This healthy pumpkin olive oil cake with cream cheese frosting will wow you with how delicious it is! Made gluten free with simple ingredients, it’s spiced to perfection and perfect for any seasonal celebration.
Inspired by the pumpkin wedding cake I had at my wedding, this healthier pumpkin cake is extra special for the season with no special baking equipment required. Made gluten free with simple ingredients, it’s sure to be a recipe you back to every pumpkin season!
One thing I knew for sure as I was planning my wedding is that I was set on having pumpkin wedding cake and after some searching around we found a great bakery here in Chicago that could do it and I’m so happy with how it turned out. I thought it was such a unique and memorable touch for an October wedding and I definitely still have some frozen in my freezer two years later!
This cake would be perfect for any October birthdays for a pumpkin-loving friend, Halloween, Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving. To me, it’s the little black dress of fall dessert — you gotta have one in your closet, and it’s always chic and stunning (in this case, delicious!) for any occasion.
Ad a dietitian, I’m always trying to lighten up desserts, make them with less sugar or use more nutrient dense ingredients and I gotta say I think I nailed it with this spiced pumpkin cake — it’s spongey, and not too sweet, and each bite packs extra nutrition thanks to greek yogurt, olive oil and pumpkin puree. Using a blend of oat and almond flour also makes it a little more blood sugar friendly and gives it an insanely delicious, moist texture.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Puree — I use Libby’s or 365 by Whole Foods Market pumpkin puree in all of my recipes!
- Neutral Olive Oil — You could substitute coconut oil or butter but I find that olive oil complements the pumpkin flavor so well and adds a really nice rich taste and moist texture.
- Eggs
- Light Brown Sugar
- Maple Syrup
- Greek Yogurt
- Vanilla Extract
- Blanched Almond Flour
- Oat Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking Powder
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Confectioners’ Sugar
utensils/ equipment:
- 8X8 baking pan
- 2 mixing bowls
- parchment paper
- wooden spoon or spatula
Making This Pumpkin Cake Dairy Free
If cream cheese frosting is a no-go for you, I recommend my dairy free pumpkin cashew cream cheese. It’s made dairy free with cashews in a high-speed blender with the same exact texture as regular cream cheese. It’s great on any pumpkin loaf or piece of toast too.
Healthy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 8X8 baking pan
- parchment paper
- 2 mixing bowls
- wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake:
- 1 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 cup oat flour gluten free if preferred
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup neutral olive oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt (0%, 2% or 4% work) sub vanilla
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8X8 pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, yogurt and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix using a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Bake for approximately 33-35 minutes. Check to make sure a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking prepare the cream cheese frosting by mixing all of the ingredients together using a hand mixer until creamy and smooth.
- Once the cake has baked, let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle cinnamon on top and enjoy! Store covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’re Sure to Love:
- Pumpkin S’mores Bars
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread (GF & DF)
- Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin White Wine Orzo with Chicken
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
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You mention coconut oil and maple syrup in the ingredients for the cake but you don’t include them as part of the wet ingredients when making the cake – are they to be included in making the cake?
Yes, they are to be included! Apologies for the confusion — I made it more clear now!
hello!! I don’t have oat flour . can I substitute with something else?
Do you have old fashioned oats? You could blend those to get oat flour or I think all purpose or gluten free flour would work but I haven’t tried it!