Most pumpkin breads are full of oil, this one uses applesauce instead. The bread recipe comes from The Green Forks (linked below) and the frosting from Forks Over Knives.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread (recipe from The Green Forks):
2 tbsps flaxseed meal
5 tbsps water
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsps pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Vanilla Frosting (Recipe from FOK):
5 ounces pitted whole dates, chopped
¾ cup unsalted raw cashews
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
For the frosting, Combine the dates, cashews, and seeds from the vanilla bean in a blender. Add just enough water to cover the mixture. Let stand for 45 minutes or until dates and cashews are softened. Cover and blend until smooth, adding water if it’s too stiff to easily blend.
For the pumpkin bread, in a small bowl, stir the flaxseed meal together with the water. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and applesauce until well blended. Add the thickened flaxseed mixture, and stir until fully combined. Stir in the pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients. By hand, stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, just until the flour disappears. The batter will be very thick.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips, nuts, or pumpkin seeds as desired. Bake for 20 minutes, then loosely tent the pan with foil to keep the top from browning too quickly. Continue baking for 50 to 60 additional minutes (70 to 80 minutes total), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Be sure to test the bread and a few different places to make sure that it is fully cooked through. An even easier way to check: use an instant read thermometer! When it registers 200 degrees F at the center of the loaf, the bread is baked.
Place the pan on a wire rack, and let it cool. Gently remove the loaf from the pan using the parchment paper handles, and transfer the loaf to the wire rack to finish cooling completely. Smear with frosting and enjoy!
Recipe origin: