Special thank you to Amore di Mona for sponsoring this post.
Each year I love to create a beautiful Thanksgiving-inspired cake for all of you who celebrate and this Pumpkin Chocolate Gateau is my newest addition to the collection.
It’s inspired by my Black Forest Gateau from this summer and it will make a beautiful addition to your festive table. It’s a wholesome vegan, gluten-free and nut-free gateau that tastes just wonderful.
The sponge cake is lovely and moist with pumpkin puree and gluten-free mix of brown rice flour, sorghum flour and sunflower seeds. I’ve baked the cake in a 25cm x 35cm Swiss roll tin and then cut two long rectangles of 25cm x 11cm. You could also create mini individual rectangular cakes. Or if you prefer a round cake, then you can make 6″ two-layer cake with this recipe.
The beautiful orange coloured filling is made of pumpkin puree, oat cream and agar powder. And the chocolate ganache is a simple blend of oat cream and dark chocolate.
For the pumpkin puree, I have steamed some Hokkaido squash. I find that it’s the most vibrant from all the different pumpkins and squashes and I love to use it for the colour and the flavour. Just look how beautiful the colour of the filling came out.
Piping the fillings makes the gateau extra special. I have still found some nasturtium flowers for the top which completed the look so beautifully.
Wishing you all Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you love the recipe :)
Pumpkin Chocolate Gateau (vegan & gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 95g brown rice flour (3/4 cup)
- 35g sorghum or buckwheat flour (1/4 cup)
- 70g sunflower seeds, ground into flour consistency (1/2 cup)
- 30g tapioca flour (1/4 cup)
- 30g cacao powder (1/4 cup)
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp ground ginger
- ¼tsp ground cloves
- 1/8tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch sea salt
- 100g rapadura sugar (3/4 cup)
- 2tbsp ground flaxseed + 6tbsp water
- 240ml pumpkin puree (1 cup)
- 80ml olive oil (1/3 cup)
- 60ml plant milk (1/4 cup)
- 2tsp apple cider vinegar
Pumpkin cream:
- 120ml pumpkin puree (1/2 cup)
- 240ml oat cream (1 cup)
- 2tbsp maple syrup
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 2tsp agar powder
- 1tbsp cornflour
Chocolate ganache: make the night before
- 120g dark vegan chocolate (4.2oz)
- 120ml oat cream (1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350F)
- Grease and line 25 x 35cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.
- Mix 2tbsp ground flaxseed with 6tbsp water and set aside to thicken.
- In a large bowl whisk together brown rice flour, sorghum flour, ground sunflower seeds, tapioca flour, cacao powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt and sugar and set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together gelled flax eggs, pumpkin puree, olive oil, milk and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix until well combined. You should have thicker muffin consistency. Add more milk if needed.
- Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and level out the surface.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.
- Once cooled cut in half to have two long rectangles. Trim the edges to about 25cm x 11cm.
- Pumpkin cream:
- Place pumpkin puree, oat cream, maple syrup and vanilla into medium pot. Whisk in agar powder and cornflour and bring to boil whisking continuously. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes whisking in between. Take off the heat and leave to cool down whisking every now and then. Place into fridge until you have thick smooth cream. Give it a little whip before using.
- Chocolate ganache:
- Roughly chop the chocolate for the chocolate ganache and place into a medium bowl. Place the oat cream into a small pot and gently heat until boiling point. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Leave to cool down before placing into a fridge to set overnight into a pipeable consistency.
- To assemble the gateau using a cake lifter place the bottom layer on top of your serving platter. Using piping bag decorate the top with pumpkin cream and top with the second layer of the sponge cake. Using piping bag decorate the top with chocolate ganache. Top with few edible flowers.
- Store in fridge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Replace rapadura sugar with coconut sugar.
Replace oat cream with other plant-based cream.
Replace sunflower seeds with ground nuts if you don't need the recipe to be nut-free.
What can I use in place of the rice four and will work? I am allergic to rice
Hi Sharon, you can create any gluten-free mix that works for you. Just use the flours you would normally use. You can use sorghum – buckwheat combo, teff – buckwheat flour is great too, quinoa flour in small quantity or oat flour is lovely. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much! I will try the sorghum buckwheat combo
What can I use instead of oat cream? Would coconut cream work?
Hi Amie, yes, you can use coconut cream instead. Use a lighter version as it sets hard when chilled.