Flourless Pumpkin Cake

Did I mention this luxurious flourless pumpkin cake is dairy free and has no added fat, as well? It might just be the perfect dessert, period!

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, along with 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 and my Flourless Walnut Cake with Fresh Figs. Both cakes slice beautifully, and take a lacy powdered sugar design well (see the end of the post for directions.)

flourless pumpkin cake ingredient notes

• pumpkin puree
  • use canned pumpkin puree for best results. Homemade puree can be extra wet, so plan on squeezing out excess moisture or cooking it down in a saucepan.
• eggs
• almond flour*
• sugar
• cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg
• baking powder
• confectioner’s sugar

*almond flour vs almond meal

Both will work in this cake, and each will give it a slightly different personality. Key Differences:

• Blanching: Almond flour uses blanched almonds (skins removed), while almond meal uses unblanched almonds(skins intact).
• Texture: Almond flour is finer and better suited for delicate pastries, while almond meal is coarser and works well in heartier recipes.
• Flavor: Almond meal has a slightly more pronounced almond flavor due to the skins.

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.

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.

1. 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.
2. This process will not take long, so take care not to over-process or you’ll end up with almond butter!

How to serve flourless pumpkin cake

• This cake can be served plain, along with some whipped cream or ice cream on the side.
• You can simply 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.

my lace decorating technique

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.

1. Make sure your cake surface is dry, flat, and cooled. Not all cakes are good candidates for this treatment.
2. 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.
3. Lay your doily or piece of lace down on the cake or counter and spread it out carefully.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 Cake

4.77 from 34 votes

Flourless Pumpkin Cake is a delicious gluten free dessert with no added fat.

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Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:45 minutes minutes

Total Time:55 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

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Equipment

• 10 inch tart pan

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 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

I recommend almond flour for this cake. You can also use almond meal, which is a little coarser, but the texture of the cake will be rougher. You can also make your own almond flour by grinding raw or blanched almonds in a high speed blender or food processor, but that will also yield a rougher texture. Not necessarily a bad thing, but be aware.

*See the post for details on how to make your own almond flour, and how to decorate this cake with a powdered sugar lace pattern.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: cake, dessert, fall, flourless, gluten free, pumpkin, Thanksgiving

Nutrition

Calories: 298 kcal · Carbohydrates: 30 g · Protein: 9 g · Fat: 18 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 49 mg · Sodium: 21 mg · Potassium: 132 mg · Fiber: 5 g · Sugar: 22 g · Vitamin A: 5366 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 106 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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