grow and enjoy every moment.
I like to change things up once in a while by making a pumpkin cake instead of pie. This cake is so fun to decorate! A simple border of grapes, pomegranate seeds and mandarin orange segments looks stunning and tastes delicious too.
1 cup coconut oil, melted
12 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ tablespoon raw honey
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup coconut milk, full fat
1 cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 batch Cinnamon Frosting (below)
Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
sliced almonds
Red Grapes
mandarin orange slices
pomegranate seeds (arils)
½ cup palm shortening
¼ cup coconut nectar (or raw honey)
dash of sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan with coconut oil, or 2 8-inch cake rounds.
Combine the coconut oil, egg YOLKS, vanilla, honey, pumpkin, and coconut milk in a large bowl. Mix on high with an electric mixer for 60 seconds, or until fully combined.
In another bowl combine the coconut flour, salt, spices and baking soda. Mix until fully combined and then add to the wet ingredients.
Beat the egg whites, with an electric mixer using a whisk attachment, until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter, until fully combined. Pour into prepared pan(s).
Bake for 40 minutes if using rectangular pan, bake for 30 minutes if using cake rounds. Remove from oven and cool before frosting.
Once cooled frost with the cinnamon frosting, then sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes and sliced almonds. Garnish the cake plate with red grapes, mandarin slices and pomegranate seeds.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat for 60 seconds, scraping the sides occasionally. Place in the fridge and chill for 15 minutes before frosting.
*Note: Store frosted cake in the fridge.
Calories: 351
Fat: 28g
Carbohydrates: 18g
Sodium: 138mg
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 5g