Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, this moist and fluffy pumpkin cake is perfect for Fall. It’s infused with the warming flavor of pumpkin spice paired with the creamy and cool cream cheese frosting.

The cake itself is just sweet enough and the cream cheese frosting is … simply delicious. I could eat it by the spoonful and even better, you can freeze the leftovers to use later. That way there’s always a supply of vegan cream cheese frosting waiting to be used!

If you really enjoy this pumpkin + cream cheese combination, check out my Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Moist and fluffy pumpkin spice cupcakes with a luscious maple cream cheese frosting … these should be the official cupcake of Fall!

Ingredients in Pumpkin Cake

Eggs – Add structure and stability to this gluten free cake.

Almond Butter – A healthy fat that helps thicken the pumpkin cake batter. My favorite brands are Woodstock, Trader’s Joes, and Whole Foods – just make sure to get the almond butter without added palm oil! You could substitute with cashew butter, but I personally wouldn’t try peanut butter as the flavor would be too strong.

Pumpkin Puree – Make sure to use 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. It’ll create a difference in texture and flavor.

Coconut Sugar – A refined sugar free sweetener with slight caramel esc flavor.

Vanilla Extract – A simple add in that helps elevate the natural flavors and sweetness of the ingredients.

Almond Flour – One of my favorite gluten free flours, make sure to use super fine blanched almond flour for the fine ground texture. My go-to brand is Bob’s Red Mill, the texture is perfect for gluten and grain free baking. You cannot substitute this with another gf flour.

Coconut Flour – Another great option for gluten free baking but be sure to follow the correct recipe measurements. A little bit of coconut flour goes a long way since it’s extra absorbent!

Pumpkin Pie Spice – A warming blend of clove, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. I usually just get mine from Whole Foods or a brand like Simply Organics.

Cream Cheese – I used Kite Hill brand dairy free cream cheese for this frosting. So creamy and rich in flavor yet entirely dairy free! You can also use regular cream cheese if you don’t need this recipe to be dairy free. The frosting will be a thicker consistency, and you can thin it out with 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk if desired.

Butter – My favorite vegan butter is Earth Balance, the texture and flavor is spot on. Feel free to use regular butter if you’re not dairy free.

Powdered Sugar – Creates the fluffy texture of a proper buttercream esc frosting. I love using the brand Wholesome, and make sure to sift the powdered sugar you don’t have a lumpy frosting!

How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8”x8” pan with parchment paper.

2. To a large mixing bowl, add eggs, almond butter, pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.

3. Add almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon to a separate small bowl. Whisk together until combined. 

4. Add the whisked dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Batter will be thick. 

5. Using a spatula, spread batter in an even layer in the parchment-lined 8”x8” baking tray.

6. Move to the oven to bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes (mine took 43 minutes), or until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cake should be browned on top with slightly raised edges

8. Add frosting to cooled cake and cut into 9 slices. Enjoy!

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

I’ve always been a big fan of cream cheese frosting since it has the most creamy and luscious texture! To keep the traditional flavor (and creaminess) I went for a high quality dairy free cream cheese and vegan butter option.

Kite Hill dairy free plain cream cheese is made with a base of almond milk and whips up just like traditional cream cheese. Then for butter, Earth Balance is my favorite!

Then it’s as simple as adding the softened cream cheese, butter, sifted powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Blend together with a hand mixer until evenly combined and smooth. Once the cake is cool, you can spread the frosting and enjoy!

If you don’t need the frosting to be dairy free, you can use regular softened cream cheese and butter. If you make this way, the frosting will be a thicker consistency, but you can thin it out with 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk if desired.

Pumpkin Cake Toppings

This pumpkin cake is tasty enough without a garnish or decoration in sight. But if you’re looking to make this extra stunning, try some of these fun ideas:

Cinnamon – Sprinkle cinnamon overtop or garnish with whole cinnamon sticks.

Walnuts or Pecans – Add crushed walnuts or pecans overtop to add texture both visually and with each bite.

Vegan Caramel – Drizzle homemade vegan caramel overtop for a touch of salty sweetness to this pumpkin cake.

Healthy Pumpkin Desserts

Tis the season for all things pumpkin spice and everything nice. For more healthy pumpkin desserts besides this cake, check out these blog favorites:

1. These Pumpkin Pie Bars have a crisp, shortbread-like crust with a soft and luscious pumpkin pie layer making these the ultimate fall treat. Top with whipped cream, ice cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar to really take these bars to the next level!
2. Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with soft and fluffy texture completed by crisp cinnamon sugar granules on top. These remind me of the fluffy sugar cookies of my childhood just now with a pumpkin spice twist and better-for-you ingredients!

And if you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 🙂

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Author Casey Colodny

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Total: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 bars

Print Leave a Review

Moist and fluffy Pumpkin Cake with a luscious vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Infused with the warming notes of pumpkin spice, this cake is perfect for Fall.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake

• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup natural creamy almond butter
• 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 cup coconut sugar packed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups super fine blanched almond flour
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting*

• 2 tbsp dairy free butter softened, I used Earth Balance
• 8 oz dairy free cream cheese softened, I used Kite Hill
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8”x8” pan with parchment paper.
• To a large mixing bowl, add eggs, almond butter, pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
  
• Add almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon to a separate small bowl. Whisk together until combined.
  
• Add the whisked dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Batter will be thick.
  
• Using a spatula, spread batter in an even layer in the parchment-lined 8”x8” baking tray.
  
• Move to the oven to bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes (mine took 43 minutes), or until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cake should be browned on top with slightly raised edges
  
• While the cake is cooling, prepare your frosting. Add cream cheese, sifted powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Blend together with a hand mixer until evenly combined and smooth.
  
• Add frosting to cooled cake and cut into 9 or 12 slices. Enjoy!
  

Notes

*You will have extra frosting, you can store in the freezer and use later! Or cut the recipe in half if you don’t like a thick layer of frosting.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @themindfulhapa on Instagram and hashtag it #themindfulhapa!

Facebook Pin Recipe