Top O' the morning to you

Naw, this isn't a Saint Patrick's Day post. I just like that phrase! Plus, I'm trying to generate happy thoughts and stay positive, and what better to put you in a cheerful mood than a happy greeting? :) And a lovely, HUGE, mug of tea and a piece of pumpkin cake?

I was scouring the interwebs for recipes for pumpkin chocolate brownies after a friend mentioned them on FB recently. Too many of the recipes posted were simply boxed brownie mix made with pumpkin. Delicious, I am sure, but full of sugar and preservatives, too. Besides, it's not what you mix in to the brownie mix that's not good for you, it's the brownie mix, itself. So, I played recipe mash up and came up with these. Techically, I guess they are brownies, but there's almost no chocolate flavor here, so I'll consider this to be spiced pumpkin cake. Probably more suited to fall baking, but it's a tasty treat, nonetheless, and not too sweet. Recipe Builder calculated this at 4 +points. If you like sweeter, you could add more sugar, but the points would change.

Spiced Pumpkin Cake (12 servings)

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup egg beaters
1 1/4 cups white wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 cup splenda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of dark cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray. Mix the wet ingredients, including the brown sugar and splenda, together until smooth. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the wet mixture. Pour into baking pan and back for about 35 minutes.