Moist & Lofty Pumpkin Cake (Gluten-Free)

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:

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.

5 from 4 reviews

Moist & Lofty Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake

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Whip up this tender, buttery gluten-free pumpkin cake with almond, oat, and rice flours in 15 minutes of active time. Top it with swoops of brown butter cream cheese frosting to make it extra-addictive.

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 small but rich servings

Ingredients

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

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Equipment

• electric stand mixer or hand beater
• 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

Ingredient Subs:

• 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.

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!