This cozy gluten-free almond flour pumpkin cake has delicious pumpkin flavor, plenty of warm spices, and an easy cinnamon frosting to tie it all together. It’s the perfect fall treat recipe for pumpkin season!
A Cozy Cake For Pumpkin Season!
This almond flour pumpkin cake cake has consistently been one of my most popular fall recipes since it was originally shared in 2019. People have baked it as a Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving dessert, brought it to book club, shared it for birthdays, and tried is as a cozy weekend baking project. There’s just SO much to love about it!
We’ve updated the photos, videos, and baking tips to make it even easier to make. I hope you love it just as much as we do. Happy gluten-free baking! xo, Emily
Gather Your Ingredients
So how do we pack all that cozy fall flavor and fluffy, moist texture into this gluten-free pumpkin cake recipe? Let’s take a look at our ingredients list:
How To Make Almond Flour Pumpkin Cake, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper. (I like a ceramic pan or glass pan for this cake, since it bakes more gently.)
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Whisk to combine until evenly blended, then set aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, maple syrup, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Finish the Batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixture and stir until the flour mixture is just blended in.
- Bake. Pour cake batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Cake COMPLETELY. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before you add the frosting. (Otherwise the frosting will melt on the cake!)
- Make Frosting. In a large mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, softened butter, maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon milk, the cinnamon, and vanilla, along with a small pinch of salt. Beat on low speed with a hand mixer for 30-60 seconds just until the powdered sugar is moistened, then turn the speed up to medium and beat 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. If the frosting seems too stiff to spread easily, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time. If the frosting seems to loose and isn’t holding its shape, add more powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, until you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Frost The Cake. Spread frosting over the cooled cake before cutting into slices & serving. Enjoy cake right away, or store leftovers covered in the fridge 2-3 days.
Prefer a Naturally Sweetened Frosting? Try This!
I can’t say enough great things about our cinnamon frosting, BUT, if you’re paleo, avoiding refined sugar, or simply want a different frosting, you might like one of these naturally-sweetened frosting options. (The cake itself is a pretty healthy pumpkin cake recipe!)
- How to Make Paleo Powdered Sugar (then you can use it in my frosting recipe!) – Primal Palate
- Keto Cream Cheese Frosting – Cassidy’s Craveable Creations
- Creamy Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting – Minimalist Baker
- Maple Pecan Glaze – Detoxinista
- Paleo & Vegan Medjool Date Caramel Sauce – Feasting on Fruit
Or, you can skip the frosting and add some chocolate chips to the cake or serve slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Almond Flour Pumpkin Cake
CAN I SUBSTITUTE THE ALMOND FLOUR FOR SOMETHING ELSE? Not if you want the same result. Almond flour is not a 1:1 substitute for other gluten-free flours, like 1:1 gluten-free flour, oat flour, or coconut flour. Coconut flour, for instance, absorbs several times its own volume in liquid, so unless you adjust the amounts of flour and/or wet ingredients, it will not work. Swapping coconut flour 1:1 will give you a dry, crumbly, crusty cake. No bueno.
CAN I USE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE INSTEAD? Yes, though I prefer our custom blend. To substitute in pumpkin spice, use 2 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin spice instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom listed below.
CAN I MAKE THIS CAKE VEGAN? I haven’t tried this gluten-free pumpkin cake recipe without eggs, but I’d LOVE to know how it goes if you try it with flax eggs, additional pumpkin, or a powdered egg replacer! Then, you’d just need to use dairy-free milk and vegan butter (like Earth Balance) in the frosting.
HOW TO MAKE THIS PUMPKIN CAKE PALEO. If you’re strictly paleo, you’ll want to use paleo-approved baking powder (or an additional 1/8 tsp. Baking soda + 1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar). The rest of the cake is 100% paleo approved! As for the frosting, you’ll want to choose one of the naturally sweetened options in the section above this!
HOW TO STORE YOUR GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN CAKE. We keep ours covered in the refrigerator, and it’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it for about 1 month in a freezer-safe bag.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Almond Flour Pumpkin Cake recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Almond Flour Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Frosting
Ingredients
FOR THE GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN CAKE:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup oil (avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable)
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot (can sub cornstarch or tapioca starch)
FOR THE CINNAMON FROSTING:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180 grams)
- 2 Tbsp. butter, softened (or vegan butter)
- 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk I use almond milk–use whatever you drink
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. vanilla
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper. (I like a ceramic pan or glass pan for this cake, since it bakes more gently.)
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Whisk to combine until evenly blended, then set aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, maple syrup, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Finish the Batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixture and stir until the flour mixture is just blended in.
- Bake. Pour cake batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Cake COMPLETELY. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before you add the frosting. (Otherwise the frosting will melt on the cake!)
- Make Frosting. In a large mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, softened butter, maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon milk, the cinnamon, and vanilla, along with a small pinch of salt. Beat on low speed with a hand mixer for 30-60 seconds just until the powdered sugar is moistened, then turn the speed up to medium and beat 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. If the frosting seems too stiff to spread easily, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time. If the frosting seems to loose and isn't holding its shape, add more powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, until you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Frost The Cake. Spread frosting over the cooled cake before cutting into slices & serving. Enjoy cake right away, or store leftovers covered in the fridge 2-3 days.
Notes
- NUTRITION FACTS = CAKE ONLY (since I know many of you will want to make it with a naturally sweetened frosting.)
- CINNAMON FROSTING NUTRITION FACTS. If you’re adding the cinnamon frosting, you’ll add approximately 93 cal + 1.5g fat + 0g protein + 20.5g carbs + 20.2g sugar + 147mg sodium per serving
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
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Hi! Would i be able to make cupcakes with this recipe? and can I use gluten free baking flour instead of almond flour?
Hi! I haven’t made this one as cupcakes yet, but you could certainly give it a try. I wouldn’t recommend using gluten-free flour instead of almond flour because it yields a much drier, denser cake. I’d stick with almond flour for the best results! 🙂
Hi do you think I could substitute the oil for applesauce? 1:1
Emily – You might be able to get away with it, but it will definitely impact the texture. Almond flour runs moist as it is, so applesauce might make it a bit more spongy and dense. If you don’t mind that, you’re probably ok to try! 🙂
Can you substitute another oil for the avacado oil?
Hi! You can definitely substitute it. I recommend a neutral-tasting oil, like grapeseed, sunflower, canola, etc. (rather than coconut, which adds coconut flavor), or you can use melted butter or vegan butter, depending on your dietary needs.
This is absolutely AMAZING :)! I am recently dairy free and gluten free and I’ve been craving a good fall dessert. This is perfect! I made a double recipe and am planning to freeze some, to enjoy whenever I’m craving pumpkin. I’m so glad I found your website… SO many delicious recipes. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you liked it Lia! That’s fantastic! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Hi! I am trying to make this cake for my daughters first birthday in November! Do you think it would be possible to use 3 bananas and only 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup and then do away with the avocado oil? Thank you!
Angelica – You might prefer to make my Almond Flour Banana Cake instead! (It doesn’t use oil, has 3 bananas, and has only 3 Tbsp. of syrup.) You could certainly add the spices from the pumpkin cake recipe to the banana cake recipe if you want those flavors.
This sounds delicious! I cannot have almond flour due to nut allergies. Can I use different flour with the same results?
I’m so sorry, I don’t think so. I tried it with gluten free 1:1 flour and it was more dry and wasn’t tender. I don’t recommend flour substitutions for this recipe, but if you can tolerate regular white flour, you might like this recipe from our pre-gluten-free days!
This was a hit at my Thanksgiving table! My family couldn’t believe it was gluten free and dairy free. I used 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg and cardamom and I loved the taste. I also used a round pan instead of square. Still came out tasty!
Gabby – That’s fantastic!!! We had it for Thanksgiving too, and my gluten-eating relatives had no idea it was GFDF!!!
This is so good and I haven’t even made the frosting yet. I’m going to do that tomorrow.
Oh yayyyy! I love hearing that! (The frosting makes it CRAZY GOOD!)
Made this cinnamon icing with another paleo pumpkin cake recipe! Made it with earth balance vegan butter. Best icing ever for the fall. My husband has already requested it for his birthday cake next month.
Oh fun! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I absolutely cannot wait to make this!
I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂