Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

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 or gluten free pumpkin snack cake with cream cheese frosting, 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, this cake is a cinch to make. If I have time, I make it with a batch of homemade pumpkin puree, which is a lovely way to use it. 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!

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.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake Ingredients

Here's a look at what you'll need to make this cake. Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• 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.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip CakeTips & 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.

How to Serve Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

With tea, with coffee, with a drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce or simple chocolate icing - 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.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cke 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.