Snacks

Pumpkin Espresso Snack Cake

October 13, 2026

One day I woke up and decided I wanted to create a fall treat that checked all of my boxes. I wanted to use pumpkin, but not just for the sake of using pumpkin (because it honestly ruins so many recipes but we’re all just OK with it for the sake of being festive I guess). I wanted it to feel undeniably fall, bursting with flavors of maple, molasses, and warm spices. I wanted to be able to enjoy it hot with a side of ice cream, but also straight from the fridge at 3PM. I wanted it to be sweet but not too sweet, light but also fudgy, tender but also irresistibly chewy. Which led me to this frankenstein of a dessert that is part brownie, part pumpkin bread, part apple cider donut, part PSL and part butter mochi. But I just call her snack cake <3

Pumpkin Espresso Snack Cake

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Ingredients

1 cup dark brown sugar, or light brown sugar + 1 TBSP molasses
2 large eggs
½ cup brown butter
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon maple extract
⅓ cup AP flour
¼ cup rice flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons espresso powder
½ teaspoon salt
Butter for greasing the pan
Granulated sugar for coating the pan, and dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the pumpkin puree, brown butter, vanilla bean paste, and maple extract if using.
Mix in the Dry: In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients, then whisk into the wet ingredients in 2 batches. Mix until just combined. Allow the batter to rest for about 20 minutes at room temp before baking.
Prep your Pan: Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish with butter. Add about 2 tbsp of granulated sugar to coat the pan, then tap out the excess.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, tap out any air bubbles, and sprinkle the top with another tbsp of granulated sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. To test if done, gently jiggle the baking dish, the center should be just set. We are technically aiming to slightly “underbake” this, which will give us that rich fudgy and chewy texture.
Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice into 9 uniform pieces. In a large bowl combine 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar with a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Coat each slice in the spiced sugar mixture.
Serve hot with ice cream. Serve warm with coffee. Serve room temperature as is. Or, my personal favorite, keep in the fridge and serve cold for the best texture.