The holidays are upon us and with them, all of the festive celebrations with family and friends. There is nothing like celebrating this time of year with a sweet treat and Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake is sure to become a favorite.

Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin, such as Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Ricotta Bars. This tender and moist pumpkin cakes gets an unexpected twist from the addition of chocolate chips while the tangy cream cheese frosting takes it over the top. It will be the star of any holiday table.

Ingredients

Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake combines pantry staples with fresh ingredients like your favorite Dairy Free cream cheese. Skip the box mix. This cake is as easy as it is delicious, and you can control all of the ingredients.

Gluten Free Flour – Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour is my go to flour for both sweet and savory recipes. It makes it easy to measure cup to cup for recipes that aren’t traditionally Gluten Free.
Eggs – Use large eggs for this recipe. Allowing them to sit out and come to room temperature will help the batter come together more smoothly and quickly.
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Sugar
Brown Sugar – Adds that caramel, molasses flavor that pairs well with pumpkin while also adding moisture.
Vegetable Oil – Keeps this cake tender and moist.
Pumpkin Puree – Adds the delicate sweetness of pumpkin while also giving this cake its texture.
Vanilla Extract – The better the quality the vanilla, the more flavor it will have.
Kosher Salt – Salt amplifies all of the flavors of the ingredients.
Pumpkin Seasoning – Spiceology is my go to for all of my spices. You can use the code SALTY for 10% off your purchase.
Dairy Free Milk – Use your favorite variety. I used oat milk for this recipe.
Dairy Free Chocolate Chips – Always measure chocolate chips with your heart. A little extra is never a bad thing.
Dairy Free Cream Cheese – Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. This will allow it to come together easily.
Powdered Sugar – Quickly mixes into the cream cheese, giving it that smooth, silky texture.

How to Make Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

With just a little simple mixing, this cake comes together effortlessly. The only hard part is allowing it to cool so you can frost it.

Time needed: 1 hour and 50 minutes

Spiced pumpkin cake is studded with chocolate chips and crowned in tangy dairy free cream cheese frosting.

Pregame
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8″ round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
Mix
Add all of your wet ingredients including the pumpkin puree to a bowl and mix until they are combined. Add in the dry ingredients to the bowl including the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix your dough so your finished cake remains tender.
Bake
Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Allow the cakes to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let your cakes cool completely before frosting.
Frost
Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. Mix all of your ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Place the first cake on a cake stand and frost the top. Stack the second cake on top and frost. Slice and enjoy!

Varations

This same recipe can be used to make 24 cupcakes. If making cupcakes the bake time will adjust to 15-18 minutes.

In addition, the frosting can be made with both regular cream cheese, and also 1/3 less fat cream cheese.

Storage

The baked and cooled cakes can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days making this a great make ahead dessert.

In addition, if the cake layers are triple wrapped in plastic wrap, making sure there is no air, they can be frozen for up to three months. Allow them to defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

Top Tip for Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

The key to any tender cake is to make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Allowing all of your refrigerated ingredients such as eggs and cream cheese to sit out and come to room temperature will not only allow the batter to come together quickly, but also keep it silky smooth.