Gluten Free Pumpkin Loaf

A soft and moist gluten-free pumpkin loaf made with pumpkin purée, maple syrup and warming autumn spices, finished with a cinnamon coconut sugar topping. An easy seasonal bake that's perfect with a cup of tea.

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Course: Breakfast, Brunch, cake, Snack

Keyword: Dairy Free, Easy, Gluten Free

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Servings: slices

Calories: 110kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the pumpkin loaf

120g pure pumpkin purée
1 large egg
60ml maple syrup
45g coconut sugar
60g apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup gluten-free plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves

For the cinnamon sugar topping

1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Line a small loaf tin, approximately 16cm long, with baking parchment.
Add the pumpkin purée, egg, maple syrup, coconut sugar, apple sauce and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
Gently stir until everything is just combined. Avoid overmixing the batter.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.
Gently swirl a little of the cinnamon sugar into the surface of the batter with the tip of a knife, leaving plenty of the mixture on top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking the loaf after 30-35 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre - if it comes out with wet batter attached, continue baking and check again after a few minutes. The loaf is ready when the skewer comes out without wet batter, although a few moist crumbs are fine.
If the top begins to brown too much before the centre is cooked, loosely cover it with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Leave the loaf to cool in the tin for around 10-15 minutes before carefully lifting it out and transferring it to a cooling rack.
Allow it to cool before slicing. It's particularly lovely served slightly warm.

Notes

For a larger standard loaf tin, I recommend doubling the recipe so the finished loaf isn't too shallow. A doubled loaf will need longer to cook. Bake for at least 45-50 minutes before testing the centre with a skewer. If there is still wet batter on the skewer, continue baking for another 10 minutes and check again. Loosely cover the top with foil if it starts to catch.

Use pure pumpkin purée, rather than sweetened or pre-spiced pumpkin pie filling.

Gluten-free flour blends vary, so the exact texture and baking time can differ slightly depending on the flour you use.

Store the completely cooled loaf in an airtight container for around 3 days, or keep it refrigerated for a little longer. Individual slices can also be frozen.

Nutrition