Paleo Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze

gluten-free pumpkin bundt cake coated in a dripping caramel sauce, on a white cake stand over a white wooden table

5 from 3 votes

Paleo Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze

This pumpkin cake is a fun, festive dessert! Using a whole can of pumpkin keeps it moist and using lots of pumpkin pie spices gives it a warm, fall flavor. It's perfect for Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas or any special occasion. It's also Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

cooling time1

Total Time2 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

For the cake:

avocado oil spray
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup arrowroot flour/starch
4½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 large eggs, room temperature
1½ cups coconut sugar
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

For the caramel glaze:

1 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour/starch
8-10 teaspoons full-fat unsweetened coconut milk

Instructions

For the cake:

Heat the oven to 350°.
Lightly grease a Bundt pan with avocado oil spray.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the coconut flour, arrowroot, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, allspice and nutmeg.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, coconut sugar and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until evenly blended. The batter will be thick.
Scoop the batter into the greased Bundt pan and smooth to an even layer.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (a few dry crumbs are fine, but there should be no wet batter).
Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
The cake should naturally pull away from the sides of the pan as it cools. If necessary, use your fingers to gently pull the cake away from the middle tube as well.
Then place the cooling rack upside down on the pan and carefully flip the rack and pan so the pan is now on top, upside down. The cake should fall onto the rack - if not, give the pan a few taps until you hear it fall out. Let the cake cool completely on the rack.

For the caramel glaze:

Meanwhile, blitz the coconut sugar and arrowroot in a food processor. Drape a kitchen towel over the processor or blender to contain all the fine powder. Blend until most of the sugar is finely ground. You might have to occasionally stop the machine and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl/blender.
Spoon the sugar mixture into a fine-mesh sieve and sift it over a small mixing bowl. You might have to use the spoon or your fingers to push some of it through. You just don't want to force through any large bits or the glaze will be gritty. (Save the larger bits for another use.)
Measure out 1 cup of the sifted sugar into a small bowl. Add 8 teaspoons coconut milk and whisk or stir until fully blended. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If necessary, add more coconut milk, about ½ teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Once the cake is completely cooled, spoon over the glaze. Then serve!

Notes

Make ahead and storage

The cake, without the glaze, can be made up to 5 days in advance. Keep at room temperature for 3 days, then store in the fridge for another 2, if necessary.

The glaze can also be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in the fridge. It might need a bit of coconut milk or water to loosen up so you can pour it over the cake.

Glaze the cake right before serving.

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days (but the glaze will kind of seep into the cake).

You can also freeze the whole, un-glazed cake or individual slices by wrapping in 2 layers of airtight plastic wrap and then 1 layer of aluminum foil.

Freeze for up to 2 months.

Thaw overnight in the fridge. Do not thaw by placing in the oven or microwave - it could change the texture of the cake.

Substitutions and variations

You can NOT substitute anything for the coconut flour. It is a very unique ingredient that acts different than any other flour, gluten-free or otherwise.

You can use tapioca flour/starch in place of the arrowroot.

Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking, or add other spices like ground cloves or ground cardamom.

You can use almond milk (or any non-dairy milk) instead of coconut milk for the glaze but the cake won't be nut-free.

Nutrition