This Flourless Pumpkin Spice Cake is the ultimate gluten free fall dessert ~ it’s like a cross between a pumpkin cake and a pumpkin pie ~ denser than cake, lighter than pie ~ it’s the goldilocks of pumpkin desserts. Did I mention this luxurious treat has no added fat, as well? It might just be the perfect dessert, period!
Gluten free diets have been super popular for a while, but you definitely don’t need to be eating gluten free to fall head over heels in love with this simple pumpkin cake. It follows in a long line of gluten free cakes on this blog. And even though I happily eat gluten every day 😉 I am obsessed with the luxurious texture of gluten free desserts, especially cakes. As a bonus they’re some of the quickest and easiest desserts you can make.
What is a naturally gluten free dessert?
I consider this a naturally gluten free dessert, meaning there were no substitutions necessary to make it gluten free, the regular ingredients all happen to be deliciously gluten free.
There is no need for wheat flour in this cake because almond meal (aka almond flour) takes its place. Almond meal cakes are traditional in Europe and many other parts of the world.
Almond flour adds just enough structure to this cake, but also lends it incredible tenderness, too.
If you’re a fan of my other gluten free cakes you’ll recognize what I call its unique fluffy/dense texture.
It sounds like a contradiction, but I think you can see it if you look closely at the photos. The cake is moist and not airy, but has a large crumb to it as well, which I think is lovely. This same texture can be found in my Gluten Free Tangerine Cake. Both cakes slice beautifully, and take a lacy powdered sugar design well (see the end of the post for directions.)
Pumpkin puree has the unique ability to create a moist, rich cake without any added fat. Amazing!
What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?
- Both almond meal and almond flour are made by grinding almonds, but the meal is a coarser grind, while the flour is lighter and finer.
- Almond meal is sometimes made with whole almonds, with their skins on. This gives it color and texture, as well as a deeper flavor.
- Almond flour is usually made by grinding blanched, or skinned, almonds for a lighter, finer result.
- Both will work in this cake, and each will give it a slightly different personality.
- Almond flour has gotten so popular lately that there are lots of choices on the market. My current preference for baking desserts like this flourless pumpkin cake is a super fine almond flour, and several brands make it. You might find it at your larger supermarkets, or you can always find it online.
How to make your own almond flour ~
Sometimes it can be difficult to find almond flour in your regular grocery store, but worry not, it couldn’t be easier to make yourself. You’ll need a food processor or high speed blender like a Vitamix to do it.
- Put whole almonds, either raw or blanched, into the bowl of your processor or blender. Pulse or pulse and briefly run the machine until the almonds have been ground into a fluffy flour. With the Vitamix I sometimes have to rearrange or stir the almonds once or twice, but it happens quite quickly.
- This process will not take long, so take care not to over-process or you’ll end up with almond butter!
How to serve this flourless pumpkin cake ~
- This cake can be served plain, along with some whipped cream or ice cream on the side.
- You can dust with powdered sugar.
- I like to decorate the top with powdered sugar in a lace pattern. Different types of lace will create endless different designs. This is your chance to make use of those thrift store finds, or any vintage crochet you’ve got stashed away gathering dust.
Tips and techniques for decorating a cake with lace ~
I lay a piece of lace or crochet over the top of the cooled cake and dust with powdered sugar through a mesh strainer. Then I carefully lift the lace to reveal the pattern. It’s amazing how much detail comes through.
- Make sure your cake surface is dry, flat, and cooled. Not all cakes are good candidates for this treatment.
- Make sure your doily is unrumpled, and has enough perforations to make a good design. Iron it if necessary, and test it out first on the counter.
- Lay your doily or piece of lace down on the cake or counter and spread it out carefully.
- Using a mesh sieve, liberally sprinkle powdered sugar all over the surface. Be sure to cover the edges, too, so your whole design will show. Very carefully lift the lace off the surface to reveal the design. If you’re doing a large surface it can be useful to have a helper for 2 extra hands.
- Use confectioner’s sugar on medium to dark desserts, and cocoa powder on light ones. You can even mix cinnamon or other spices with the powdered sugar for different flavors and effects.
- Decorate your cake just before serving. Sometimes moisture from the cake will erode the deign over time. With this cake the sugar design held up really well.
- Experiment with different patterns ~ you can use paper stencils as well as fabric.
Useful equipment
- Lace doilies or crochet lace from your grandmother, the thrift store, or online!
- A fine mesh strainer, I like to use a medium to large size for this project, it helps get the sugar evenly coated.
Flourless Pumpkin Spice Cake
Equipment
- 10 inch tart pan
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 12 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 cups almond meal or almond flour
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom, or a springform pan.
- Whisk or beat together the eggs and sugar, then beat in the pumpkin, baking powder, and spices. I do this in my food processor, but you don’t have to. Just make sure the eggs and sugar are well combined.
- Fold in the almond flour. Turn the batter into your pan, and smooth it out with an offset spatula so that the surface is completely flat and even.
- Place your pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (it will be moist, but no wet batter clinging to it.) Don’t over bake this cake.
- Let cool on a rack and then remove from the pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, or decorate with a lace pattern (see post for specific directions.)
Notes
Nutrition
Can this cake be frozen?
Yes, it will freeze fine.
O!M!G!!!!!! I made this today–so easy! The result? Sensational! Just as you said, like a cross between a pie and a cake. This one goes on the MAKE IT FOREVER list!
Thanks so glad you liked it, Happy Holidays!
OMG made this cake yesterday for my bakery. We had to sample it’s so light and moist.
So happy you loved it Bonnie, I hope it’s a good seller!
Loved this but used pumpkin pie spice instead of other spices. 1 tbsp and it worked great! Going to try adding mini choc chips next time.
Love that idea!
I plan on making this for a Halloween event, but I’m thinking of separating the yolks and whites, and beating the whites to fold into the pumpkin/yolk/almond mixture to make it lighter. Have you tried it this way?
I used this recipe as a base recipe for a coconut cake at Easter, using Coco Lopez instead of the pumpkin and extra sugar. The texture was good and the cake was very moist and tasty. It may be a challenge, but next time I plan to add some crushed pineapple for a pina colada cake.
So creative!
Thanks for your hard work and creativity. It’s a good cake. I baked it in a stone bundt pan and all went well. I’ll be adding a cream cheese coconut-pecan frosting and serving it at a dinner tomorrow. Some had asked about making this recipe into muffins. I made a couple so I could sample the recipe without wrecking my cake. They baked in about 20 minutes, but didn’t puff up like typical muffins. I would probably add some raisins or cranberries, maybe even a few white chocolate chips, if I was intending to serve them as muffins. As someone who lives almost grain free, I can definitely say this going into my go to box, though next time I will probably use a little more spice and maybe some brown sugar. There’s no added oil or butter in the recipe, but the eggs and almond flour both contain fat so the recipe is not really fat free as it says in the description.
What is the texture like? Could it be used for a pumpkin roll, or is it too crumbly?
Pumpkin roll cake is a pretty specific thing, so I can’t really say whether this would work or not, the texture of this cake is soft and plush, not crumbly.
Can this be made low carb by utilizing monk fruit?
Thank you!
Jeannie
I don’t have a lot of experience baking with monk fruit Jeannie, but if you can find it in granulated form that works in a 1 to 1 ratio, it should be fine.