It’s officially all-the-things-with-pumpkin season! I must confess, I did not make it all the way to Labor Day before baking with pumpkin. I just couldn’t do it. On a day that got as warm as 94 degrees, I fired up the oven and baked Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake. You’re gonna love this one. It’s all things comfort food, pumpkin and cinnamon rolls colliding, yet it’s pretty quick to make. No waiting on dough to rise overnight, quick enough to whip up in the morning.
I’ve created this recipe in an 8×8 size, as many of you have told me baking larger sweet dishes is too much of a temptation or you have a small household and just don’t need a huge dish of something like this. I had the best of intentions even with an 8×8 of this cake to share with the neighbors. Yeah…it never made it there. The two of us made embarrassingly quick work of this cake, which required me to make another “test” batch. You know, just to be sure I had the recipe down, to ensure it worked well for you when you open that first can of pumpkin for the season. 😉
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and has less refined sugar. I’ve used coconut sugar but chose to use a bit of powdered sugar for the glaze. I’ve tried alternatives in the past and just prefer powdered sugar in a glaze in a cinnamon roll-type application. You’re welcome to try a substitute if powdered sugar doesn’t work for you. I have not attempted this recipe without eggs. If you do, please let us all know in the comments. Other readers would certainly benefit from your experiments.
A couple other quick notes on ingredients: the aforementioned coconut sugar is available at most grocers now. I’ve spotted a store brand at Hy-Vee stores in the midwest, Trader Joe’s carries an organic variety for a terrific price, the Madhava brand is available at many other stores. Don’t let the word “coconut” confuse you. It is not made from the fruit of the coconut tree and has no coconut flavor. It is made from the flower blossoms of the coconut tree and has a rich, caramel flavor.
You may also notice I have recommended Vanilla Bean Paste (VBP) in the recipe. I much prefer VBP to vanilla extract. It’s thick and gel-like with an intense vanilla flavor and pretty little vanilla bean flecks. It’s a bit more pricey than a good vanilla extract, but once you bake with it, you’ll be hooked. I’m not even sure I have regular extract at the moment, VBP is definitely my preference.
Alright, here we go. Let’s get the pumpkin madness kicked off!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 1 1/2 cups Johnna's Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- dash of sea salt
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened almond)
- 1 egg from a Happy Hen
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned, not pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks or coconut oil , softened
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned, not pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- (Alternatively, you can use 2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice)
For the Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
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Lightly oil an 8 x 8 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir well to combine.
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Make a well in the dry ingredients, then add egg, pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Stir well to combine.
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Pour into baking dish.
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In a small mixing bowl, combine all topping ingredients, stirring until well combined.
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Drop dollops of topping onto the batter.
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Pull a knife through in vertical stripes, then in horizontal stripes to marble the topping into the batter.
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Place in over for 35-37 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
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While cake is baking, mix the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Drizzle over the top of the cake while it is still warm.
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Allow cake to cool for 10-15 minutes (if you can wait that long--it's challenging!) and slice into pieces to serve. Best enjoyed while still a bit warm.
Ooooh, that sure looks and sounds divine, Johnna! Like I said on Facebook, you excel at cinnamon roll factors for sure! 🙂 It won’t be long before I’ll be ready for pumpkin desserts, and this one will be the first one I make!
Thanks, Johnna!
Shirley
I’m not sure why I jumped the gun on pumpkin this year, Shirley, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. And it’s HOT here! I do hope you’ll make this and enjoy it. It was gone in a hurry here!
Made it. Loved it. Still talking about it!
I can tolerate dairy, so I used regular butter and cow’s milk, the pumpkin pie spice option (it’s what we had up north at the cottage) and vanilla extract. Also, Pamela’s flour mix. Turned out ah-mazing!!!! As in, it was gone in two days. Wishing I had a piece right now!!! Thank you for sharing this. xoxo
Thanks for sharing your modifications, Sarah! I’m tickled to hear you liked it!!
I made this last night and it was so good! Thanks for the recipe Johnna! Everyone that tried it loved it.
Yay! I love hearing this. So glad it was enjoyed!
Question..any way to break this down..carbs? Sugars?calories?
I’m already Gf and now I’m trying a low carb/ high fat diet
Hi Carol. Thanks for dropping by!
If you are trying to determine the nutrition content of this recipe or any of my recipes, I would recommend cutting and pasting the ingredient list into one of the sites that specializes in this information, such as happyforks.com, sparkpeople.com, myfitnesspal.com or caloriecount.com.
Nutrition information is not included in my recipes as there are too many variables for the information to be correct. In the gluten-free and food allergy community, many are making substitutions to fit their needs, using a different brand of flour than what I have used, an egg substitute, different brand/variety of dairy-free milk, etc…
What I can say for certain is that this is a sweet cake. It is not low carb by any stretch of the imagination. LOL 🙂
I do quite a bit of baking, often Johnna’s, and have found that Splenda (I find the brand name to be far superior) replaces almost all sugars very well. The exception is brown sugar. For that I buy extra dark brown sugar and use half that and half Splenda.
This looks delicious, Johnna! Thanks for sharing it at Gluten-Free Recipe Fix. I just shared it.
Thanks so much, Linda!
Looks amazing, has anyone tried making this egg free?
Yes! I’ve made this using a flax or chia slurry instead of the egg. (1 Tablespoon flax meal or chia meal in 3 Tablespoons of hot water, let sit for 5 minutes.)
I’ve been making this every year since it was published here and we LOVE IT!!! Gluten eaters are always asking for the recipe and it could not be easier to make.
I’ve subbed flours, milks, sugars, butters, depending what I’ve had on hand and it has turned out beautifully every single time. These are my favorite kinds of recipes — they work even with some tweaking for dietary needs and availability! We have also done it sans glaze or let people put their own on and it’s still delish, but perfect for a little less sweet option.
Highly, highly recommend this one! (And this is coming from a picky pumpkin eater!)