Recipe Weekend: What to Do with Those Pumpkin Inards....

It’s that time of year again- the kids know it, you know it, we all know it. It’s holiday season. Yes, things are about to get crazy with relatives, road trips, shopping trips- and oh yeah, avoiding those pesky holiday pounds too! With all of the organizing and schedule juggling the holidays bring, it can be tough to carve out time for healthy meal planning.

Cookbook author and blogger, Melissa Joulwan, has graciously put her paleo and gluten-free recipe creation talents to work to figure out a way to use those pumpkin innards that you will be coming up with while carving out pumpkins this week!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake With Maple-Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling- you can find many ways online to make it- it's really simple)
1 cup Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (If you don’t want to buy maple almond butter, use plain peanut butter + 1 tablespoon maple syrup.)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Frosting:
1/3 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional:
Pecan halves or whole almonds for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Make the cake. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Pour into an 8×8 oven-safe baking dish. Bake until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.
3. Make the frosting. Place the coconut butter and coconut oil in a microwave-safe dish and heat until softened, but not melted. The length of time you need to nuke it will depend on the temperature in your house, so start with 30-second increments and repeat until you get the right consistency. Place the coconut butter and oil in a large mixing bowl, then add the honey, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy with a standing or hand mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, go at it with a whisk… and good luck to you!
4. Assemble! Allow the cake to cool completely. Completely. For real. When you’re sure it’s cool, cut it into 9 or 16 squares. Dollop a spoonful of frosting onto each square and top with a nut. 
5. Chill out. When all squares are frosted, cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The frosting will firm up in the fridge and the texture transforms into a confection. Serve the cake squares chilled or at room temperature