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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Gluten-Free Recipes

    Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chips

    Published: Oct 2, 2013 ยท Modified: Aug 25, 2022 by Sally Cameron ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 5 Comments

    246 shares
    Pumpkin chocolate chip snack cake
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    With pumpkin purée and maple syrup replacing refined sugar, and coconut oil swapped for vegetable oil, this gluten-free pumpkin cake with chocolate chips is the perfect fall dessert or afternoon snack. Moist, full of warm spices, and with a tender crumb, it’s so delicious that no frosting is needed (though you can add some if you like). The best part? No one will ever guess it’s gluten-free!

    Pumpkin chocolate chip snack cake

    It was hard to know what to call this recipe; pumpkin brownies, pumpkin snack cake, or pumpkin cake. Whatever you call it, just make a batch and enjoy. It's an easy and delicious recipe when fall rolls around. Simply, mix, pour, and bake. No frosting needed.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Like This Recipe
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • How to Make Pumpkin Cake
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Storage
    • More Terrific Fall Recipes
    • โญ๏ธDid You Make This?
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    Why You'll Like This Recipe

    • Versatile: use it for dessert as a cake, or afternoon snacking, or with coffee.
    • Simple ingredients.
    • Great fall flavors.

    For another easy, terrific pumpkin dessert, make this pumpkin mousse.

    Recipe Ingredients

    pumpkin snack cake ingredients.
    • Flour: Use an all-purpose, gluten-free flour blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill blue bag 1:1 gluten-free flour blend) but other should work.
    • Baking powder: Buy aluminum free, you don't need aluminum in your diet, and check the date before baking to be sure it's not expired.
    • Spices The fall classic flavors of cinnamon, allspice, and clove.
    • Eggs: Eggs are binders, add structure, richness, and moisture to baked goods.
    • Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin) not pumpkin pie mix.
    • Maple syrup: use the real deal, not the cheap, fake, colored corn syrup stuff, and go with dark maple for a more robust flavor.
    • Oil: Extra virgin coconut oil works great here and there is no coconut flavor.
    • Vanilla: use either extract or paste, here is my favorite brand of vanilla. Great vanilla!
    • Chocolate chips: Use your favorite chocolate chips. See notes below.

    Please see the recipe card for measurements.

    Here's another way to use chocolate chips, in these Forgotten Cookies (aka chocolate chip meringues).

    Substitutions and Variations

    • To reduce sugar, go with a no-sugar chocolate chip. They are really good. I've tried different brands. These sugar free chocolate chips (sweetened with stevia) work, or these new date-sweetened chocolate chips (no refined sugar added). I'm shying away from brands with erythritol due to a recent study.
    • Leave out the chocolate chips if desired (but they add a nice twist).
    • If you're not gluten-free, use regular all purpose white flour.
    • If you can't do coconut oil, use this terrific, healthy neutral oil. It works for all your cooking needs way better than industrially produced "vegetable" oil.

    Here's another recipe with pumpkin, this time a fantastic, super easy soup; pumpkin black bean soup, one of my most shared recipes.

    How to Make Pumpkin Cake

    Mix the batter by hand or with an electric hand mixer.

    mixing bowl with pumpkin cake batter.

    Step 2: Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients to large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.,

    For using a hand mixer, do the above and mix the wet and dry together with the hand mixer. Start slow or you will be wearing the flour.

    Bowl with pumpkin snack cake batter.

    Chef's tip: For the best results, weigh flours for baking with a digital scale. It's why I add weight measures to my baking recipes and specify the flour I developed with so you will be successful and not waste your time or money. Baking is about accuracy and weighing ingredients such as flour, and is critical for successful baking

    Step 1: Gather all of your ingredients and tools. Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Gather all ingredients and a 9″ square metal non-stick baking pan. Spray the pan and line bottom with piece of parchment paper that is long enough to go above the sides of the pans like wings. This make the cake easy to remove from the pan after baking

    Batter mixed with chocolate chips

    Step 3: Stir in the chocolate chips by hand with a flexible spatula.

    Chef's tip: When you measure flour, don't scoop from the bag. Reach into the bag or canister with a large spoon and fill the measuring cup, then level it off. Seems silly but there is a difference and it might effect your results. Another way I do it is to stir and aerate the flour bag (or canister), then scoop.

    Step 4: Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake at 325F. Baking time is about 45 minutes. The brownies will be done when it is golden and firm to the touch, and a toothpick or cake tester comes out almost clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

    If you use a metal cake tester or skewer, it will feel warm to the touch on your wrist.

    Cake batter in pan ready to bake.

    Serving Suggestions

    Slice into 9-12 pieces and serve warm or cool. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on the side or use cream cheese frosting recipe. Another option is serve with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.

    Pumpkin's not just for dessert! Try this delicious pumpkin pie smoothie for breakfast!

    pumpkin cake on cooling rack.

    Storage

    Pumpkin cake will keep on the kitchen counter at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days...but it won't last long!

    Squares of pumpkin brownies with chocolate chips on a white cake stand.

    More Terrific Fall Recipes

    Try this savory pumpkin polenta with chicken sausage for a hearty dinner. If dessert sounds better, try this pumpkin tart with a press-in cookie type crust.

    • Gluten-free brownies with melted chocolate in a square pan after baking.
      Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies
    • Creamy orange pumpkin pie smoothie in a glass with a silver straw.
      Pumpkin Smoothie (with canned pumpkin)
    • A glass of creamy pumpkin mousse dusted with cinnamon with a gold spoon.
      Pumpkin Mousse Dessert Recipe
    • apple pecan coffee cake on cake stand
      Cinnamon Apple Cake Recipe (gluten-free)

    ⭐️Did You Make This?

    If you make this pumpkin cake, please comment and let me know, and if you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating! They really help other readers.

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    Squares of pumpkin brownies with chocolate chips on a white cake stand.

    Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chips (gluten free)

    Sally Cameron
    This pumpkin cake is easy to bake making a nice fall snack or dessert. Parchment in the bottom of the pan makes them easy to remove after baking for cooling. For a dessert garnish, serve with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream on the side. If you want big pieces, slice into 9 squares.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    cooling 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 291 kcal

    Equipment

    • 9″ square metal non-stick baking pan
    • Parchment paper
    • digital kitchen scale optional

    Ingredients
      

    Dry Ingredients

    • 2 ยฝ cups  gluten-free flour blend 13 ounces, Bob’s Red Mill blue bag 1:1 GF blend
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder aluminum free
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ยพ teaspoon baking soda
    • ยฝ teaspoon salt
    • ยผ teaspoon allspice
    • โ…› teaspoon ground clove

    Wet Ingredients

    • 2 large eggs
    • 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
    • ยพ cup real maple syrup
    • ยฝ cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted or use a healthy neutral oil, see note at end
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    Chocolate Chips

    • โ…” cup chocolate chips

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    Instructions
     

    Get Ready to Bake

    • Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Gather all ingredients and a 9″ square metal non-stick baking pan. Spray the pan and line bottom with piece of parchment paper that is long enough to go above the sides of the pans like wings. This make the cake easy to remove from the pan after baking.

    Mix Ingredients

    • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine well. In a large bowl, add eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

    Combine and Pour into Pan

    • Add wet ingredients into dry and whisk or stir until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour cake batter into baking pan and smooth the top with a flexible spatula. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
    • Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake to a wire cooling rack using the parchment "wings". Enjoy warm or cool.

    Notes

    Chocolate chip tips

    I used Lily's Dark Chocolate Baking Chips. They are no-sugar-added and gluten-free. They are delicious and a great way to reduce overall sugar in the recipe and taste terrific. Compared to using regular chocolate chips such as Tollhouse, using Lily's reduces the overall sugar by 68 grams, about 8 grams per piece (that's 2 teaspoons).
    Do what ever works best for your family when it comes to buying chocolate chips. There are many options on the market these days.

    Oil

    If you are allergic to coconut oil, I recommend this healthy neutral oil cultured from sugar can grass, called Zero Acre Farms. It's become an regular culinary oil in my kitchen. Way better for you than industrially produced vegetable oil. Another option is avocado oil which has a neutral taste.

    GF flour note

    If using King Arthur's Measure for Measure GF flour blend, you need 2 ยพ cups + 2 tablespoon of their flour as it weighs differently than Bob's Red Mill.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pieceCalories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 252mgPotassium: 162mgFiber: 4gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 5561IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 103mgIron: 2mg
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    « Zucchini Casserole with Parmesan Crust
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    246 shares

    Comments

    1. DJS says

      November 09, 2013 at 2:29 pm

      I'M GOING TO TRY THIS CAKE, BUT WITH SOME CHANGES. 5 YEARS AGO I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CELIAC DISEASE. OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS I'VE HAD ISSUES WITH OTHER FOODS (PEANUTS, DAIRY, CORN, SOY, ETC.). I'M TRYING TO REMOVE MOST SUGARS FROM MY DIET BECAUSE MY SO IS A DIABETIC, AND WE STILL LIKE TO ENJOY OUR BAKED GOODS. I'VE TRIED USING STEVIA IN THE RAW TO BAKE WITH BUT WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH IT. WILL LET YOU KNOW THE RESULTS.

      Reply
      • Sally says

        November 12, 2013 at 2:14 pm

        Wow, you poor thing. Lots of dietary challenges to deal with. Please comment back and let us know what you do to make it successful for your needs. Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Alexa says

      October 07, 2013 at 10:49 am

      This looks SO good! Could you substitute flax eggs for this (mixing flaxseed together) so it is egg free?

      Reply
      • Sally says

        October 07, 2013 at 3:53 pm

        Hi Alexa. I did think of that but have not tried it. I think it would work. Please try it and comment back to benefit others who want to be egg-free. Thanks!

        Reply
    3. Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says

      October 03, 2013 at 12:06 pm

      Ohhhhh yeah this is right up my alley! I am OBSESSED with pumpkin this time of year and I love the spice and addition of maple syrup!

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Chef Sally Cameron of aFoodcentricLife.com in her kitchen.

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef, former personal chef and caterer, lover of fresh healthy food, and sharing it with others.

    More about me โ†’

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