This low carb Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Ricotta is a quick and delicious healthy dessert, perfect at Halloween and throughout the pumpkin season.
PUMPKIN RICOTTA CAKE RECIPE
Towards the end of October we are usually busy carving pumpkins but this year my eldest son, who is the most enthusiastic pumpkin carver in the family, is away in China. So I’ve been cooking and baking with pumpkin instead, and coming up with lots of new culinary ways to enjoy this wonderful vegetable.
One of them is this Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Ricotta.
In my recent Dairy Free Pumpkin Brownies recipe I used pumpkin puree, which I made using slowly roasted pumpkin in order to get the most flavour and remove excess moisture from the pumpkin. In this easy pumpkin cake recipe I used raw pumpkin (as you would do when making carrot cake) and there is no need to get rid of excess moisture. Just finely grate the pumpkin and add into the cake batter (see Instructions below). This is a fuss free pumpkin coffee cake, very uncomplicated and quick to make.
You may also like this easy Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle. Pumpkin tastes amazing with a bit of dark chocolate!
HEALTHY PUMPKIN CAKE RECIPE WITH RICOTTA
I love pumpkin pie as well as cheesecake and this cake is inspired by both in a way. Traditional baked cheesecake, although admittedly delicious, is usually rich and heavy, full of cheese, sugar and eggs. In this healthy pumpkin cake recipe I used ricotta, which isn’t too rich but gives this cake a lovely moist texture, a little dense and spongy but still light. With the help of the grated pumpkin, of course, which is full of moisture.
Pumpkin spice recipes
I opted for the basic pumpkin spice flavour in this easy pumpkin cake recipe but you can play around with the spices and use your own combination. You could add a bit of nutmeg or cloves or use either cinnamon or ginger alone. Or you could just use mixed spice (about 2 teaspoons).
For me pumpkin spice is made for autumn and I use it generously in a variety of recipes at this time of year. I love it in desserts, such as in this Pumpkin Spice Skinny Cupcakes with Lemon Icing recipe. Or this delicious traditional autumn Baked Apples dessert. Pumpkin spice also works in bakes that aren’t necessarily dessert. Such as these delicious Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies. These semi-sweet cookies make a tasty breakfast option as well as snack anytime.
I’ve also used pumpkin spice in savoury recipes. Such as this Turkey Shepherds Pie with Pumpkin and Spiralized Potato. This healthy, comforting shepherds pie with a twist is bursting with delicious autumn flavours!
Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Ricotta
Ingredients
- 200 g pumpkin peeled, finely grated (no need to get rid of excess water)
- 200 g ricotta cheese
- 200 g flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 heaped teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice powder
- 2 eggs
- 140 g caster sugar
- 100 ml rapeseed oil olive or vegetable are fine too, plus a little for greasing the tin
- Zest of 1.5 oranges
- Icing sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F /190C /gas mark 5. Lightly grease a medium round cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and spices and set aside.
- Beat the eggs, oil and sugar for about 2 minutes, gradually add the ricotta and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Add the orange zest and grated pumpkin and stir to combine. Pour in the flour mixture and stir to combine (do not overstir).
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smooth out the top with a spatula or back of a spoon and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 15 minutes, remove from the tin to cool completely, peel off the paper, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
Pin this Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Ricotta to make later!
MORE HEALTHY DESSERT RECIPES
Here you will find other easy, healthy and delicious healthy dessert recipe ideas all in one place!
KEEP IN TOUCH!
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!
RECIPE LINK PARTIES
I am bringing this Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Ricotta to #CookBlogShare, hosted this week by Jacqui@Recipes Made Easy. I am also sharing it with Baking Crumbs and Fiesta Friday, which I have the great pleasure of co-hosting this week along with Sandhya @ Indfused.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
I love the simple sugar dusting on the cake. I suppose I can always use a stencil. Hey, maybe I can do that to my Thanksgiving pies, too! Thanks for the idea, Monika! And for cohosting!
Thanks Angie, and you are welcome, it was a pleasure to co-host:)
This cake looks so cute and delicious, Monika. Thank you for sharing and for co-hosting Fiesta Friday!
Thank you Jhuls:)
I’ve never used raw pumpkin in baking before, but it sounds like a great idea! I love the simple but oh-so-festive way that you decorated this 🙂
Thank you! Raw pumpkin is similar to raw carrot, as in carrot cake, maybe a little more watery.
This is so much fun Monika, I just love the way you’ve decorated your cake! The flavour combination sounds absolutely delicious 🙂 Thankyou for joining in with #BakingCrumbs,
Angela x
Thank you for your kind words Angela:)
Wow this look stunning! That pumpkin face on top looks so cool!
Thank you Kat, this means a lot coming from a star baker like you:)
Wow I think this is a great looking cake. and I bet it tastes fantastic too.
Thank you Jacqui, it was fun to make and eat too:)
This cake looks amazing!! I have yet to make something with pumpkin, but I am hoping to start soon!
Love the halloween face on the top Monika and pumpkin is always a winner in my book xx
Thanks Kate:)
Hey, this does look easy indeed. How did you sprinkle on the icing sugar, did you you different shapes you had cut out or do you happen to have a smiley like that?
Thanks! I just cut out shapes from a sheet of paper:)
Sorry for the weird sentence structure, I must have been tired typing it.
Yum – this cake sounds utterly delicious. Great idea to use ricotta…and I love all those spices. Wish I could just reach into my computer screen and grab a slice. Eb x
Thank you, I wish I had some left actually, just had my mid-morning coffee on its own:(
Adorable! And, more importantly, I bet it is delicious 🙂
Thank you:)
YUM! Looks lovely!
Thank you Midge:)
What a wonderful idea! I love ricotta cakes and adding pumpkin is such a great idea!
Thanks, it turned out pretty good:)