My husband frequents Panera Bread and enjoys their cinnamon rolls. One early Saturday morning, my allergic kids were feeling jealous of his treat, so I attempted to appease their jealousy by promising to make them cinnamon rolls.
This is the problem, I’m lazy. I don’t have a lot of time and I didn’t want to deal with yeast. Plus, often gluten-free vegan cinnamon rolls are hard. I wanted soft gooey cinnamon rolls. Also, I didn’t want glaze, I wanted thick buttercream frosting. I was in a decadent mood.
I googled and I came across a glazed Cinnamon Roll Cake by the Chef-In-Training. It wasn’t vegan or gluten-free; it just gave me an easy idea. However, one way to substitute eggs in a dish is with pumpkin: 1/4 cup pumpkin per egg.
I played around with substitutions and ingredients to make a Vegan Gluten-free Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake that is gooey delicious with a perfect vegan buttercream frosting. It was gorgeous!!!
The cake is so quick and easy. Just prepare the cake, make the cinnamon roll topping, swirl it inside the cake with a knife, and bake. The cake alone is delicious! It has a crunchy cinnamon topping with a soft center.
Prepare the buttercream and spread it across the cake.
Sprinkle the top lightly with cinnamon (if desired), and serve!
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake
This gluten-free vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake is topped with a buttercream frosting. It's a perfect fall breakfast or dessert. Refined sugar-free option available.
Tips: (1) Since I was splurging, I made this buttercream frosting with real powdered sugar. You can substitute my Powdered Xylitol Sugar if you want a refined sugar-free dessert. (2) The cake is best served warm. In terms of leftovers, I stored the cake in the refrigerator and heated it in the microwave before eating.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Namaste Mix)
- 1 cup almond flour (I used Blue Diamond)
- ¼ teaspoon Redmond Real Salt
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ cups almond milk
- ½ cup pumpkin purée
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
Cinnamon Topping:
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
- 1 cup maple sugar (can substitute brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup dairy-free cream cheese (I used Toffuti)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray.
- With an electric or stand-up mixer add the gluten-free flours, salt, sugar, baking powder, almond milk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Once combined well, slowly stir in the melted vegan butter.
- The cake batter will be very thick and sticky. Pour into the prepared 9×13 baking pan.
- Prepare the cinnamon roll topping. In a large bowl, cream vegan butter, maple sugar, almond flour and cinnamon together until well combined and creamy.
- Drop evenly over the batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Prepare the vegan buttercream frosting. Combine the powdered sugar, vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and gluten-free pure vanilla together and beat with a mixer until fluffy.
- Spread frosting evenly over the cake.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon (if desired).
- Serve cake warm.
- Enjoy!
What’s your favorite pumpkin treat?
