I have to admit, I am obsessed with cream cheese frosting.  It really doesn’t matter what the cake is – if it has cream cheese frosting on top, I am in.  Another obsession I have though is with snack cakes.  Maybe it is because I was not allowed to have sweets growing up.  My friends would bring these snack cakes to school in their lunches (mostly the prepackaged kinds), and I would stare longingly.  I remember there was one girl in my class in 5th grade that brought some type of snack cake (Yodels, Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, etc…) every day in her lunch.  I decided that I needed to be friends with her in hopes that she would invite me over after school – just so I could try one of those goodies when we got to her house.  I still remember the strawberry rolls we had.  That marshmallow cream in the middle was the best.  At the time, that fake strawberry jelly was like heaven.  I am so glad those days are over, and that I can make my own snack cakes with good fresh ingredients – instead of eating cakes that can sit on a shelf for years and still be moist when you open them.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and the cream cheese frosting was calling me.  The cake was moist and flavorful, and not too sweet.  The frosting was a perfect match.  Do me a favor, make this for your child and pack it in their lunch.  Have them be the one that other people are jealous of.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 10.1  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 1  (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• Cooking spray

Frosting:

• 2  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 2  cups  sifted powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Pumpkin Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting