Almond flour, oat flour, and sweet rice flour make this gluten-free pumpkin cake tender, buttery, and so flavorful. Mix up the floofy batter in 15 minutes of active time and top this snacking cake with swirls of luxurious brown butter cream cheese frosting for a cozy treat.
This gluten-free pumpkin cake has the same golden hue and balanced flavor as my reader-favorite GF pumpkin bread, but it's even more rich and tender thanks to the additions of butter and creme fraiche.
Whereas I make my pumpkin bread using a whisk and a bowl, this cake uses the creaming method in which softened butter gets whipped with brown sugar until floofy. Beat in the eggs, then add the dry ingredients in batches, alternating with the pumpkin puree and creme fraiche. It takes a little more effort, but it turns out a cake that's rich, tender, and delicate.
Here's what I love about this cake recipe:
- gluten-free and optionally dairy-free
- moist & tender from butter and creme fraiche (or sour cream)
- laced with golden pumpkin pie spice
- made with almond flour and oat flour for maximum flavor
- easy to make in about 15 minutes of active time
- lavished with luxurious brown butter cream cheese frosting
Here's what one happy baker had to say about it:
5-Star Reader Review
“I’ve made this twice in the past week - and today it won a bake off! Moist, airy and full of warming autumn flavours, you cannot tell that this cake is gluten free - the flour combo is perfect. ”
—Jude
I'm so excited to share it with you!
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
This recipe comes together with real-food ingredients.
Flours
A blend of gluten-free flours makes this cake moist, tender, and floofy, no xanthan gum needed. Be sure to use certified gluten-free flours, such as Bob's Red Mill brand which are made in a dedicated GF facility.
Learn more about my approach to GF baking in my beginner's guide to gluten-free flours.
- Almond flour adds structure, moisture, and tenderness.
- Sub by weight almond meal, hazelnut meal, other nuts or seeds ground finely, or try teff flour for a different flavor profile.
- Sweet rice flour adds starchy stickiness and creates a neutral backdrop for the other flavors.
- Sub by weight GF all-purpose flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1.
- Oat flour absorbs moisture and adds rich, nutty flavor to the batter.
- Sub by weight sorghum flour.
- Tapioca starch makes the cake springy and floofy.
- Sub by weight arrowroot starch, or try corn starch or potato starch.
Other Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin adds moisture and sweetness. Be sure to use solid packed pumpkin puree (or butternut squash puree) and not pumpkin pie filling. Or make your own pumpkin puree using butternut squash.
- Creme fraiche adds moisture. Make your own creme fraiche if you like, or sub sour cream.
- Golden pumpkin pie spice adds big flavor and extra color from the turmeric in the blend.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact quantities!
Method
This recipe makes one 8-inch square cake, which you can cut into 9, 12, or 16 servings. It takes about 15 minutes to whip up, plus 30-40 minutes to bake. I use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, but a large bowl with electric beaters (or a spoon and your strong arms) will work too.
Variations
A few options for size and shape of your pumpkin cake:
- Cupcakes - divide the batter between 12 muffin tins lined with paper liners and decrease the baking time to 20-30 minutes as needed
- Layer Cake - double the recipe and divide the batter between three 8- or 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper. Decrease the baking time as needed. Triple or quadruple the frosting and use it to frost between the layers and the top and sides of the cake
- Sheet Cake - double the cake and frosting recipes and bake the cake in a 9x13-inch pan, increasing the baking time as needed
Storage
This GF pumpkin cake keeps beautifully, staying moist and tender for days. Here's how to keep it fresh:
- Wrap and store the baked, unfrosted cake at room temperature for up to 1 day.
- Store the frosted cake in a covered container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
- Refrigerate the frosted cake for up to 5 days; bring to room temperature before serving so the cake will be soft and the frosting creamy.
- Freeze the cake, frosted or unfrosted and well-wrapped, for up to 1 month.
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free pumpkin cake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
Moist & Lofty Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, plus 1 teaspoon for the pan
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60 g) crème fraiche (at room temperature)
- 1 cup (250 g) pumpkin puree (at room temperature)
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (140 g) blanched almond flour
- ¾ cup (115 g) sweet rice flour
- ¾ cup (75 g) gluten-free oat flour
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ teaspoons golden pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping
- 1 recipe brown butter cream cheese frosting
Equipment
- 8-inch square cake pan
Instructions
Prepare things
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF.
- Lightly butter an 8-inch square pan with 1 teaspoon soft butter. Line the pan with parchment paper on all sides.
Make the batter
- Combine the softened butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. It’s ok if the mixture looks curdled; it will come together in the next step.
- Meanwhile, stir together the crème fraiche and pumpkin puree in a measuring cup.
- Sift or whisk the almond, oat, sweet rice, and tapioca flours into a medium bowl along with the baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, adding back anything left in the sifter.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until it’s mostly incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle once more, then beat the batter on medium speed until light, airy, and smooth, 15 seconds.
Bake
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top, and bake at 350ºF until a tester inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs, 40-55 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the center should register around 190ºF.
- Let the cake cool completely.
Serve
- To serve the cake, lift the cake out of the pan, invert onto a serving platter, and peel away the parchment.
- Top the cake with swirls of brown butter cream cheese frosting or other favorite topping.
Storage
- Store the cake, covered, at cool room temperature for up to 24 hours, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to several months. The cake is best at room temperature so the frosting will be soft.
Notes
- In place of creme fraiche, use sour cream, vegan sour cream, or rich coconut yogurt. Or make your own creme fraiche with 2 ingredients.
- In place of pumpkin puree, use butternut squash puree or make your own winter squash puree.
- In place of almond flour, sub by weight almond meal, hazelnut meal, or other nuts or seeds ground finely. Or try teff flour (you may need to use less flour or add more moisture to the recipe – experiment at your own risk!)
- In place of sweet rice flour, sub by weight GF AP blend such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1.
- In place of oat flour, sub by weight sorghum flour.
- In place of tapioca starch, sub by weight arrowroot flour, corn starch, or potato starch.
Jude says
Iโve made this twice in the past week - and today it won a bake off! Moist, airy and full of warming autumn flavours, you cannot tell that this cake is gluten free - the flour combo is perfect. I didnโt have time to make the brown butter frosting so I used a different recipe that uses cream instead of butter, added vanilla pod and cinnamon, and it worked perfectly! Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Woohoo, I'm so glad this cake was a hit (and that the judges agree, haha!) That frosting recipe sounds so intriguing, I'd love to see it if you could share a link?
Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for the great feedback!
Michael Frasco says
Made a double batch into a 9x13 pan for an office event. Everyone really enjoyed it. The frosting really makes a difference.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad it was a hit at the office! Thanks a bunch for the feedback.
Trish says
Made this today and we cut into it while still warm - oh my! Another terrific recipe that you pulled out of your magic hat! It is so moist and tender and I canโt wait to taste it tomorrow to see how the spices taste when cool. I didnโt make the frosting but served it with whipped cream and Iโm not sure even that was necessary. Oh, and used pumpkin purรฉe that a I made from some pie pumpkins. Alanna, you spoil us for any other recipes! <3 <3 <3
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Awwww this makes me so happy to read. Thanks for trying the recipe - I'm glad you loved it! Extra delicious with homemade pumpkin puree, yum. I think the spices will come out more when it's cool, but you can of course up the spices too your liking if you want more!
xoxo,A
Satpreet says
I usually make your pumpkin bread, apple skillet cake, and vegan chocolate tart for friendsgiving, but this year, I decided to change things up and make this cake instead.
I made it two layered, and omg. It was so light, so moist, and that brown butter frosting is !!!! I wanted to bathe in it. It was a hit. My favorite moment is when people are astonished that something is gluten free, and that happened several times over the course of the night.
Thank you, as always, for your recipes! So reliable and good.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw this makes me incredibly happy to hear. I'm so glad you liked this cake and that it was a friendsgiving hit. It's always the biggest compliment when people don't realize a recipe is GF. That's what I strive for every time. Thanks very much for trying my recipe and for the great feedback!