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Toasted Marshmallow Pumpkin Cake. Layered gluten-free spiced pumpkin cake filled with a brown butter pumpkin buttercream and covered in marshmallow clouds.
The season starts here. This week I feel officially heralds the beginning of Christmas and for me it starts with two lovely celebrations, my birthday and my wedding anniversary. Before Cole we would usually go away for this week to some fancypants hotel and this year we tossed around the idea for about five minutes. Then I remembered I was pregnant, exhausted and couldn’t face organising my way to Sainsburys let alone anything more elaborate.
So, instead I’ll celebrate the best way I know how, with cake. And what better cake than the one I have been enjoying making and eating the most during these chillier months. This Toasted Marshmallow Spiced Pumpkin Cake is an absolute triumph. The pumpkin cake is so moist and delicious with so many layers of flavour thanks to all the spices and array of gluten-free flours.
It is teamed with a simple fluffy marshmallowy meringue which is the perfect texture and its smooth flavour is the perfect foil for the busy pumpkin sponge. Although one of the best parts about this cake is surely the brown butter pumpkin buttercream which is rich, caramelly and creamy with plenty of full pumpkin flavour.
Toasted Marshmallow Spiced Pumpkin Cake {gluten-free}
Ingredients
Spiced Pumpkin Cake
- 500 g light brown sugar
- 280 g unsalted butter melted then cooled
- 5 eggs
- 425 g pumpkin puree
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 110 g sweet rice flour
- 80 g oat flour
- 65 g millet flour
- 35 g potato flour
- 30 g tapioca flour
- 1¾ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¾ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1¾ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Toasted Marshmallow
- 7 egg whites 210g
- 350 g caster sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brown Butter Pumpkin Buttercream
- 175 g unsalted butter
- 150 g of the marshmallow frosting
- 5 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Spiced Pumpkin Cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C and line and grease two 8x4 inch round cake tins.
- Blend together the sugar and butter until thick and well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.
- Pour in the pumpkin puree and mix well.
- Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients, then add to the pumpkin mixture until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the two cake tins and bake for 35–40 minutes until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
Toasted Marshmallow
- Heat egg whites and caster sugar in a bain marie, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature has reached 71°C.
- Remove the egg whites and sugar from the heat and pour into a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
- Set aside 325g to create the toasted marshmallow and leave the rest in the mixer to make the brown butter pumpkin buttercream.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Buttercream
- To make the brown butter, start work a good few hours before you intend to make the buttercream. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat over a medium flame. The butter will melt. Listen carefully and the butter will start hissing and cracking and forming little brown bits at the bottom of the pan. You want to wait until the noises start to subside, the butter smells toasty and is turning a darker colour. Remove from the heat as soon as it’s ready so it doesn’t begin to burn. Pour the butter into a heatproof container and chill in the fridge for a few hours until it solidifies to the consistency of room temperature butter.
- Cut the butter into cubes, then when you are ready to make the buttercream, add the browned butter one cube at a time into the food mixer which has the rest of the beaten egg white and sugar mixture leftover from making the marshmallow and beat the butter into the egg whites with the paddle attachment until a smooth velvety buttercream has formed.
- Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and salt and beat until completely combined.
Assembly
- Place one of the sponge layers on a cake board and spread the brown butter pumpkin buttercream filling on top of the cake, smoothing evenly with a palette knife.
- Place the second sponge layer on top and cover the top and the sides of the cake with the marshmallow.
- Toast the marshmallow with a blowtorch.
Nutrition
SHOP THE RECIPE
The cake tins I always use are these PME Anodised Aluminium Round Cake Pan 8 x 4-Inch Deep
which are wonderful as they have completely straight sides so your cakes will be beautifully neat, the anodised aluminium means the heat disperses evenly throughout the cake without cooking the sides too quickly, which some darker cake tins do. The cakes slip out of the tins easily and they come in all the sizes you would need, although typically I use the 8 inch tins.
I love these Kitchen Craft Paul Hollywood 2-Tier Stackable Wire Cooling Rack, 40 x 26 x 35 cm (16″ x 10″ x 14″)
, don’t be put off that they are part of the Paul Hollywood range as they are actually really useful as they are nice and high which allow more air to get to your cakes to cool quickly. Some cooling racks are too close to the kitchen counter which traps in more moisture as the cakes are cooling down which could lead to a wetter sponge. These are great.
You need to use a double boiler or bain marie to make the marshmallow and this KitchenCraft Induction-Safe Stainless Steel Double Boiler Porringer/Bain-Marie Pan, 16 cm (6.5″)
is perfect. Double boilers are way more useful than you think they are going to be. I use one every time I melt chocolate, make a curd, butter sauce or indeed swiss meringue.
For checking the temperature of your egg white sugar syrup when making your marshmallow don’t be without a Classic SuperFast Thermapen 3 professional food thermometer in grey colour
It gives quick and accurate temperature readings meaning you can don’t have to guess at any temperatures when making candy, caramel, tempering chocolate or fancy buttercreams. I use mine all the time.
I put off buying a chef’s blowtorch for so long as it seemed another kitchen gadget that would take up unnecessary space in my kitchen but once I took the plunge I didn’t look back. Absolutely essential for toasted marshmallow and meringue toppings and creme brulee. Plus really good fun to use. I love this MasterClass Deluxe Gas Kitchen Blow Torch
in my kitchen, it does the job really well.
It’s not easy to buy certified gluten-free sweet rice flour in the UK, for some reason Bob’s Red Mill is astronomically expensive. However I have finally found a brand which is 100% certified gluten-free and it’s fantastic. The brand is yourhealthstore Premium Gluten Free Sweet Rice Flour (glutinous) 1kg
Oat flour can be picked up at most health food shops and if I run out that’s where I head to. However, like all alternative flours it can be expensive so I find the most economical way is to buy it online. I go through bags of the stuff as it’s the flour I use most regularly so I like to buy in bulk. My favourite brand is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Oat Flour 400 g (Pack of 4)
at a reasonable price. Even better if you go the subscribe and save option.
It’s not difficult to get hold of tapioca flour in the UK. You can often find 100g pots of Doves Farm Tapioca Flour in the supermarket but it’s quite costly and doesn’t give you very much. You can find more varied brands in health food shops in bags of about 500g. The cost depends entirely on the brand you purchase. My preferred brand is Bob’s Red Mill GF Tapioca Flour 500 g (Pack of 2)
as it’s certifiably gluten-free and I order it through Amazon.
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Hello, so lovely of you to drop by. I am Georgina. I bake a lot, eat a lot and love writing about my gluten-free kitchen adventures here. I run a gluten-free cake business but am mostly kept busy with my 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 husband, and two gorgeous sons.
I am systemically allergic to wheat and potatoes, so potato starch is out for me. What do you recommend instead. Gluten free does not mean wheat free so I have to be very careful. I haven’t found an oat brand that does not pose a problem for me. What is an alternative you could recommend for the oats?
Hi Renee, I do understand that gluten-free oat flour can be a difficult ingredient. I haven’t tried baking this cake with any other flour combo than those of the original recipe, but you could try substituting the oat flour for sorghum flour. It has a different flavour profile and can be slightly gritty depending on which brand you use, but it may work nicely. Sorry that potatoes are out for you as well. I like to use potato flour due to its hydroscopic nature so it helps the fluffiness of the cake. You may have to do a bit of experimentation if you leave out the potato flour I’m afraid.