Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

4.56 from 9 votes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Author: Rhian Williams

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

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.

*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 thiscoconut cream-based cream cheese frosting.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 327Calories 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.