The past few weeks have been pretty much about recipe testing without the use of grains, now that we are giving a grain-free diet a try, in addition to gluten, dairy, soy and some other foods free. It’s like starting all over again, reminding me of all the recipe testing in hopes to replace all the pantry staples we have clung on to, eight years ago.
Some came out good, some bad, and some real bad as in hockey puck bad baked goods, but it hasn’t stopped me from experimenting just yet — so close to getting a really good bread recipe and nailed an amazing chocolate chip and ginger cookie recipes that I am re-testing this weekend. Fingers crossed that they are great enough to share with you soon. In the meantime, this pumpkin pecan cobbler cake is what you need to treat yourself with this weekend.
Because you made it through the week.
Because you are fabulous.
Because you love pumpkin desserts with all your heart.
Amen to that.
Skimming through Pinterest as I love to do, this recipe from Lauren’s Latest intrigued me. Not the pumpkin pecan part, but the idea of pouring hot water over the whole thing before you bake it… and get this … not to stir it in or anything … just bake it. Huh?
So, of course, as crazy as I am, I went ahead and gave this weird recipe concept a try — for the love of pumpkin. Not once, but twice, as back to back weekend treats … no one seemed to complain about THAT. My teenager asked that I make it again during the drive to school this morning. I’ve turned them all into pumpkin lovers – blame it on this skillet meal, this cookie, and this pasta dish. Now I need to make those grain-free!
What I love about this cake is this lava-like bottom that mimics the taste of caramel infused with pumpkin spice – you won’t notice it until you scoop up servings and when you do I dare you to resist licking the spoon. Scooping the cake into the pumpkin lava is delicious as it is, (what I like to call it), but not without scooping some ice cream onto the spoon for the ultimate heavenly pumpkin dessert.
Well, until the next one … let it be known, my foodie side has a hard time favoring one pumpkin dessert over another before I move on to the next seasonal delight, but this one is superb and ridiculously EASY.
I doubled the original recipe both times with great success. I’m beginning to really like chestnut flour with fall-flavored baked goods and I like that it’s free from the long list of allergens in our house and hopefully yours. 🙂
Running off to the kitchen now because we can’t live on dessert alone. 🙂
Happy Weekend friends!
Xx Jessica
- Cake:
- 150 g (1 cup + 3 tablespoons) chestnut flour (*sift once flour has been measured)
- 124 g (1 cup) tapioca starch (or flour, same thing)
- 16 g (4 teaspoons) aluminum-free baking powder (see notes below on how to make it corn free)
- 4 g (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 3½ teaspoons pumpkin spice (salt-free version, I use Frontier Organic)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup coconut sugar (or cane sugar)
- ½ cup coconut or other non-dairy milk
- ½ cup liquid coconut oil (I use Carrington Farms) or melted non-dairy butter
- 3 teaspoons GF pure vanilla paste or extract
- Topping:
- 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup raw pecan pieces
- 3 cups very hot water (115 degrees F)
- coconut oil spray (Carrington Farms or Chosen Blend are soy-free brands)
- You will need a 9 X 13 inch deep casserole dish.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C). Lightly spray a medium casserole dish and set on a rimmed baking sheet (in case it drips over), set aside.
- For the cake:
- In a medium sized bowl, add chestnut flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, kosher salt, and pumpkin spice, whisk to combine well. *Sifted chestnut flour should help prevent clumps. Set aside.
- In another, smaller, bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine well until the oil has fully incorporated into the pumpkin and milk. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour blend and whisk until well blended and clump-free. Transfer into the greased casserole dish set on the baking sheet.
- For the topping:
- In another small bowl, combine cane sugar, light brown sugar, and pecan pieces then evenly sprinkle across the batter to cover completely. WITHOUT STIRRING, pour the very hot water across the batter and sugar/nut topping. DO NOT MIX. It will look like a big puddle of water over the whole casserole dish but is EXACTLY how it should be. Slowly place it in the oven and bake for 40-42 minutes, do not open the oven until 40 minutes have passed. Then lightly touch the top to check if the cake is ready; it should spring back up slightly, with some cracks in the cake topping and the sides have bubbled. If needed, bake another 2 minutes. Any longer and it may cook the caramel-y pumpkin lava underneath the cake. It will continue to bake as it cools. Cool for 10-15 minutes before dividing into individual portions. Top with extra pecans and your favorite vanilla ice cream, if desired. I love blogger Spunky Coconut’s Jujube Ice Cream (see here http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2014/09/jujube-fruit-ice-cream/) for this cobbler. I do just one extra step to make the ice cream a little smoother and silkier in texture by pouring the blended mixture
over a mesh sieve to catch any small bits before freezing the ice cream, otherwise follow her recipe. The sweet taste of jujube (a Chinese fruit grown in Southern California) is a cross between a mild date and a spiced apple with many nutritional properties, including more Vitamin C than any citrus fruit, that pairs well with the pumpkin and spice. - Notes:
- On baking powder:
- Since many baking powders contain corn and GMO's, here is a grain-free baking powder recipe:
- part baking soda
- parts cream of tartar
- part tapioca or arrowroot starch
- The original recipe called for a total of 1 cup sugar for the topping, I find the six tablespoons has just the right amount of sugar without being overly sweet. If you prefer a less sweet cake, reduce it further.
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