Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting (grain free, paleo)

Sep 18, 2020 | Desserts

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting (grain-free, paleo)

We’re ringing in the weekend with cake over here, which is the perfect way to celebrate the little things in 2020. With so much change in our lives this year I think it’s important to find the things to get excited about, and cake it the perfect way to turn anything into a special occasion. If cake is the best part of my 2020 I’m very much ok with it. Plus, this fluffy, moist Paleo Pumpkin cake is the perfect cake to be making as fall rolls in. It’s lightly sweet, laced with cinnamon, and topped off with a luscious salted caramel frosting.

As if that wasn’t enough to be excited about, this gluten free pumpkin cake only needs 1 bowl and less than an hour to put together, which is my preferred effort level for cake. If you thought that paleo desserts had to be complicated, think again my friend.

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

Also, can we talk about pumpkin for a minute? I know it’s a little overdone these days with all of the basic white girls (sorry, I’m one of them.) But pumpkin is truly a super ingredient. It’s good in everything from cake to bread to cookies, and then it can cross over to the savory world and be an amazing soup, mac n cheese, or stuffing. It’s like the zucchini of fall–you can’t go wrong with it.

How to make the best Paleo Pumpkin Cake

This one-bowl pumpkin cake is pretty much foolproof.  I especially love this recipe because it’s not too sweet–it only takes 1/2 cup sugar and a touch of honey, and it’s nut-free (unlike most paleo recipes out there.)

This recipe is about as easy a cake gets, but here are a few tips for getting a moist, delicious pumpkin cake:

  • Make sure your eggs (and the rest of your ingredients) are room temperature.
  • Line the bottom of your baking pan with parchment and spray with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
  • Don’t overmix! You want an ever so slightly lumpy batter–it just works better.
  • Remember to cool the cake all the way before frosting

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Cassava flour: this is my favorite gluten free flour! You can find it in most stores now. I usually go for Pamelas, Bobs, or Ottos.
  • Coconut Flour: I find this helps my cassava flour go further and gives a tighter crumb and a bit of fluff to baked goods.
  • Coconut sugar: a lower inflammatory sugar option that I use in most of my baking.
  • Honey: Adds a bit of moisture and natural sweetness.
  • Baking soda: for that fluff factor.
  • Coconut oil: You can also substitute avocado oil.
  •  Eggs: Remember to use room temp eggs! I have not tested this recipe with flax eggs, but let me know how it goes if you do!
  • Full fat coconut milk, or another non-dairy milk such as almond milk, with apple cider vinegar added to make a “buttermilk”
  • Cinnamon: I love how cinnamon highlights the pumpkin flavor!
  • Nutmeg: Nutmeg compliments cinnamon so nicely.
  • Canned pumpkin: Wouldn’t be pumpkin cake without it! Make sure to use pure canned pumpkin and not a pumpkin pie filling (pumpkin should be the only ingredient.)

 

Paleo Salted Caramel Frosting

The literal icing on the cake in this recipe is the Salted Caramel Frosting. It’s 100% Paleo, and it’s what some might call “semi-homemade.” I frosted the cake with Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting (It’s Paleo/Vegan and amazing!) and then Swirled in a big spoonful of my Paleo Date Caramel Sauce. The date caramel is all made in a food processor and only takes a minute to whip up, so while this frosting might sound fancy it’s actually one of the easiest frosting situations ever. Top it off with some fancy sea salt and no one will know how simple the recipe really is!  While this cake is already amazing all on its own the frosting definitely brings it to the next level–you’d never guess how healthy it all really is!

If you want to make your vanilla frosting from scratch you can follow the recipe for my Vegan Matcha Buttercream and leave out the matcha.

Paleo Pumpkin Cupcakes

If you’re in a mood for grain-free pumpkin cupcakes you can easily use this recipe to make it happen! This recipe will make about 8-9 medium-sized pumpkin cupcakes, and you can keep the salted caramel frosting recipe the same. Just make sure you use parchment baking tins to keep the cupcakes from sticking and lower the baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

Other Paleo Cake Recipes:

 

Without further ado, it’s time to make some paleo pumpkin cake! I’d love to see your beautiful creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook!

Grain-Free Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

COURSE Dessert
Cuisine American
PREP TIME 10 minutes
COOK TIME 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME 40 minutes
SERVINGS 10

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1 cup cassava flour

For Frosting:

  • 1 Can Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting
  • 1/2 batch of my Vegan Salted Date Caramel

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper and coconut oil.
  2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, honey, and sugar until well combined and the sugar has begun to dissolve. Add pumpkin and coconut oil and beat again for a minute, then stir in coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla, and baking soda.
  3. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cassava flour, and coconut flour to the wet ingredients and fold until well combined. Allow the batter to sit for 2-3 minutes to absorb. If the batter is too thick add 2 tbsp dairy-free milk, then pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
  5. Once out the oven, cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To Make Salted Caramel Frosting:

  1. Frost the cake with the vanilla, then add a spoonful of the caramel and drizzle it over the cake. use the back of a spoon to lightly swirl the caramel into the frosting without overmixing, then garnish with a bit of fancy sea salt.

Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!
Fluffy and moist grain-free pumpkin cake topped with a paleo salted caramel frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

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MEET THE AUTHOR

Hey! I’m Moriah– a commercial and editorial food photographer and creative entrepreneur who is perpetually drinking coffee and covered in dog hair. I write this blog from New York City where I run my creative agency, The B Edit. I write this blog in the hopes that you can one day have your creative dream job, too!   

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