Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake is moist, fluffy and covered in a rich "cream cheese" frosting. It comes together in one bowl and is refined sugar free too. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

How to make this recipe

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

• Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!

• Transfer the batter to a one-pound loaf tin.

Tip: Make sure to line the loaf tin with greased baking paper - this will make removing the bread from the tin so much easier!

• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

• Remove from the loaf tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack before frosting.

• Use a knife (or palette knife for frosting) to spread the frosting over the top of the loaf.

• Decorate with chopped dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Substitutions you can make

• You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
• You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
• You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, date syrup etc.
• You can replace the ground almonds with ground walnuts.
• For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds with ground sunflower seeds, use a nut-free plant-based milk and use a coconut cream-based cream cheese frosting instead.
• You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
• You can use either shop-bought pumpkin purée or make our own.
• The pumpkin purée can be replaced with sweet potato or butternut squash purée.
• The mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice) and ginger can be omitted.

Ingredients you can add to the cake batter

• Chocolate chips. 
• Dried cranberries.
• Chopped pecan nuts.

How long does this Pumpkin Loaf Cake keep for?

This Pumpkin Loaf Cake tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

More gluten-free vegan loaf cakes

• Carrot Bread
• Orange Drizzle Cake
• Fruit Cake
• Orange Pound Cake
• Lemon Bread
• Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make this recipe

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake is moist, fluffy and covered in a rich "cream cheese" frosting. It comes together in one bowl and is refined sugar free too.

4.56 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free pumpkin cake, vegan pumpkin cake, vegan pumpkin dessert

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 10 slices

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cake:

• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• ▢ 150 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 225 g (1 cup) pumpkin purée
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Pinch salt
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons mixed spice to taste (pumpkin pie spice, or a mixture of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger

For the frosting***:

• ▢ 100 g (⅔ cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
• ▢ 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice

To decorate (optional):

• ▢ Dried cranberries , roughly chopped
• ▢ Pumpkin seeds

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if not using any other oil).
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the pumpkin purée, vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and ground ginger.
• Mix well, adding a splash more milk if looking too dry.
• Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper (I used a one-pound loaf tin).
• Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Once out the oven, leave to cool on a wire rack before applying the frosting.

For the frosting:

• Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
• Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.

To frost and decorate the cake:

• Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the loaf.
• Decorate with chopped dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, if desired.
• Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Video

Notes

*The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the bread fluffy. If you can’t get hold of vinegar, substitute it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

**You can alternatively use almond flour.

***You can alternatively use this coconut cream-based cream cheese frosting.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 327 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Sodium 53mg2%

Potassium 342mg10%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 19g21%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 3502IU70%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 170mg17%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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