Gluten-free Pumpkin Cake
A healthy grain-free pumpkin cake that's light and fluffy, moist and delicious. This one bowl, easy pumpkin cake recipe is an amazing oil-free cake with the perfect balance of pumpkin and spice. Spread generously with vegan chocolate frosting and decorate with candied pepitas for a stunning birthday or holiday cake!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 219kcal
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup ground flax seeds
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 3-oz bar dark chocolate*, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
OPTIONAL Candied Pepitas
- 3 Tablespoons raw pepitas*
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9" cake pan with unbleached parchment paper.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, ground flax, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and sea salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, applesauce, maple syrup and pumpkin puree until light and fluffy.
- Mix dry ingredients into the wet until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
- Let rest in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack until completely cool.
- Cake can be made in advance, wrapped well and refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 3 months before frosting.
FROSTING:
- Roughly chop dark chocolate
- Heat pumpkin puree in a small pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, until heated through.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in maple syrup. Then add half the chocolate, stirring as it melts. Add the remaining chocolate. Turn off the heat and continue to stir until all chocolate is dissolved and frosting has a creamy texture.
- For a really smooth frosting, use an immersion blender until desired consistency is achieved.
- Let frosting cool to room temperature. Extra frosting (or if you've made it ahead) can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before spreading.
CANDIED PUMPKIN SEEDS:
- Have a piece of parchment or aluminum foil ready to transfer the pumpkin seeds onto in one compact layer as soon as they're finished cooking.
- Plase small skillet over low heat. Measure out the oil, syrup, salt and cinnamon into the skillet. Let is come to a simmer and then add in the pumpkin seeds. Cook over VERY LOW HEAT until the seeds begin to pop and attain a golden color and the liquid has mostly cooked off. This will take just about 5 minutes...and you need to pay attention. If you try to rush the process, everything will burn and you'll have to start over.
- Transfer the golden pepitas onto the prepared parchment and place in the fridge for about 15 minutes until the candy coating has hardened.
- Break into pieces and use to decorate your frosted cake.
Notes
MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
- SERVE: Frost, decorate, slice and enjoy.
- PREP AHEAD: Cake can be made ahead and wrapped well. Frost before serving.
- STORE: Cake will stay good 2 days at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
- FREEZE: Once cake is frosted, it will be difficult to freeze because frozen cake should be wrapped well in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. To reduce the chance of freezer burn, use freezer quality zip top bags.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 410mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g