Oat Flour Pumpkin Cake

After Thanksgiving I ended up with about 1/4 cup of leftover pumpkin puree which meant I had to find something to bake with it! Lara and I browsed a few options and ended up picking this oat flour cake. The original was baked in a loaf pan, but we wanted a round cake so we baked it in an 8-inch round cake pan instead without any issues. It just didn’t need to bake quite as long.

The cake itself is incredible tender. It is light and fragrant. Not overly sweet but just enough sweetness and richness (from the almond flour and coconut oil) to turn this simple cake into a satisfying, yet somewhat wholesome dessert. Perfect for a late fall night with a cup of coffee and a candle!

Oat Flour Pumpkin Cake
From Beaming Baker
Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin puree [I only had about 1/2 cup, 4 oz, pumpkin, so used 4 oz pumpkin + 4 oz Greek yogurt]

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

• 6 tablespoons (120 grams) maple syrup

• 6 tablespoons coconut sugar [I used 4 Tbs brown sugar and it was just fine!]

• 1 flax egg [I used a real egg]

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 cup (180 grams) oat flour [I made my own in a blender, but you can also use store bought]

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside. [I decided to turn this into a snacking cake so I used an 8x2 inch round cake pan instead]

Add the wet ingredients to a large bowl: pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, sugar, flax egg, and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients to the same bowl: oat flour, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.

Whisk as long as you can—the batter will be thick. Switch to folding with a rubber spatula until no flour patches remain. Do not add additional liquids—the batter is meant to be very thick.

Transfer batter into the prepared loaf pan. Using a clean rubber spatula, smooth batter into an even layer, with a gentle rise down the center—mimicking the shape of a perfect loaf. It is important to follow this step for the perfect loaf shape, as the batter will bake up very close to how it looks raw.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs. [Mine took about 35 minutes in an 8-inch round cake pan]

Oat Flour Banana Carrot Muffins

I recently stumbled over this recipe for a simple and nutritions blender muffin. I had a carrot in the fridge, and bananas turning brown on the counter so it was almost like it was meant to be! I went to work putting it all together and am glad I did. These muffins turned out delicious; light and moist, full of whole grains, healthy fats, fresh fruit and fresh veggies. How great is that? They are also made with no wheat flour, and no dairy, so if you are avoiding either of those this is another plus. They are not vegan due to the 2 eggs, but you could always try a vegan egg replacement if this is something you care about. 

I followed the original recipe other than decreasing the honey just a bit from 1/4 c to 2 tablespoons and didn't miss it at all. The bananas themselves are nice and sweet. I also had a little freezer jam hanging out that I decided to add to the center of the muffin for a little sweet surprise! You can't see it in the picture, but it's there, I promise! It's a fun addition if you have some extra jam lying around. If you use peanut butter as your nut butter it'll turn these muffins into a "PB&J muffin"! Yum!

Oat Flour Banana Carrot Muffins
Adapted from Running with Spoons
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (120 grams) oats
• 2 tablespoon (14 grams) flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tbsp (96 grams) almond or peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 medium bananas (200 grams or 1 cup)
• 1 cup (115 grams) shredded carrot, about 1 medium carrot

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin pan by lining the cavities with parchment paper liners or greasing them well with oil. Set aside.

Add all the dry ingredients (oats through salt) to a high-speed blender, and process on high until the oats have broken down into the consistency of a fine flour.

Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the carrots, and process on high until the batter becomes smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Periodically stop and scrape down the sides of your blender, if necessary. Transfer the batter to a medium-size mixing bowl and fold in the carrots by hand.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one about 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 16 - 18 minutes, until the tops of your muffins begin to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Yields: 10 muffins
Approximate calorie count: 165 calories

Lavender Honey Buckwheat Cookies

Once again it's one of my favorite seasons; lavender season! I love lavender so much, the sight of the elegant little purple flowers, the fragrance that heralds early summer, and of course, the delicate floral notes that add a little extra something special to baking when lavender buds are part of the mix. Of course, you don't want to go overboard and add too much lavender which can make you feel like you're eating a mouthful of potpourri, but in just the right amount in the right thing, lavender can really make your baking a little extra special; especially when using your own home-grown or home-foraged lavender. Last year I made some fantastic lavender cupcakes. This year one of my projects was these yummy little buckwheat cookies. A perfect couple of bites of sweetness balanced with the bitterness of the buckwheat and the floral lavender, a perfect combination. 

If going gluten or wheat free is something you're into, these cookies are a great option. In case you're wondering, buckwheat is actually not wheat, they're not even related. Buckwheat is the seed of a flowering plant that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. It has an unique flavor, somewhat bitter, but in a good way. I personally have no problem with wheat in any shape or form, but I still love these cookies. They use oat and buckwheat flours, softened butter, a little sugar and an egg. And of course, lavender. Because, tis the season!!

Lavender Honey Buckwheat Cookies
Adapted from Dishing Up The Dirt
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (60 grams) oat flour
• 1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) butter, softened
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender leaves
• 2 Tablespoons (42 grams) honey
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) buckwheat flour
• pinch of kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 

Beat the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes, until creamy and light. Add the lavender and honey and beat until well combined. Add the egg and mix well.

Add the oats, flour, and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until it forms a cohesive mixture. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal size balls. Place on baking sheet and press down gently with your fingers, or the bottom of a glass. (The cookies will not spread a lot when you bake them, so flattened them to the thickness you would like the finished product to be.)

Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Yields 12-14 small cookies, depending on how big you make them

Buckwheat Oat Breakfast Bites

Breakfast bites; little mounds of oat-y goodness, something fun and different to dig into for breakfast, or snack in the afternoon. Full of whole grains, healthy fats, and unrefined sugar. Win - win - win! And chocolate, don't forget the chocolate on top. You can put the chocolate inside them if that's more your style, I just love how a little drizzle on top finishes them off. 

These are a wiz to throw together, everything into the food processor and you're set, in just a minute or two you have your cookie dough, ready for the cookie scoop and into the oven. I've made other variations on these cookies before, but for this version I went with one of my favorite combinations, tahini and honey. I added a little buckwheat flour for it's lovely hint of bitterness, and a little cinnamon to round it all out. Drizzle with chocolate once cool and breakfast is served!

Buckwheat Oat Breakfast Bites
Adapted from The Clever Carrot
Ingredients

• 2 cups (160 grams) old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (64 grams) tahini, or your favorite nut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 6 tbs honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Chocolate, for drizzling (optional)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 

Add the oats, white whole wheat flour, and baking soda to a food processor. Run the machine until the oats look like 'flour.' It's okay to have a few big pieces in the mix.

Add the egg, tahini, coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract. Pulse until the mixture until it looks like cookie dough and holds together when pinched between 2 fingers.

Using a cookie scoop to portion the cookies onto your lined baking sheets. Bake for about 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.