This drool-worthy gluten free chocolate pumpkin cake is two cakes in one! Swirled to a beautiful marble, the flavors work so well in this decadent fall cake. Topped with chocolate chips, you will love how easy this swirl cake is to make! There is also a dairy-free option!
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Fall is here, and although I have no idea why we don't eat pumpkin all year round, I am happy to say this may be the cake that changes that unwritten rule!
If you love desserts with pumpkin as much as I do, give some of my other popular gluten free pumpkin desserts a try!
Why This Cake Is Great:
- This cake is one of the moistest, flavorful, and fun-to-make cakes on my blog. This cake is the perfect marriage between my gluten free pumpkin bread and my gluten free chocolate cake...all swirled together into a beautiful gluten free marble cake! If you haven't made a swirl cake yet, you need to make this cake!
- The texture of this cake is so smooth and not dense!
- It makes two-loaf cakes, lots of cupcakes, or a two-layer cake!
Allergen Information:
This gluten free chocolate marble cake recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. See the Substitutions section for a dairy-free option.
This is a great gluten-free flour blend for making cookies, muffins, and biscuits. For best results, be sure to let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes before baking. Do not use this blend for yeast recipes.
Ingredient Notes:
This cake is two cakes in one, so there are more ingredients than usual. Note the bananas were on the counter and are slightly visible in the top corner of this photo. There is no banana in this cake.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend, but I have also made this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure. Starchier gluten free flour blends will work, but you may need to adjust your moisture level! *Note: if your blend doesn't contain Xanthan Gum, you will need this, too. See the Substitutions below for a gum-free flour option.
- Baking Soda and Salt
- Cocoa Powder and Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon and Pumpkin Spice
- Pumpkin - Use plain pumpkin puree; do not use pumpkin pie puree!
- Non-Dairy Milk - I used almond milk, but any non-dairy or regular milk should work.
- Yogurt - Use plain whole-fat yogurt or sour cream.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter.
- Eggs - Size large.
- Light Flavored Oil - I used canola oil, but other unflavored oils also work.
Substitutions:
- If you are gum-free, you can use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. It uses psyllium husk as a binder instead of xanthan or guar gum.
- Make this recipe dairy-free by using plant-based butter, yogurt, and milk.
Tips For Sucess:
- Do not use a stand mixer for this cake recipe. They tend to overmix your cake batter, leaving you with a dense cake.
- Let your batter sit for 15-20 minutes. This allows the rice flour in your gluten free flour blend to soften. It will eliminate any grittiness.
For more cake-baking tips, see my Gluten Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide.
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
First, we will make the pumpkin cake batter. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
Step 1: Add the pumpkin cake dry ingredients to a
I absolutely love these glass stackable bowls. They make it easy to hold separate ingredients. They are also great for entertaining when you need to serve bowls of snacks!
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the two and set it aside while making the chocolate cake batter.
🔑 Sandi says: Do not over-mix your cake batter! Your cake will be lighter and fluffier if you mix it until just barely mixed.
Step 4: Now we will repeat the above steps to make the chocolate cake. Add your chocolate cake dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 5: Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
Step 6: Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just barely mixed, as I explained above.
This is what your gluten free chocolate cake batter will look like.
Step 7: Add a layer of chocolate cake batter to a greased loaf pan.
Step 8: Add a layer of the pumpkin cake batter. You can do this in any order you like if you prefer to start with the pumpkin layer. Repeat and another layer of chocolate and pumpkin cake batter.
Step 9: Now, the fun part. It is easy to learn how to make a chocolate marble cake! Swirl the cake batters with a knife. Do not over-swirl because the finished cake won't have pretty swirls. Optional: Top with chocolate chips.
Step 10: Bake at 350º F for 35-40 minutes. This recipe will make two loaves, a layer cake, or you can make one big loaf and six swirled cupcakes.
Test to see if your cake is made by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. if your toothpick comes out clean, your cake is baked. If you see crumbs or batter, your cake must be baked a little longer.
If you love loaf-style cakes, you may want to try my gluten free honey cake recipe, too!
Flavor Variations:
- Add pecans or walnuts to the pumpkin cake batter.
- Drizzle with pumpkin spice icing (¼ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1-2 teaspoons milk.)
- Frost with a vanilla cream cheese frosting or chocolate buttercream frosting.
If you are a chocoholic, you may want to try this easy Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread recipe too!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can make this cake ahead by making your cake batters the day before you bake it.
This cake will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Store in an air-tight container.
You can definitely freeze this cake. Wrap it in plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil. Place in a large freezer-safe Ziplock bag and freeze.
Yes, this cake is easy to make dairy-free by using vegan butter and dairy-free yogurt.
I really like Anthony's cocoa powder best. It has a rich chocolate flavor and is gluten free and kosher. Other great gluten free cocoa brands include Rodelle, Kiva Cacao, Ghirardelli, and TerraSoul.
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes:
- Grandma's Homemade Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake
- Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Cake
- Gluten Free Vanilla Cake
- Delicious Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Equipment
Ingredients
For Pumpkin Cake
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup full fat yogurt
- ½ cup light oil
- ¼ cup almond milk
For Chocolate Cake
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ½ cup full-fat yogurt
- ½ cup almond milk
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips to top the cake
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- To make the pumpkin cake:
- Add the pumpkin cake dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In a second bowl, add the pumpkin cake wet ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix. (*See note)
- To make the chocolate cake:
- Add your dry chocolate cake ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In a second bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. (*See note)
- Grease a loaf pan and add a layer of chocolate cake batter.
- Add some pumpkin batter on top of the chocolate batter.
- Repeat so you have a total of 4 layers.
- Take a knife and insert it into the batter and swirl gently to slighly swirl the batters together.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and sightly press them into the batter.
- Bake the cake for 35 minutes. Remove the cake and test with a toothpick for doneness. (*See note)
- Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.
Video
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To keep this cake light and fluffy, mix your wet and dry ingredients until it is just barely mixed. Over-mixing can make your cake a lot denser.
- To test to see if your cake is baked, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs on the toothpick, it needs to bake a little longer.
- Optional: Top with a pumpkin spice icing by combining ¼ cup of powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and 1-2 teaspoons of milk (or non-dairy milk). Whisk to blend.
- Note actual bake time will vary depending on the pan you use to bake this cake. A loaf pan may take longer given the depth of the cake.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This recipe was updated from an older September 2020 post with more recipe details.
Fearless Dining
Simplifying the art of baking and cooking gluten-free recipes.
Paula Lynn
This was SO yummy! To make prep go a tad faster, I had four bowls and added dry and wet ingredients for the pumpkin and the chocolate mix at the same time. Used an ingredient for both recipes and then moved on. I LOVED this so much and will definitely make it again. Shared on my own FB because it was THAT good!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Paula, I am so glad you loved the recipe. I love your tip on how to speed up the process. Thank you!
J
Very yummy cake. My oven has a hard time making temp so it took a long time to bake but it was worth the wait! A family member who doesn’t like gf food enjoyed this recipe.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much, Joree. I am chuckling at the family member who doesn't like gf food...I am so glad even they enjoyed this recipe.
Emery
Could you bake this in bundt form? Has anyone tried it?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Emery, it would make a beautiful bundt cake. You will need to bake longer, depending on the size of your bundt pan. Use the toothpick test to ensure it is finished baking.
Elizabeth S
I baked mine in a Bundt cake pan and it turned out great! I didn't even have to bake it for a longer time either. Will be making it again for sure.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad to hear the bundt cake was great, Elizabeth. Thank you!