A moist, gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate cake topped with pumpkin spice frosting — a perfect fall dessert that’s rich, comforting, and naturally sweetened.
I planned a different post, but after baking this cake last weekend I changed my mind. I wanted chocolate, I wanted pumpkin, and I wanted cake — so I made this.
Chocolate cake with pumpkin spice frosting — and it was one of the best decisions I made all week. A slice of rich chocolate cake has a way of brightening the day.
The cake uses a blend of sweet rice flour, millet, sorghum, and tapioca starch for a tender, moist crumb. Millet in particular helps give the texture a cake-like lightness even without wheat flour. The frosting is gently pumpkin-flavored, sweetened with maple syrup, and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for a cozy finish.
Have a lovely weekend — I hope it includes cake!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Spice Frosting (GF + DF)
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 cup sweet white rice flour
- ½ cup millet flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup sorghum flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 cup non-dairy buttermilk (unsweetened almond milk + 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup hot water
Pumpkin Spice Frosting:
- 4 cups non-hydrogenated palm shortening
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓–½ cup maple syrup (start with ⅓ and add more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2–3 tablespoons cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with coconut oil and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sweet rice flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, sorghum flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk melted coconut oil, non-dairy buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low with an electric mixer. Add hot water and beat until just combined. Divide batter between the pans and bake 28–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a wire rack.
To make frosting:
- In a medium bowl, whip the palm shortening for about 30 seconds. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix until smooth and fully combined. Taste and adjust sweetness or spices as desired.
To assemble cake:
- When cakes are completely cool, place one layer top-side down on a cake plate. Spread a layer of frosting, then top with the second cake, also top-side down. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting to the top and sides, refrigerate about 15 minutes, then finish frosting the cake. Sprinkle cacao nibs around the top perimeter if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Carbohydrates: 74 g
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Protein: 7 g
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Fat: 120 g
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