Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin season is here and in full swing, and I am fully enjoying it baking all sorts of delicious things!  After all, you can’t do this year round but it is perfectly acceptable now.  I baked a pumpkin spice cake last weekend and it was so easy and delicious it was worth sharing with you all.  It is done in under and hour and it makes your house smell amazing.  It is actually  healthy too!  The pumpkin keeps it moist so there is only a small amount of oil, and I use dates to sweeten it so it is fully fruit sweetened. Also, it is gluten free, dairy free, and egg free but you would never know.  Bake this up on a Saturday morning, and it will fill your house with the most delicious aroma!

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Ready in: 1 hout

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup soft, pitted medjool dates, soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes and drained (2 Tbsp water reserved)
• 1 cup Farmer's Marker Organic canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp Spectrum olive oil
• 1 tsp Frontier pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Frontier Maple Flavor
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 3x5 inch loaf pan (with 2 1/2 inch sides)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and oil a 3×5 inch loaf pan. To make the batter, combine the dates, reserved water, pumpkin, oil, vanilla, maple, and sea salt in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Add the spices, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and blend until combined (but don’t over-blend). Add vinegar, and blend slowly until bubbles form (you don’t want to go fast or you will deflate it). Fold in the pecans, and pour into the prepared pan.Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out almost clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack before unmolding.