This simply delicious pumpkin cake is perfectly moist and tender, packed with warm autumn spices and topped with an easy cream cheese frosting that can easily be made dairy free! It’s gluten free and grain free plus easy and fun to throw together!
You’re never going to find me NOT obsessing over pumpkin recipes in October!
It was time for a pumpkin cake. Not just a coffee cake (though I LOVE my pumpkin coffee cake) and though I love my bundt cake too, I was craving frosting on my cake!
Enter this incredibly delicious yet also super easy pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.
You can make this one with or without dairy and it’s grain free and gluten free.
Packed with flavor, moist and tender and just all around perfection!
My kiddos (teens now) freaking LOVED this one.
And all of you will too, I’m sure! Let’s get into the details so you can make it ASAP!
What You Need To Make This Pumpkin Cake
If you’re familiar with grain free baking, you probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry!
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this pumpkin cake:
Cake Batter:
- pumpkin puree
- eggs
- maple sugar or coconut sugar (or light brown sugar if you prefer)
- ghee or unsalted butter
- pure vanilla extract
- blanched almond flour
- tapioca flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- pumpkin pie spice
- ground cinnamon
- fine grain sea salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- dairy free cream cheese, or regular, if dairy is okay
- unsalted grass fed butter or vegan butter
- organic powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit sweetener
- pure vanilla extract
How to Make The Best Grain Free Pumpkin Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a square cake pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, ghee or butter and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate large bowl, combine both flours, the baking soda and powder, spices and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine, then pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until set and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
(Continued below)
Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack.
While the cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting.
In a large bowl, place the cream cheese and softened butter.
Use an electric hand mixer on medium speed to cream them together until smooth, then add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Lastly, add in the vanilla and beat on low to combine.
Once the cake has fully cooled, spread the frosting in a thick layer over the top of the cake.
Serve right away or refrigerate and serve up to 24 hours later. You can store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Dairy Free Options for Cream Cheese Frosting
My favorite dairy free cream cheese to use for frosting is from Violife, but I’ve also used the almond milk Kite Hill cream cheese with good results.
For a store bought dairy free alternative to cream cheese frosting, the Miss Jones organic cream cheese frosting is great, made with coconut oil and very minimal, clean ingredients.
For cream cheese frosting, I prefer to use organic powdered sugar to sweeten it, but if you need a zero sugar option you can replace the sugar with powdered monk fruit sweetener.
I know you’ll love this cake just as much as my family does! Let’s get baking!
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting {Gluten Free, Grain Free}
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting {Gluten Free, Grain Free}
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar* or a mix
- 3 tablespoons ghee or butter melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz dairy free cream cheese like Kite Hill or regular, if dairy is okay
- 1/4 cup unsalted grass fed butter or vegan butter softened**
- 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit sweetener
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a square cake pan with parchment paper.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, ghee or butter and vanilla until smooth.
-
In a separate large bowl, combine both flours, the baking soda and powder, spices and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine, then pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
-
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until set and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
-
Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack.
-
While the cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, place the cream cheese and softened butter. Use an electric hand mixer on medium speed to cream them together until smooth, then add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Lastly, add in the vanilla and beat on low to combine.
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Once the cake has fully cooled, spread the frosting in a thick layer over the top of the cake. Serve right away or refrigerate and serve up to 24 hours later. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Light brown sugar will also work well
This cake is autumn in slice form! I love that you kept it naturally sweetened—those dates in the batter make it so moist I skipped the maple in the frosting and still felt like I was eating cloud-topped pumpkin bread. The grain-free blend you use (almond + tapioca) gives it that classic spongy crumb without any grit; my non-paleo coworkers couldn’t tell. I baked it in a 9-inch square and it was gone before the cream cheese even set. New holiday staple for sure!
For more cozy, allergy-friendly bakes and holiday menu inspo, swing by —we’re collecting crave-worthy treats everyone can share.
Pumpkin + cream-cheese clouds minus gluten = fall on a fork, no grain pains! If you also like turning minimal slices into maximum joy, swing by lovemoney.love
Absolutely loved this! Made with dairy free cream cheese. 10/10
Yum! Adding this to our meal plan.
Quick question – do you have nutrition info? I’m tracking macros for fitness. I use
SuperCalc’s free calorie calculators to plan portions.
Would love calories per serving if you have it! Thanks!
This pumpkin cake looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
This pumpkin cake sounds absolutely heavenly — the perfect blend of cozy spices and creamy sweetness! I love that it’s both gluten free and grain free, yet still so rich and satisfying. The option to make the frosting dairy free is such a thoughtful touch too. It’s wonderful to see a recipe that feels indulgent but inclusive for all kinds of eaters. Definitely adding this to my fall baking list!
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I made this pumpkin cake yesterday and omg it turned out sooo good!
Super soft, really moist, and that cream cheese frosting was next-level.
Totally making this again before the season’s over.
Thanks for sharing this gem!
Wow, this combo sounds perfect for fall. Thanks for sharing!
This pumpkin cake is fall on a fork—baking it tonight! Sharing my swirl-top shots on IG; lock in your handle before posting at