This easy, gloriously soft, gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cake is studded with semisweet chocolate chips. Add a kiss of cinnamon to the one-bowl batter and this cake will disappear fast.
I dearly love the pairing of pumpkin and chocolate and it's carried out beautifully in this gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cake. While I do love a pumpkin cake topped with a swipe of cream cheese frosting, like in gluten free pumpkin bars, the addition of deep, dark chocolate to a sweet and tender cake makes it absolutely irresistible. We gobbled this one up fast.
One of my favorite easy bakes, pumpkin snack cake is a cinch to make. It's adjacent to my gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip bread but it's much more, well, cake-like and I adore it for that. Buttermilk is an essential ingredient to keeping this gluten-free cake beautifully moist and brown sugar adds a depth of sweetness that makes it oh-so memorable. You will definitely enjoy this one!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Pumpkin chocolate chip cake how I love thee ... let me count the ways: you are ridiculously easy to prepare, keep well for days, and embody all that a simple fall dessert should be! Could you include this gluten-free cake on your Thanksgiving table? Yes! It also makes a delightful treat when you're tidying up after the big meal, or packaged up to send home with dinner guests. A few more high points include:
- It! Needs! One! Bowl! Yep, these types of cakes are always tops in my book. One bowl means I can whip this up in the last hour remaining before I have to pick up my kids from school and they'll have a homey treat waiting for them on the counter when they walk in the door.
- Totally gluten-free but you'd never know. The winning combo of a perfect gluten-free flour blend and buttermilk means that no one will ever guess that this is a gluten-free cake.
- Easy ingredients. Quick pantry and fridge staples mean you can make this fast.
- Beginner-friendly. Did I mention this is a one-bowl recipe? (Don't answer that.) This recipe is a great choice for the novice gluten-free baker.
Want another easy pumpkin recipe? I love nibbling on this gluten free walnut pumpkin scones recipe throughout fall.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter - I use unsalted butter. If you need to use salted butter, just omit the extra salt.
- Oil - Any oil is fine here, including olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar works, or substitute granulated sugar.
- Egg - A large egg is best.
- Pumpkin puree - Choose pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling that contains extra additives and sweeteners.
- Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk you can use plain yogurt or just whole milk in a pinch.
- Rising agents - Baking powder and baking soda (check to make sure they're fresh!).
- Salt - I like fine sea salt in my recipes and table salt works, too.
- Cinnamon - Or swap another spice of your choice, like ground cardamom or ginger.
- Gluten free flour - Use your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend in this cake, or use my homemade gluten free flour blend which works perfectly (I used it!).
- Chocolate chips - I always love the dark sweetness of semisweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate chips will add a sweeter, creamier note. You can use regular or mini chocolate chips.
Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Here's an overview in photos of how you'll prepare this simple cake!
1. Mix wet ingredients: Whisk together all of the wet ingredients in a bowl.
2. Make the batter: Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Rest the batter: Place the batter in a lined 8x8 pan and let it rest.
4. Bake: Cook in the oven for 45 minutes at 325 degrees until a tester comes out clean.
Baking Tip
Make Pumpkin Puree (Easy!): Pick up a sugar pie pumpkin at the store. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and innards, then bake it face down on a baking sheet at 350°F for about 45 minutes. When the pumpkin is soft, remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit. Scrape off the skin, place the pumpkin in a food processor, and process until very smooth. For this recipe, you will need ½ cup of homemade pumpkin puree.
Tips & Substitution Suggestions
- Rest the batter. My homemade gf flour blend contains rice flour, and I always make sure to rest the batter for up to 20 minutes before baking. This helps the flour blend to hydrate - soak up some of the liquid - to avoid any grittiness later. I advise doing this for any type of gluten-free flour or blend you use, especially if it includes rice flour.
- Make cupcakes! You can make cute little pumpkin chocolate chip cake cupcakes by dividing the batter between 12 muffin cups and topping the cupcakes with chocolate buttercream.
- Double it. For a larger version of this cake perfect for feeding a crowd, double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan. Dust the top with powdered sugar before serving, or top it with cream cheese frosting a la my gluten free pumpkin sheet cake recipe.
- Flour substitute. If you don't need to keep gluten free, substitute 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour for the gluten free flour.
- Dairy-free: Swap the melted butter for oil or melted nondairy butter, and substitute the buttermilk for non-dairy milk.
- Egg-free: Pumpkin often stands in for eggs, so you can try omitting the egg in this cake. It will bake up a bit more dense and may need a little bit longer to bake.
Serving Options
With tea, with coffee, with a drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce - this cake is versatile and reliable. While you can definitely serve it for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, my fav way to enjoy pumpkin chocolate chip cake is warm and straight out of the pan.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Cover the pan with foil or transfer slices of cake to an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 3 days. I dare you to make it last that long.
- Fridge - Place the cake in an airtight container or cover the pan with foil and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Place slices of cake in a freezer-safe container or sealable bag or wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap and foil and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake in the fridge before serving.
More Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons oil
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup pure pumpkin puree
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour (210 grams)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the melted butter, oil and brown sugar in a large bowl, then whisk in the egg, pumpkin, and buttermilk.
- Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Stir in the gluten free flour until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Preheat the oven to 325℉ and rest the batter while the oven heats.
- Bake the for 45-55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
-
- Rest the batter. My homemade gf flour blend contains rice flour, and I always make sure to rest the batter for up to 20 minutes before baking. This helps the flour blend to hydrate - soak up some of the liquid - to avoid any grittiness later. I advise doing this for any type of gluten-free flour or blend you use.
-
- Make cupcakes! You can make cute little pumpkin chocolate chip cake cupcakes by dividing the batter between 12 muffin cups and topping the cupcakes with chocolate buttercream.
-
- Double it. For a larger version of this cake made to feed a crowd, double the recipe! Dust the top with powdered sugar before serving, or top with cream cheese frosting a la my gluten free pumpkin sheet cake recipe.
-
- Flour substitute. If you don't need to keep gluten free, substitute 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour for the gluten free flour.
I'd love to hear from you! Please leave me a note.