This gluten free pumpkin cake is slathered in a rich caramel glaze that sets the whole thing off! Dairy free and egg free to boot!
A luscious, moist gluten free and vegan pumpkin cake, complete with a caramel drizzle to kick off the fall!
With the kick off of the fall season looming ever nearer, I made my homemade pumpkin puree.
Have you ever tried fresh pumpkin puree? The flavor is so mild and sweet compared to the stronger flavor of canned pumpkin. It is an extra step, but it is SO worth it…I missed it SO much these last 6 months!! It is like having a best friend back in the fold again.
I wanted a cake to bring over to my friend’s house for supper, and created this off of a regular old recipe I discovered on food.com. I had to make it gluten free and vegan, so I changed most of it! I also created a lovely paleo pumpkin cake too if you need no grains!
The cake by itself is not overly sweet, but has a lovely, moist texture.
Delicious by itself and begging for adaptions (cranberries, chocolate chips, spices, pumpkin seeds, etc!), this cake can hold it own. Don’t be afraid to increase the sweetener to suit your tastes (with the glaze however, sweetness should not be an issue!)
The glaze on these bars really rocks. It is delicious in a very sinful way and quickly turns the bars into a decadent treat. I prefer the use of ghee (casein free butter), but coconut oil and vegan butters also work. They do just do not taste as caramel-esque as the ghee.
Additional gluten free pumpkin recipes ? Click here to see all my recipes that include pumpkin or squash!!
- My Paleo Pumpkin Bread is one of our favorite after school snacks!
- When you want to start the morning right with a balanced smoothie, try my Paleo Pumpkin Pie Smoothie !
- For an extra special holiday treat to top your pumpkin pie, try this Paleo Pumpkin Ice Cream!
- This keto pumpkin bread needs to be in my life STAT!
Topping ideas for this vegan pumpkin cake
While I am hard pressed to imagine who you are (lol!), not everyone will want a caramel topping as the recipe calls for!! SO here are a couple of additional frosting recipes you could try!
- While not dairy free, my maple brown butter cream cheese frosting is a show stopper!
- A traditional buttercream is ALWAYS a good idea!
- This vegan chocolate buttercream would combine two the best flavors!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake Recipe:
If you try this tender a decadent pumpkin cake, be sure to come back and leave a comment!
Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree fresh is best!
- 1 cup palm sugar or other granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup avocado oil any liquid or softened oil would work
- 3 tablespoons chia meal or 1/4 cup flax meal
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon guar gum
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup sorghum flour
Caramel Frosting
- 4 tablespoons ghee butter, or vegan butter of choice
- 1/4 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons almond milk or any milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar we use a corn free version, and any powdered sugar will do, like palm sugar or xylitol, but the flavor will change of course
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9 X 7 rectangular pan (an 8X8 would work too)
- In a mixer, beat the pumpkin through the vanilla until well combined.
- With the mixer still running, sprinkle in the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, and guar gum.
- Continue with the flours.
- Pour into your prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Make the Frosting
- In a small saucepan, bring the butter, palm sugar, and milk to a gentle boil for about a minute.
- Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt.
- In a mixer, beat this mixture with the powdered sugar until well mixed!
- Frost a cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi Tessa,
I love any thing made with pumpkin and theses look wonderful Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned and twitted.
It does look moist and delicious. I like it has no refined sugar in it. I will have to give this one a try.
These bars look amazing! And that frosting, oh my!
These bars look so moist and delicious! I can’t wait to make them. Thanks for linking up with #FoodieFridays!
Christie
http://akitchenhoor.blogspot.com/
These look absolutely scrumptious, Tessa! Can’t go wrong with pumpkin and caramel π
Delicious love pumpkin bars, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop. pinning.
Sounds and looks delicious. Perfect for a healthy snack or when you have some friend or family over. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.
My mouth is watering right now! I may just have to make a batch of these this weekend!
After reading all the reviews on how these “looked” good, I’m thinking, “Come on people, I want to know how these taste!” So I dove in and made a pan last night and they are quite delicioso!! It was 8pm and I didn’t have a pumpkin to roast but next time I’ll try that. One of the best parts about this cake is the frosting! It has just the right amount of salt to give it a salted caramel taste…so good! Even better, I don’t feel guilty giving it to my kids as part of their b-fast b/c it’s healthier than most b-fast pastries out there. Another thumbs up for the diva. π
Do you think these have to have guar gum in them? I don’t have any on hand right now! And I want to make these! Thank you!
Oh wow! This looks amazing! π
Thank you for finally making me excited for fall π
xo
These looks SO tasty and healthy too! I love the combo of pumpkin and caramel, yum. Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!
I love the sound of that frosting, and I also love to make my own pumpkin puree. Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday!
What delicious looking pumpkin bars – and what a great idea to frost them with a caramel frosting! They sound absolutely delicious. I’ve pinned this recipe to my vegan recipes board π
Hi there. Visiting from the Natural Living Monday link up. Love the recipe! We have one completely GFCF in our home, and another with an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts and eggs. I’ll be checking in here often from now on!
These look wonderful! I have a pumpkin I picked up from the farmers market today and I anticipate having lots of leftover puree so I might just have to try this. Thanks for sharing it on WNWNW, Tessa, I’ve pinned it π
Your Pumpkin Bars with that awesome Caramel Frosting look amazing! Have a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Made these without the icing (just trying to avoid sugar). Used xylitol in place of sugar in the dough. Yum!
Yes, we are digging on this recipe right now too Tatyana, thanks for letting me know!
YUM! The icing alone is worth given this recipe a try! I will have to try it with fresh pumpkin puree!
So yummy! Going to serve these up with your amazing pumpkin ice cream recipe.
Yum, what a great idea Niina!
These truly are amazing! With the pumpkin-loving hubby’s bday coming up, guess what’s on tap for dessert π Thanks so much for posting!
Well here’s to round three then Raeleen, so glad you guys are enjoying them as much as us!
Hey Tessa! These look AMAZING. Drool, drool! Thanks for sharing at WW. I also sent you an email re: the cookbook–did you receive it?? If not, let me know, and the best email address to reach you! Thanks. Ricki π
Ooooooo Tessa. These look amazing. I purchased a little sugar pie pumpkin today. They are starting to make a strong appearance at my Coop. I thought, this is the first of like 100 pumpkins I am probably going to buy this fall. Ha ha. Pumpkin season is here and I think your recipe is a great way to start us all off!!! Love, love. xoxo