I attempted to change up a traditional Fall pumpkin loaf recipe in my home yesterday and it didn’t work out all that well. The main reason is that I lost the scrap, flour-stained paper it was that on that had been tucked in my homemade recipe file, so was going off memory (not good for this 38 1/2 year old!). I substituted the oil for apple sauce, added more pumpkin and tried vanilla extract. All in all, the muffin and loaf versions were ‘ok’, but definitely not what I so wanted while watching Four Weddings and a Funeral, sipping my hot coffee.
Here, Maggie offers a gluten-free version using chickpeas, which I can appreciate… have a try and let us know what you think!
By now you know I have a sweet tooth … and a slight obsession with pumpkin everything. Is it really so surprising that I would make a pumpkin cream cheese loaf at some point? No. Not really. This guy is healthy, low calorie, absolutely freaking delicious, and grain free! What?
I have been doing gluten-free baking for years now, but wheat is just one sensitivity that is prevalent in my family. Some are sensitive to wheat, some to soy, some to chocolate, and some are trying to avoid all grains. With this in mind, I tried to create a pound cake that even the grain-free types could eat. This recipe is even Paleo friendly, if you are using a paleo protein powder.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Pound Cake
You will need:
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 Cup sugar free maple syrup
1/2 Cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 Cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Cup liquid egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon extract
1 tsp imitation butter extract (or 1 more tsp cinnamon extract)
1/2 Cup granulated Splenda
4 Scoops White Chocolate protein powder (can also use vanilla, cinnamon, praline, etc)
2 Scoops Vanilla Praline protein powder (see above)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
For the cream cheese swirl topping:
1/4 Cup lite cream cheese
1/4 Cup home made sugar free pumpkin butter (previously posted on Recipes of the Scale!)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor or blender, blend together the chickpeas, maple syrup, yogurt, pumpkin, egg whites and extracts. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Splenda, protein powders, salt, baking powder and soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour the wet mix into the bowl with the dry mix and thoroughly incorporate, making sure there are no lumps. Evenly distribute between two loaf pans that have been sprayed with a no-calorie cooking spray, or lined with parchment paper.
In a smaller mixing bowl, microwave the cream cheese about 20-30 seconds, or until melted soft. Whisk it together with the pumpkin butter. Pour this mixture over the top of each loaf, and then take a knife or toothpick and swirl the cream cheese in. It looks so beautiful, and when you bite into the cream cheese, it is so luxurious and decadent!
Bake your loaves for 50-60 minutes, or until they are golden on the top and a toothpick comes out clean.
I enjoyed these beauties as breakfast *and* dessert one day – totally guilt free! When you cut a loaf into 8 slices, 1 slice is only 122 calories. Oh man, and all that beautiful protein! 14 grams of protein per slice makes this a viable meal choice at any point in the day. The 31 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber keep it real too. Pre- work out? Post- work out? Both? If it’s leg day, definitely both!
As always guys, enjoy, and let me know how you like it!
My name is Maggie Jasmin, and starting in January 2013, I dedicated myself to a new fitness journey, and have since lost 115 pounds. I move more, pick up heavy things, think intelligently about my food, and try to be the healthiest I can every day. This doesn't mean I gave up the foods I love – I just make them healthy! I blog and post recipes about my comfort food turned health food at 
You must be logged in to view comments.