Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Snack Cake |Cooking With Amanda

Last weekend I was asked to be a judge for a local "celebrity chef steak cook-off" at a women's expo in my hometown.

My first instinct was to decline the invitation. Not because I wasn't honored to be invited, but because I'm not exactly an expert at eating meat. Most of the time, I eat the bare minimum required in order to justify dessert. It's a tricky process, especially when I have a toddler watching me like a hawk and I'm 99% certain she's on to my scheme.

I ended up deciding to accept the invitation because hello, free steak. Also, my husband convinced me that it would be an excellent "networking" opportunity, which confirms my suspicion that he actually doesn't listen when I lie about what I do for a living every day of my life.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Snack Cake Picture

Have you ever tried to explain being a blogger as a job? You basically end up answering five hundred awkward questions, only to walk away feeling inferior and questioning the meaning of your entire life.

So I showed up to the Women's Expo on the appointed day, only to be informed by the emcee that I'd be "answering some questions" about what I do for a living. Answering some questions. Into a microphone. In front of people. About being a blogger.

That is when I died inside. A million painful, fiery deaths.

As it turns out, they were serving red wine with the steaks that I'd be sampling, so I hurriedly gulped some down before the microphone came my way. And good thing because as it turns out, the emcee assumed that being the publisher of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen means I wrote a book, so I was like "oh yes, It's a great book, full of anecdotes about life and amazing recipes. People should totally buy it."

This is just one of the many things wrong with me as a human being. I'd rather trick people into searching for a fake book than correct someone about what I do for a living in front of a crowd.

By the time the event ended, I had asked for a wine refill (I'm not even sure that was socially acceptable, but they refilled it and I drank it all) and when asked about the steak I threw out gems like, "looks great" and "really amazing" approximately 432 times.

"This steak looks great. Really amazing."

You're welcome, Women's Expo People.

So it's been officially confirmed. I should stick to desserts for all of eternity. Like this Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Snack Cake.

This moist, yummy little cake is the perfect amount of sweet and has a crunchy topping that you'll LOVE! Enjoy it in the afternoon with a cup of tea or coffee – it's the perfect pick-me up!This moist, yummy little cake is the perfect amount of sweet and has a crunchy topping that you'll LOVE! Enjoy it in the afternoon with a cup of tea or coffee – it's the perfect pick-me up! It also goes fantastically well on a big ol' Halloween buffet table. Maybe something the grown-ups (not me, obvs) would prefer to mainlining sugar bombs like cupcakes and cookies. If that's your sorta thing.

We're having a Boo Bash here on Food Fanatic! If you're planning a Halloween party this year, we've got plenty of recipes to make your little ghouls and goblins scream with delight.

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Snack Cake Recipe

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Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup cinnamon chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 10x15 jellyroll pan with no stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat pumpkin over medium heat until hot. Stir in baking soda and remove from heat. Let cool to warm.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat shortening and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about a minute. Beat in egg until combined. Mix in pumpkin mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix into batter until just combined.
Stir batter from the bottom with a spatula to make sure all ingredients are mixed in.
Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the top of the cake evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon chips, pressing gently into the batter.
Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, until top springs back when lightly touched in the center.
Let cool for 30 minutes, then sprinkle top with powdered sugar.