Fat-Free Pumpkin Raisin Cake

No butter, no oil, no egg yolks. This pumpkin cake stays moist thanks to canned pumpkin and corn syrup doing the heavy moisture work, while orange juice adds a subtle citrus brightness that keeps the flavor from going flat.

The batter is dead simple. Combine all the dry ingredients, stir in the wet, and pour into a sprayed pan. Pumpkin pie spice handles the seasoning in one scoop, and raisins scattered throughout add pops of sweetness in every slice.

A fat-free vanilla yogurt cream sauce comes on the side. It’s just nonfat vanilla yogurt whisked with powdered sugar, and it gives each square a creamy finish without adding any fat back in.

Kitchen Tips

• Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling already has sugar and spices that will throw off the balance.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear. Overworking develops gluten and makes the cake tough.
• The toothpick test is key here. Fat-free cakes go from done to dry fast, so start checking at the 30-minute mark.
• Store leftovers covered in the fridge. Without fat to keep it soft, this cake dries out quickly at room temperature.

Variations

• Cranberry swap: Replace raisins with dried cranberries for a tart contrast against the sweet pumpkin.
• Spiced yogurt sauce: Stir a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg into the yogurt cream for a sauce that echoes the cake’s spice profile.