Moist Gluten-free Pumpkin Cake

Up close look at a slice of gluten-free pumpkin cake.

Moist Gluten-free Pumpkin Cake

Meeta Arora

Indulge in this gluten-free pumpkin cake's moist and rich texture, which perfectly complements the flavors of the smooth, fluffy cream cheese frosting. Enjoy this easy Gluten Free Fall dessert that is perfect for the Holidays!

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 669 kcal

Ingredients

For the gluten-free pumpkin cake.

1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour 185 grams
½ Cup Arrowroot Starch 45 grams or Corn Starch
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 15 Ounce Can Pumpkin Puree
4 Large Eggs
1 ½ Cups Sugar
½ Cup Brown Sugar Dark
1 Cup Avocado Oil or Neutral Cooking Oil

For the maple cream cheese frosting.

½ Cup Butter Soft
¾ Cup Cream Cheese At room temperature
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
2-3 Teaspoons Milk of Choice

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and coat with a non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) and whisk together.
1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour, ½ Cup Arrowroot Starch, 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder, 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda, 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon, 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg, ¼ Teaspoon Ground Ginger, 1 Teaspoon Salt
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Whisk the wet ingredients together until combined.
4 Large Eggs, 1 ½ Cups Sugar, ½ Cup Brown Sugar, 1 Cup Avocado Oil, 1 15 Ounce Can Pumpkin Puree
Fold the bowl of dry ingredients into the wet bowl until combined and no dry ingredients remain visible.
Pour the batter into a greased parchment lined baking pan.
Transfer the batter to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. The cake will look dark golden in color, and a toothpick or fork will come out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before carefully pulling it out of the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack. Cool completely for at least 45 minutes before applying frosting.

For the Frosting

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
½ Cup Butter, ¾ Cup Cream Cheese
Add the powder sugar and whisk until combined.
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
Slowly add the milk and maple syrup and whisk until desired thickness.
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup, 2-3 Teaspoons Milk of Choice
Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake.
Serve the cake immediately or store it in the refrigerator for later.

Notes

Ingredient notes and Substitutions

1:1 Gluten-free Flour. - The King Arthur brand 1:1 blend containing xanthan gum works excellently in this recipe. You want a blend that has lighter gluten-free flour and xanthan gum. If your flour blend does not contain xanthan gum, add a teaspoon to the flour before mixing it into the batter.
Pumpkin puree. - This is the plain pumpkin in a can. You do NOT want a pumpkin pie filling in a can for this pumpkin cake. You also do NOT want to use a more watery canned pumpkin puree. I've found a few of the organic brands tend to contain more water. For this recipe, I use Libby's 100% pure pumpkin cans that are gluten-free. You can also make homemade pumpkin puree if you want a fresh pumpkin taste.

Allergen notes.

Grain-free cake - To make this gluten-free pumpkin cake completely grain-free, you can switch out the 1:1 gluten-free flour for cassava flour by weight. This will make it a cassava flour cake that is completely grain-free. Make sure you whisk the cassava flour before measuring it by weight because it settles a lot.

Dairy-free pumpkin cake. - This gluten-free pumpkin cake is already gluten-free. Typically, I frost the cake with a maple cream cheese frosting, which would make the cake not dairy-free. To keep the frosting dairy-free, substitute the butter and cream cheese for dairy-free alternatives or substitute palm shortening in equal parts. It will still be delicious.

Nutrition

Calories: 669kcalCarbohydrates: 93gProtein: 5gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 489mgPotassium: 70mgFiber: 2gSugar: 76gVitamin A: 532IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 1mg

Keyword gluten free fall desserts, gluten free pumpkin bars, gluten free pumpkin cake, gluten free pumpkin desserts

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