The fall season has arrived once again, bringing with it everyone's fall favorite – pumpkins. Whether you're planning for Thanksgiving or want a taste of a pumpkin spice beforehand, which be honest, who doesn't?, Then you will love this recipe. Everyone will be asking you for your recipe for our classic pumpkin spice cake!
A soft gluten-free pumpkin spice cake with a smooth cream cheese frosting that you and everyone else will brag over. It isn't challenging to bake this recipe at all if you know what you're doing. We can help you get started and bake that cake to perfection in no time.
What Makes the Perfect Pumpkin Spice Cake?
So, the question is, what do you need to get those balanced flavors and a soft cake? For starters, you need to ensure you're getting the right measurements for your recipe. Disturb the spice ratio of the cake, and it's bound to be a disaster. Neither will you want a cake overloaded with spice nor one that's missing the hint of spice flavor.
What is a pumpkin spice cake for then? The pumpkin puree is an integral part of the ‘pumpkin' spice cake. Getting all the quantities in order is an essential step in baking this cake. Additionally, make sure you're not overbaking the cake, or it'll turn out hard and brittle.
Why Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients Separately?
One of the most basic baking rules is to whisk the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining them. What's the reason behind this crucial baking tip that all professionals swear by? Firstly, mixing all your dry ingredients will ensure that all the components are combined thoroughly.
If you're adding the wet ingredients to the dry ones, they might not get mixed evenly. Secondly, combining the wet ingredients in the first step will lead to overmixing the batter. Ultimately, your cake will turn out dry and dense instead of the soft and fluffy texture we are after.
Don't Have Pumpkin Spice?
You can purchase your pumpkin spice out at any local grocery store. Although, if you're only using it once-in-a-while, buying a whole jar might seem irrational for some. In these circumstances, you can make your pumpkin spice as well.
It's a mere additional step of combining different spices to make your very own pumpkin spice. A traditional pumpkin spice consists of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger (optional). Grab these spices from the kitchen, mix them, and voila your pumpkin spice is ready to be used.
How Diet-Friendly is This Cake?
Well, we're already presenting a gluten-friendly cake to you without any gluten-containing ingredients. Hence, it's definitely for all those refraining from gluten. But what other diet-followers will enjoy this recipe?
You can make this recipe dairy-free by switching the cream cheese frosting to one that doesn't involve dairy products. And you can keep the eggs out of the recipe while increasing the cooking oil quantity.
Additionally, this recipe can also be made paleo-friendly! Use maple syrup instead of granulated sugar for the recipe of the cake itself. Simultaneously, you can go for paleo-friendly powdered sugars, and you're good to go.
Storing Pumpkin Spice Cake
As with all cakes, you can store a pumpkin spice cake for around 3-4 days in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it longer, your best bet is to freeze it. You can put the whole cake in the freezer or cut individual slices beforehand. Although, we do advise against freezing it with the cream cheese frosting. Instead, you can top it off with the frosting after the cake thaws.
Perfecting the Consistency
It would be best to have your batter the right consistency, not too thick but not too liquidy either. If you feel like your batter is falling in either of these two dimensions, you still have a way out. For a lumpy batter, add more wet ingredients, preferably cooking oil or a little milk. Contrastingly, if the batter is too thin, add more flour to the mixture till you get it right.
The consistency of the cream cheese frosting all depends on you. If you want a frosting that has more liquid-content, keep adding milk gradually. And for a thicker cream cheese frosting, add more powdered icing sugar for that thick creamy touch.
Getting the Ideal Pumpkin Puree
If you're confused about what pumpkin puree is, it's pumpkin ground into a paste-like form. You can get canned pumpkin puree to save you some time or even make a healthier homemade version. The canned pumpkin puree from the store might have additional squash types alongside the blended pumpkin.
On the other hand, with a homemade version, the puree will consist of more water content. For this reason, reduce the quantity of the fresh pumpkin puree by 1/4 cup to achieve similar results.
Decorating the Cake
We've given you a cream cheese frosting for an additional creamy flavor on top. If you're looking for more options, sprinkles are a great addition for decorating your cake. You can even try out different frostings such as cinnamon frosting, whipped cream, buttercream, etc.
Or go for the minimalistic way and drizzle maple syrup or chocolate sauce at the end. What you wish to top off your cake with depends on what you are in the mood for.
Final Words
It's wrong not to try a pumpkin spice cake with the pumpkin season approaching. More so when a recipe is calling out to all those year-long pumpkin cake cravings. Don't deprive yourself of a recipe that's delicious, easy to make, and doesn't take too much time.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe:
Makes – 12 slices
Time to Prepare – 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Pumpkin Spice Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup olive oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups of sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
Directions:
Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking pan.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine the ingredients.
- In another bowl, add the olive oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk well until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Combine the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and once again whisk until evenly incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into your baking pan and even out the layer with a spatula.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- To see if your cake is cooked thoroughly, insert a toothpick in the middle; once done, it should come out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Grab a mixing bowl and add cream cheese and butter to it. Ensure both the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Whisk both these ingredients with an electric beater till smooth.
- Add the sugar and milk gradually in small amounts to the cream cheese mixture. Finish up by adding the vanilla extract. Keep beating for a few minutes till the mixture has turned creamy.
- Layer the frosting on top of the cake once it has cooled down.
- Enjoy!!!
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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Cake
- 2 Cups Gluten-free flour
- 2 Tsp. Baking powder
- 1 Tsp. Baking soda
- 1 Cup olive oil
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- 2 Tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Cups Pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 Oz. Cream cheese
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 Cups Sugar
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
- 2-4 Tbsp. Milk Or substitute dairy-free milk
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking pan.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine the ingredients.
- In another bowl, add the olive oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk well until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Combine the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and once again whisk until evenly incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into your baking pan and even out the layer with a spatula.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- To see if your cake is cooked thoroughly, insert a toothpick in the middle; once done, it should come out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Grab a mixing bowl and add cream cheese and butter to it. Ensure both the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Whisk both these ingredients with an electric beater till smooth.
- Add the sugar and milk gradually in small amounts to the cream cheese mixture. Finish up by adding the vanilla extract. Keep beating for a few minutes till the mixture has turned creamy.
- Layer the frosting on top of the cake once it has cooled down.
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