This gluten free pumpkin cake comes together easily and quickly, and is brimming with warm fall spices and pumpkin flavor!
The Story:
A tender and fluffy grain free pumpkin cake, topped with a warm pumpkin spiced frosting. This pumpkin cake is made to be even more endearing by topping the cake with little buttercream pumpkins! I do not consider myself a cake decorator by any means, so these cute little buttercream pumpkins are super easy to create. Using a Wilton 4B piping tip, simply pipe on a dollop of orange buttercream, then top with a mini chocolate chip. Such a fun and delicious way to celebrate October!
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🧾 The Ingredients:
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to make this gluten free pumpkin cake.
- Almond Flour: This grain free flour provides structure and moisture for the cake.
- Tapioca Flour: This grain free flour aids in this cake achieving a fluffy texture and it also absorbs the liquid ingredients.
- Dairy Free Butter: I use Earth Balance butter for this and it works great.
- Coconut Oil: A little oil gets added to help this cake remain moist.
- Eggs: Eggs will help create rise in this recipe to achieve a fluffy crumb.
- Pure Pumpkin: You can use any pure pumpkin in this recipe, but be sure to remove extra moisture by wringing it out with paper towels.
- Sugar: This cake is not overly sweet, but of course cake needs some sugar.
- Brown Sugar: Using a bit of brown sugar helps create a moist, rich cake.
- Xanthan Gum: This gluten free baking agent helps baked goods maintain their texture and not become overly crumbly.
- Baking Powder: The rising agent for this cake.
- Baking Soda: I used both rising agents in this recipe to achieve the fluffiest texture.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is added for flavor balance and enhancement.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I used Selefina pumpkin pie spice for this and it is amazing! It has an incredibly rich flavor. Highly recommend!
- Vanilla: A bit of vanilla adds flavor and richness.
Step By Step Preparation Instructions:
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350.
- Step 2: First, you will make the cake batter. In a large glass bowl, melt together your dairy free butter and coconut oil.
- Step 3: Now let's dry out your pumpkin puree. Every brand of pumpkin puree varies in how much moisture it contains. For this recipe I used Farmers Market Foods pumpkin puree and it had a lot of moisture in in. Place down several paper towels and scoop the pumpkin puree on the paper towels. Very gently, wring out the pumpkin puree until most of the moisture has been removed.
- Step 4: Next, add in your pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla extract to the butter/oil mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Step 5: Add in your dry ingredients and mix well.
- Step 6: Line an 8X8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease very well. Pour in the batter and smooth the batter evenly.
- Step 7: Bake for about 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just clean and the cake is golden. Allow to cool completely.
- Step 8: Now for the frosting. Add dairy free butter to a bowl, or using a mixer on low speed, cream the butter until smooth.
- Step 9: Add in the sifted powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice and cream those together until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Step 10: Remove about ½ cup of the frosting and dye that portion orange. This will be used to make the buttercream pumpkins. Place the orange buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 4B piping tip.
- Step 11: When your cake has cooled, generously and evenly spread on the plain spiced buttercream frosting.
- Step 12: Now you can pipe on the orange buttercream pumpkins in a design you would like. I added one to each cake slice. Top with a mini chocolate chip and there you have it!
- Tip: This cake needs to be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
📖 The Recipe:
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake
This gluten free pumpkin cake comes together easily and quickly, and is brimming with warm fall spices and pumpkin flavor! A tender and fluffy grain free pumpkin cake, topped with a warm pumpkin spiced frosting. Made to be even more endearing by topping the cake with little buttercream pumpkins! Such a fun and delicious way to celebrate October!
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cake:
- 100 grams melted dairy free butter
- 20 grams melted coconut oil
- 3 eggs
- 100 grams pure pumpkin reduce the pumpkin prior to adding
- 140 grams almond flour
- 110 grams tapioca flour
- 50 grams sugar
- 30 grams brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp salt
For the frosting:
- 150 grams dairy free butter
- 270 grams powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- First, you will make the cake batter. In a large glass bowl, melt together your dairy free butter and coconut oil.
- Now let's dry out your pumpkin puree. Every brand of pumpkin puree varies in how much moisture it contains. For this recipe I used Farmers Market Foods pumpkin puree and it had a lot of moisture in in. Place down several paper towels and scoop the pumpkin puree on the paper towels. Very gently, wring out the pumpkin puree until most of the moisture has been removed. I would start with about 150-200 grams of pumpkin puree to be reduced to 100 grams after removing extra water weight.
- Next, add in your pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla extract to the butter/oil mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Then add in your dry ingredients and mix well.
- Line an 8X8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease very well. Pour in the batter and smooth is out evenly.
- Bake for about 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just clean and the cake is golden. Allow to cool completely.
- Add dairy free butter to a bowl and cream it until smooth.
- Add in the sifted powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice and cream those together until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Remove about ½ cup of the frosting and dye that portion orange. This will be used to make the buttercream pumpkins. Place the orange buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 4B piping tip.
- When your cake has cooled, generously and evenly spread on the plain spiced buttercream frosting.
- Pipe on the orange buttercream pumpkins in a design you would like. I added one to each cake slice. Top with a mini chocolate chip and there you have it!
- Tip: This cake needs to be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQ's:
- Is there a difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree? No. They are used interchangeably. Do be ware of canned pumpkin pie filling, which is NOT the same thing. To ensure you are purchasing the correct product, the list of ingredients should only include pumpkin.
- Why did my pumpkin cake turn out too moist or gummy? If you do not drain the pumpkin puree and remove excess moisture, that can result in a less than ideal texture. Some pumpkin puree contains a lot of "water weight" and needs to be drained properly to ensure a fluffy cake.
- Can I substitute 100% pumpkin for pumpkin puree? Yes. These are the same thing. 100% pumpkin, pure pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing. The ingredient list in the product should only have "pumpkin" listed for this recipe.
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The Finished Product:
A deliciously fluffy and charming pumpkin cake. The little buttercream pumpkins take this up a notch and make it so memorable. Each bite is brimming with the warm spices of fall. Enjoy this with some warm coffee or tea!
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