It’s time to end all searches for the best gluten-free pumpkin cake! This magnificently light, fluffy pumpkin sheet cake is easy to make using gluten-free all purpose flour, avoiding common problems like a dense, heavy crumb. How? Using a simple technique borrowed from sponge cake and less oil makes this homemade recipe knock-out airy. Spread on the heavenly whipped cream cheese frosting and you you’ll be in dessert heaven!
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Perfected Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake Recipe
The quest to make the absolutely best homemade pumpkin cake using gluten-free flour isn’t as simple is swapping out a GF flour. I mean, you will get something resembling a cake, and because of the sugar and layer of cream cheese frosting, you may even be somewhat satisfied.
But when it comes to gluten-free pumpkin recipes it takes a little more finesse to make an exceptionally textured light, airy crumb. The end game when making my favorite homemade gluten-free cakes is always having a spot-on taste and texture as the originals. So how do we do that when making a pumpkin sheet cake?
First off, canned pumpkin contains a lot of moisture, which GF starches have a harder time absorbing. When creating this 5-star gluten-free pound cake recipe, the trick was to replace some of the butter with sour cream. For a pumpkin spice cake, I cut back on the amount of oil, by quite a bit. Traditional recipes use on full cup, but that would have left the crumb really dense. Adding only 1/2 cup was the magic mark.
The second trick to making a fluffy, yet still easy cake was borrowing a technique from sponge cakes. The recipe starts off with beating the eggs and granulated sugar together until pale, thick, and tripled in volume. This beats in a lot more air into the cake batter, making a loftier rise.
If I lost you on all the baking jargon, just tune into this one important bit – this is an epic cake with cream cheese frosting you won’t be disappointed by. The batter comes together in minutes, spread in a 9X13-inch cake pan, whip up the fluffiest, creamy frosting, and dig in to pumpkin spice heaven.
Plus, if you love being gushed over, bring this cake to a holiday gathering kind of goes down like these floofy gluten-free pumpkin cream pie cookies. People will be throwing elbows to get to it!
Ingredient Tid Bits
- Canned pumpkin puree – When making GF pumpkin recipes, I always recommend using Libby’s canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). It’s thicker and contains less moisture than other brands. I especially like it when texture is key, like with this ultra creamy gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake.
- Oil – Using less oil is key to not having a dense, heavy crumb. As for the the type of oil, use whatever floats your boat. I use canola oil, but man oh man, do people have opinions about this. If you don’t want to taste the oil, use something neutral flavored, versus coconut or olive oil.
- Gluten-free all purpose flour – I use and recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour, but this sheet cake is rather forgiving when using other GF flour brands too. However, it does need to be a an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, rather than almond flour, oat flour, or something similar.
- Granulated sugar – This is another tweak from other pumpkin cake recipes. Instead of using a mixture of brown sugar with white, I use all white. Brown adds more moisture and weighs down the crumb, so I opted to leave it out.
- Spices – Rather than using a pumpkin spice blend, I like to use my own spice combination, which is a lot more spice-y (yep, that’s a real word 😎). If you want a more subdued spice, don’t have all the spices, or just want to a shortcut, swap out the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg with 3 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend.
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Whisk the dry ingredients separately (Ugh, really?!)
Typically, I’m all about simplifying. But for a fluffy, sponge-like cake crumb, it’s important to not over mix the batter. So, sorry, you’ll have to take an extra minute and whisk together the GF flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. You got this!
Beat up the eggs and sugar
This is also key to getting a loftier cake rise and creating lots of airy pockets. Place the room temp eggs in a large bowl with the granulated sugar. Use a whisk attachment on a stand mixer or hand mixer and beat the smithereens out of it, like 5-7 minutes worth. It will become really pale, thick, and at least tripled in volume.
Mix, but not too much!
Stick with that whisk attachment and beat in the flour mixture, one half at a time until it just comes together. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be mixed all the way. Once it’s almost mixed in, stop the mixer and use a silicone spoon to fold in the remaining flour. The batter will be really thick.
Spread into a greased 9X13-inch pan (or scroll down for other options) and bake in a 350ºF oven for 30-35 minutes. With GF cakes I like to error on the side of slightly over baking to make sure the moisture has fully evaporated. For best results use a long cake tester to make sure the cake is fully set in the middle.
World’s fluffiest cream cheese frosting
We worked so hard on getting an airy cake crumb, let’s not weigh it down with a really heavy frosting. Here we combine the best of two epic frosting worlds – whipped cream frosting and and cream cheese frosting! This. is. happening.
Knock-out cream cheese frosting
Where you want your cake ingredients to be room temp, the key to this frosting is cold. First beat the chilled cream cheese until it’s creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and combine.
Now it’s time to add the heavy cream (no need to beat separately). Use a whisk attachment and beat it into the cream cheese on low speed to combine. Then kick up the speed and beat until really light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Spread it on the completely cooled cake. And I already know what you are thinking – this is a lot of frosting! Just go with it. Once you dive in you’ll understand…
Using Other Baking Pans
Even though the recipe is made in a 9X13 pan, you have some other options. If you’d like a smaller cake, halve the cake and frosting ingredients and bake in a 8X8 or 9X9-inch pan. The baking time will reduce slightly. Start checking around 25 minutes.
If you’d rather make a pumpkin layer cake, that’s an option too. Divide the batter between two greased 9-inch cake pans. There will also be a slightly reduced baking time, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and spread with the frosting between the layers, top, and sides.
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Fluffiest Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- 15 ounce canned pumpkin puree, Libby's brand recommended
- ½ cup (109 g) oil , any preferred
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cup (292 g) gluten-free all purpose flour, Cup4Cup gluten-free flour recommended
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Fluffy Whipped Cream Frosting
- 8 ounce (227 g) full-fat cream cheese , chilled
- 2 cup (480 g) heavy whipping cream , chilled
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9X13-inch baking pan with nonstick cookin spray.
- Use a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters. Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale, thick, fluffy and tripled in volume. It should take about 5-7 minutes on a high speed. Meanwhile whisk together dry ingredients in a separate small bowl.4 large eggs, 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves, ¾ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the pumpkin puree, oil and vanilla to the egg / sugar mixer. Use whisk attachment to beat until combined.15 ounce canned pumpkin puree, ½ cup oil , 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients, half at a time, to the egg mixture, beating with the whisk attachment until the flour is just mixed in. Try not to over mix or the cake will be dense. Use a spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides and fold in any unmixed flour. The batter will be thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan. Using an offset spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake middle is set. I like to use a cake tester since this is a higher moisture cake and you want to make sure it's fully baked. Set on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- When the cake is completely cool, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, place the cream cheese and beat with whisk attachment until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping down bowl halfway through.8 ounce full-fat cream cheese , 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the chilled whipping cream. Beat on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and beat until stiff peaks form and volume increases, about 3-5 minutes.2 cup heavy whipping cream
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. You will question the amount of frosting. Just go with it. It's a thick cake layer and you will be happy about the ratio of frosting to cake once you dive in! Refrigerate leftovers.
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Delicious!
Thank you, Vivienne!
Hi This recipe is a keeper. I have made it three times. I added raisins or chocolate chips. Adding either raisins or chocolate chips were great, everyone loved the cakes. Thank you!
Wondering if you or anyone else has frozen this cake with the icing on? I know without
icing it is fine but with?
I have! It’s perfectly fine. I let the cake with icing freeze first then I take it out and wrap it once it’s frozen.
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa. You might want to title this dessert, Autumn’s Bliss! I recently served this cake at a morning Bible class. EVERYONE enjoyed the flavor and several came back for seconds. Awesome cake and frosting too!
Thank you for creating such delightful desserts, and providing pictures or videos to guide us through your helpful GF baking tips.
Autumn Bliss, Dawn! Yes! Love it! I appreciate you taking the time to brighten my day. Love it!
Best,
Melissa
This beautiful pumpkin spice cake and the heavenly cream cheese frosting entirely exceeded my highest expectations. I made it for my daughter’s birthday; she was delighted. Everyone exclaimed over it and asked for seconds. Couldn’t even tell that it was gluten free. The only modifications I made were: coconut sugar rather than white (& 1/4 c. less), a little more ginger, and only a hint of nutmeg (my daughter’s not fond of nutmeg), and I added a heaping 1/2 c. of raisins (highly recommend). Baked two 9″ layers. Frosted lavishly with that heavenly cream cheese and whipped cream frosting. SO good!! We’ll be enjoying this again many times. Thank you!🌹
Amazing to hear, Dr. Beth! Its special knowing one of my recipes was used for your daughters celebration!
Best,
Melissa
I certainly appreciate your superb recipe, Melissa. ☺️🌹
Really good cake and easy to make.
Thanks, Shannon! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.
Best,
Melissa
I just made this cake for a GF family at church. You are right, best pumpkin cake ever! And I’ve found my new “go-to” Cream Cheese frosting – light and airy, not too sweet – so good!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!!!
So glad you’re here, Carol! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Best,
Melissa
Absolutely loved this recipe. It’s fool proof. The whole family loved it.
Thank you for sharing, Emily!
Best,
Melissa
Amazing cake! Everyone loved it. I left off some of icing because my dish wouldn’t hold it all (and it seemed like a lot). Next time I will find a deeper dish because the icing is superb and NOT too much! I’m not really an icing person, but this stuff is legit!
Thank you, Melanie! I questioned the amount of frosting at first too. It seems like a lot. But once you put it on the cake I think it’s a great cake to icing ratio. Glad you enjoyed it!
Best,
Melissa
Absolutely delicious and does not look or taste gf. Everyone raved about it. I added choc chips to the cake batter on the request of my granddaughters.and it was a good add! I will definitely make this again as several family members need gf.Thanks for this terrific recipe!
How lovely, Sue! Your granddaughter is a smart lady. Adding chocolate chips is never a bad idea!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your quick reply. The cake was fantastic! Everyone LOVED it, especially my son. The flavor was perfect and we all loved the lightness of the cake.
I ended up skipping the parchment. I frosted the cake in the pan, then added my decorative touches. I made sure to cook it a little longer and I used the long baking cake tester (great tip by the way).
I will definitely make this recipe again!
I am looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Kind regards,
Karen
Oh, I’m so happy, Karen! Thanks for letting me know!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa, This is my 1st time making this recipe. I’m making it for my son’s birthday.
I generally use a 9×13 Wilton insulated pan lined with parchment paper for my cakes. I have some questions since this recipe is so “spongelike”
1) Do you ever have a problem removing the cake from the pan with this recipe?
2) Would you advise frosting and serving it right in the pan?
3)What is the recommended cooling time in the pan if you’re going to turn it out onto a rack ?
4)would you advise using a glass 9×13 instead?
Thanks so much. Your tips might save me some errors and time!
Karen
Hi Karen,
Happy to help! I think the insulated pan would work great because it will conduct and transfer the heat more evenly. I’ve baked it in both, so they both work, but I find the metal takes a little less time for the center to be set. If you want to turn the cake out of the pan, line the bottom with parchment so it releases easily. I would cool the cake completely in the pan, though, before turning it out on a wire rack. Then place your serving platter over the upside down cake and flip it back over so it is right-side up. Of course, if you want to skip all that, you can also just let it cool, frost it, and serve it right out of the pan. Hope this helps!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa, thanks for replying to my message. Making mistakes can be the best way to learn, so now I will be more careful in my search for gluten free recipes using almond flour and all-purpose flour. We still ate some of the mushy cupcakes (resulting from my error – please don’t feel bad for my misinterpretation) and actually liked the flavor before tossing the rest of the soggy sweets. I have another can of pumpkin puree and will try a different recipe of yours for Thanksgiving! -Rissa
I followed the recipe instructions to make a dozen cupcakes, 10 mini cupcakes, and a mini loaf. I used almond flour as it was stated other gluten-free flours would work. Well, I’m sharing my disappointment in the final result so others don’t waste hours like I did. The batter is still wet in the center after continuing to bake longer than the recommended time and I am giving up. I was baking these for my 84 year old neighbor’s birthday today but I cannot give these to her. Now I need to go out and buy store-made cupcakes to make up for this fail. I’m not giving it a star rating as the flour I used may be the culprit. The batter looked fine in the mixing process. I live in Florida so I wonder if the warm temp and humidity impacted the fluffiness of the egg+sugar mixture – it grew in size but did not achieve a stiff peak. These are pretty weird-looking with a depression in the middle and not fluffy at all.
Hey Rissa,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. Oh gosh, thanks for pointing that out. I meant other GF all purpose flours would work, but not a different flour type. I will clarify in the post. Almond flour is a completely different animal. It was a lot more moisture and oil, so all the ingredients would have to be adjusted. I’m so sorry you had to waste expensive ingredients! I do have almond flour pumpkin bread and muffins recipes on the site, so those might be what you are looking for. Gosh, I feel so bad, especially since you were doing such a lovely gesture and making these for your neighbor. Please let me know if you have any other questions or would like help finding the almond flour gluten-free recipes on the site!
Best,
Melissa