Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

close up photo of slice of pumpkin chocolate cake with whipped cream on top

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

This Gluten-free Pumpkin Chocolate Cake is moist and flavorful with the perfect balance of cocoa and pumpkin spice.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 172kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

8x8 light aluminum cake pan
Mixing bowls

Ingredients

1 cup King Arthur measure for measure all-purpose gluten-free flour -145g, sifted (if you don't need a GF version, you can use regular all-purpose flour here)
⅓ cup cocoa powder (Dutch process recommended for the best rich chocolate flavor)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup avocado oil (or melted butter)
1 cup granulated sugar (can swap with coconut sugar or granulated maple sugar, not syrup)
2 large eggs room temperature
¼ cup buttermilk (or plain unsweetened kefir) room temp
15 oz can pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional) or frost it with the chocolate buttercream frosting recipe, included in the post

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an (8-inch) square baking pan with butter or cooking oil spray and set aside. I like to make a parchment paper sling that goes along the bottom and up the sides for easy release.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together oil (or melted butter), sugar, eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla.
Whisk the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined, then transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs. *Oven temps and baking times with different pans can vary. I always check the cake with a cake tester in several places before pulling it from the oven.
Set aside to let cool completely, then cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar, or top with whipped cream or optional chocolate frosting (recipe in post).

Notes

*Adjust oven temp for dark metal pans. If you are baking the cake in a dark pan, reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees F and start checking the cake about 10 minutes earlier than the suggested bake time, since dark metal pans absorb and distribute heat faster than lighter-colored pans. This helps avoid burning from overexposure to heat.

*Toppings. See the "Serving Ideas" section of the post for tasty frosting options.

Nutrition