A deliciously moist pumpkin cake that’s full of warm spices and free of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar. Includes a gluten-free variation as well!
Nothing screams fall time like PUMPKIN! It’s one of those flavors you either love or hate, and I just happen to be one of those people who are pumpkin obsessed! Once September rolls around, I can’t get enough of the fruit, whether it be in the form of pie, pancakes, bread, coffee, or cake.
When it comes to cake, I tend to favor a good loaf or bundt cake drizzled with a simple glaze. I like that they’re delicious and not piled high with loads of frosting. As I’m that girl who scoops the mound of frosting off just to get to the cake part anyway, a little glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness for me.
My grandma used to make bundt cakes with whatever box cake mix she had picked up from the store. Sometimes it was yellow cake or maybe lemon, but it didn’t matter, it was made with love and always delicious. I remember peeking into the oven every few minutes to see if it had finished baking. When it was finally finished, she’d take it out and whip up a quick powdered sugar glaze to top it with while it cooled in the pan.
She’d then flip the cake out onto a plate and amidst the steam rising from the heat, drizzle the glaze over top. I’d pour a glass of milk to go with my warm slice and savor each little bite.
After my grandma passed, I got some of her bakeware, including her bundt pan. Each time I make a cake I think of those times we spent baking in the kitchen.
Gosh, I miss her so much. 🙁
I have many fond memories of cooking & baking with my grandma and I hope my kids and future grandkids can say the same about me one day too!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
(or 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon each ginger and cloves)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil
or avocado oil
- 1¾ cups coconut sugar
or brown sugar
- ½ cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
(or 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon each ginger and cloves)
or 
or brown sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature (can use dairy-free)
- 4–5 tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
- 3–5 tablespoons almond milk or other milk of choice, until it reaches proper consistency
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup brown rice flour
*
- ¾ cup tapioca flour
*
- ¾ cup gluten-free oat flour
**
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil
- 1¾ cups coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
*
*
**- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Liberally grease a 12–cup bundt pan
pan with coconut oil or palm shortening and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour(s), baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Mix in oil, sugar, milk, vinegar, and puree, stirring together just until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan and spread across evenly. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack or cake plate. Remove pan and cool completely before glazing.
pan with coconut oil or palm shortening and set aside.- Place cream cheese into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Blend in maple syrup and then milk, a tablespoon at a time, just until the glaze is thin enough to pour over cake. Stir in vanilla.
- Pour glaze over cooled cake. Serves 12–16.
**Can make oat flour by grinding gluten-free rolled oats in a food processor or coffee grinder.
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Pumpkin Crepe Cake with Spiced Coconut Cream and Maple Candied Pecans
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Glazed Pumpkin Crumb Muffins
Hi! This looks delicious! Question – is there any substitute for the oat/rice flour in the gluten free version? I can’t have grains, so I was wondering if something like almond flour would work?!
Hi Emma, I’m sure there is an acceptable almond flour blend that would work in place of the grain flours, but I haven’t tested it and wouldn’t know the proper measurements to recommend to you. Without eggs, almond flour needs a starch, like cornstarch or tapioca flour to help hold it together. Maybe a paleo flour blend would work? Bob’s Red Mill has a pre-packaged version and there are several recipes online that combine almond flour, arrowroot, tapioca, and coconut flours to make a paleo flour blend. If you do test it, I’d start with 1/2 or 1/3 of a recipe to see how it turns out before making a full recipe and wasting ingredients. I know they can be pretty costly! Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi Joscelyn!!!
Thanks for sharing this super awesome recipe! Made it today.. duplicated the recipe and was able fo get 12 mid size bundt cakes… holy smokes! Delicious!!!
Just made your cake for a party yesterday and everyone loved it! I was worried I had done something wrong because the batter was VERY thick, but it came out perfectly and was wonderfully moist. Thank you!!
Omg totally! The batter was a concern for me as well! But yumo!!
Thank you for the kind words and encouragement! It really means a lot to me. I’m glad to hear you all enjoyed the cake!
Joscelyn this is AMAZING! I need to make this asap! And I love that sweet story of your grandma— I have very similar memories at my grandma’s house 🙂
Thank you friend!
Just stunning, this is the perfect pumpkin cake! 🙂
Wow that’s pretty easy! I also love the photos, I kinda smelled the pumpkin while looking into them LOL
– Peng
http://www.pengandpaper.com
Lol, thanks Peng!
I don´t know what I did wrong, but my cake looks raw inside 🙁
I’m sorry, Pauli! It must’ve needed to be baked longer. The bake time will vary on your oven and the pan you used. Also, if your oven runs a little hotter than usual, it can cause the outside of the cake to cook faster than the inside. If it’s still in the pan, put it back in the oven for 10-15 more minutes, until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
Love it that it is vegan and refined sugar free. Looks yummy.
That looks SO YUMMY OMG.
This looks sooo yummy! Bonus that it is vegan! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will surely give this a try 🙂
This looks so tasty & perfect for Fall!!
Hi!! Looks amazing! I was just wondering what the apple cider vinegar does for the recipe? I have all the other ingredients except that one. Would it be that bad to leave it out?
Thank you, Lindsay! The apple cider vinegar adds a tang, kind of like buttermilk or sour cream. Do you have white vinegar? You could use that instead. Let me know how it goes!
The vinegar (acid) helps the rise. This is key because there are no eggs to help the rise.
It’s great you can keep those memories of time spent with your Grandma alive with your bundt cake. The pictures of you cake are absolutely beautiful. I’ve had vegan desserts before and the substitutes can make a cake just as good as one made with dairy and eggs.
Wow that looks incredible! Save me a slice!
Haha! Passing you one now
Personally, I’ve never tried any vegan recipes. This honestly looks so good, though, that I may try. We have a number of food allergies that make holidays tough. This one looks like it fits our Thanksgiving bill pretty nicely.
This cake looks so delicious! I love pumpkin during this time of year.
Madelain | http://www.wheremyheartwanders.com
so im physically drooling over this right now! oh my goodness how yummy!
Oh my gosh, this recipe looks amazing! I was planning on doing some baking this weekend, so I will have to try this recipe out!
OMGoodness…this all looks too delicious! My sweet tooth is soooo happy! definitely will have to give this a try!Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you Christine!
Delicious looking cake. I’m not much of a baker but my cousin loves it. I’ll pass this onto her.
Thank you for passing it on! Have a great weekend!
Yum! The pumpkin looks like it makes the cake so moist, and the frosting looks divine. Thank you for including a gluten-free recipe as well!
Thank you, Emmi! I try, as much as possible, to include gluten-free options. I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Oh my yum! Pinning and making! Delish!
xoxo Christie
http://www.icanstyleu.com/blog/
Mm this looks spectacular and decadent! Pumpkin everything rocks 🙂