eggless pumpkin mini cakes
I can't get enough of these mini cake pans. Or mini bundt pans. Or apparently anything Nordic Ware makes. But come on, look at that adorable acorn! And those leaves! Sigh... I need a life.
Here is the Nordic Ware Autumn Cakelet pan in all her glory. The best way I've found to get the cakes to release easily and completely is to brush the inside with melted butter. I prefer melted butter to the non-stick sprays because I have better control with the brush (it's all about control, isn't it...).
Converting recipes to eliminate eggs (due to my daughter's allergy) can be tricky. To be honest, I hadn't had much luck with some egg replacers in the past. Sometimes replacing eggs with applesauce brings with it an unwelcome fruity undertone (so not the best choice for brownies). Flax eggs, made by mixing ground flax seed with water, are a good substitute for some recipes, and in fact I used them in my eggless waffles this morning. But for this one, I tried Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, and I thought it worked fantastically.
Eggless pumpkin mini cakes (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
Makes 6 cakes (with this particular pan)
Ingredients
All the ingredients chucked into the mixing bowl (except the flour)
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- Egg replacer (enough for two eggs -- I used Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or you could use a flax egg)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/4 (150g) cups all-purpose flour
What to do
1. Preheat the oven, mix up your egg replacer, and prepare your pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. In a small bowl, mix the egg replacer (such as Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G) per the instructions on the package -- make enough for 2 eggs. Brush down the interior of the cake pan with the melted butter.
2. Prepare the batter
In a medium bowl, combine the egg replacer, oil, sugar, pumpkin, salt, baking powder, and spices. Stir in the flour until smooth. Fill the cake wells about 3/4 full. Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to help the batter settle.
3. Bake the cakes
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
4. Eat
I considered frosting these guys, but they're just so darn cute, and I didn't want to cover them with frosting or glaze. You could always dust them with a little confectioner's sugar or serve them with cream cheese frosting, but sometimes less in more (shout out to Mies!)
In the end, these little cakes were moist, delicious, and full of pumpkin-y flavor. I didn't miss the eggs, which is always the sign of a successful eggless recipe to me.
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