Back at the beginning of the pumpkin season, I was a little, wee, tiny bit upset when Target advertised Pumpkin Spice M&M's were at the store and I went all the way there and found that they hadn't got their stock of them yet.
I may have made the kids go to every possible spot they could have been in the store. I may have made my preschooler wait ten minutes while I had the stock lady look them up then call the stockroom guys to see if they had them. I may have thrown a teeny tiny tantrum, pouted and complained when they didn't have them. I may have mumbled something about false advertising. I may have even called Target everyday until they had them in stock and then grabbed three bags when they finally did. And maybe I yelled for joy when I found they were buy two get one free plus a cartwheel plus a manufacturer coupon plus a store coupon combined made them all $1.50 for three bags. I'm a sucker for a deal.
And absolutely none of those bags of Pumpkin Spice M&M's exists now.
That's because they went to good use. Some cookies. A small handful after a run. Neighbor kids that come over starving. Soccer treats. And this amazing Pumpkin Spice M&M cake recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ½ cup granulated or raw sugar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cloves
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup cinnamon chips or Pumpkin Spice M&M's
- 8 oz lowfat cream cheese, softened (we used greek yogurt/cream cheese blend)
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) butter, softened
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 ½-3 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup Pumpkin Spice M&M's, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. (For bars, use an 18"x13" baking sheet).
- In a mixing bowl, beat the sugars and yogurt on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Turn the mixer to low and stir in the eggs and pumpkin puree until combined.
- Slowly pour in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices and flour. Stir until smooth. Turn mixer off and fold in the Pumpkin Spice M&M's or cinnamon chips.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan or baking sheet and smooth with a spatula.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes if baking on the baking sheet or 30-35 minutes. Note: if using coconut sugar you may need to adjust the cooking times as coconut sugar tends to bake goods more quickly.
- Remove from oven when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool then frost.
- In a mixer set to medium speed, blend the cream cheese and butter for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and stir in the maple syrup and powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is combined, turn the mixer to medium and whip for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Frost the cake with the frosting and sprinkle evenly with Pumpkin Spice M&M's.
Recipe Inspired by King Arthur Flour
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