Pumpkin Earthquake Cake with craters of cream cheese filling will become one of your favorite gluten free pumpkin dessert recipes.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Earthquake Cake was originally posted on October 26, 2020 and has been updated with a completely new pumpkin cake recipe, plenty of new tips and information, new pictures, and a new video.
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Oh. My. Goodness, y'all!! If you've ever had the original earthquake cake made with chocolate cake mix (or German chocolate cake mix), this gluten free pumpkin version is gonna blow you away!
What is Earthquake Cake?
If you've never had earthquake cake, you're in for a real treat! Usually earthquake cake is made with a German chocolate cake mix and is loaded with coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips. Then a sweetened cream cheese mixture (basically cream cheese frosting) is dolloped on top and the whole thing is baked.
What happens in the oven is why this cake is called "earthquake." As the cake bakes, the cream cheese bubbles up and down, creating craters and dips of gooeyness. When I first had a piece of earthquake cake, I was instantly hooked. I made it for my family and my mom said it was one of her favorite cakes ever.
what you'll need to make pumpkin earthquake cake
- Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend--a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested.
- Pumpkin puree--make sure to use canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling
- Pumpkin pie spice--make your own (instructions in the recipe card) or use a store bought blend
- Cream cheese--this is what "explodes" in the oven and creates those craters
- Butterscotch chips--make sure they're gluten free. I think Nestle used to not be gluten free, but they have since changed their formulation and are now gluten free. Always double check on the package, though.
how to make this pumpkin Cake
- Make the cream cheese mixture. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add melted butter and powdered sugar and continue beating until fully combined. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Finish the cake batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Assemble the cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls all over the top of the cake batter. Sprinkle butterscotch chips on top.
- Bake the cake. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into just the cake part comes out clean.
Variations
- Use a store bought gluten free cake mix in lieu of making your own cake batter. I would suggest getting a vanilla or yellow cake mix, adding the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin to it, and baking as per the recipe.
- Add coconut and pecans on the bottom of the pan before pouring the cake batter over the top.
- Substitute coconut oil for the canola or vegetable oil.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips instead of butterscotch chips.
- For dairy free, try using dairy-free cream cheese and a dairy-free butter alternative. You will also need to use a dairy-free milk powder, such as Coconut Milk Powderhttps://amzn.to/469GeYA, (affiliate link) in my gluten-free flour blend (or use a store bought flour blend that doesn't contain dairy).
more gluten free pumpkin Dessert recipes
One of my favorite gluten free pumpkin dessert recipes (and one of the most underrated), this Pumpkin Earthquake Cake is sure to become one of your favorites, too!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 2 cups (280g) Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend (a store bought flour blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 15-oz (425g) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) canola oil (any neutral oil can be used)
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (113g) butter, melted
- 3 cups (375g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (85g) butterscotch chips (or more to taste)** (Nestle butterscotch chips are now gluten free)
Instructions
Make the Cream Cheese Mixture
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the melted butter, followed slowly by the powdered sugar. Beat until well combined and there are no lumps. Set aside.
Prepare the Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the canned pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and whisk or stir to combine fully.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Dollop the cream cheese mixture all over the top of the cake and sprinkle the butterscotch chips on top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Laura says
My family loved this cake. It was super moist. I did adapt it in one way. I only used 2 cups of powdered sugar for the cream cheese mixture. I didn't have 3 cups on hand, and it also seemed like 3 was just over the top and would make the cream cheese too sweet. My family appreciated the more gentle sweetness of the 2 cup version; just sweet enough, and not cloying,
I also added some vanilla, since the instructions and ingredient list were not consistent. 1 tsp of vanilla didn't hurt the recipe at all. I wonder if you might just suggest it as an optional ingredient.
Will definitely be making this again.
Pam Bearden says
Hey Kim. love your recipes. I was just wondering how much oil, and how much vanilla. Thanks
Kim says
I'm so sorry, Pam! I'm glad you found that. There is no vanilla, but there is 1 cup or 240ml of neutral oil (I used canola).
I correct it and thank you for alerting me to that mistake😊
Connie M says
The instructions don’t include what to do with the cornstarch listed in ingredients. I assume it goes in with the other dry ingredients and it was just missed in the instruction section, but will you please confirm? Thanks. I’m looking forward to trying this; it looks delicious!
Kim says
I'm so sorry, Connie! They are supposed to be sifted with the rest of the dry ingredients. I am fixing that right now.
Thank you for catching this for me 🥰
Joyce Tarter says
What corn starch? Not listed in ingredients
Kim says
That was from the old recipe. If you read near the top of the recipe post, you'll see that I've revamped this recipe post with an entirely new cake recipe that does not include cornstarch.
Pam V says
Kim, I made this yesterday and it was a winner!!! Shared some with the neighbors because it was so good, and they loved it too 🥰 so moist and flavorful, yum!!!
Kim says
So glad you liked it, Pam! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving 😍
m.fisher says
no instructions on what to do with the cup of buttermilk . . . i mean it's obvious but just say'n 🙂
made this with the modification of oat n honey granola sprinkled on the top instead of butterscotch chips and up'd the pumpkin spice a notch, everyone loved it. . . .
you need a community manager & editor lady 🙂 get some of those hordes of followers you have to jump in and do some werk . . . as always, watch'n - cook'n - try'n to be 'not the butthead' when i find stuff / question or comment . . .i'm just old, slow and stoned comes with gruff n ruff . . .
never forget i think you ARE A GODDESS . . . the pick and poke is only because i know what you are doing and just how valuable it is and wish you nothing but the greatest of success, support and exposure . . . this is cook'n for the world in the best of fashions.
Kim says
Hahaha! I'm no goddess, that's for sure!! And I appreciate when people point out my error because I want to fix them.
However, I did notice in this recipe that I stated what to do with the buttermilk. First I said to mix it with the vanilla, and then in step 6 I state to alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients (the buttermilk/vanilla mixture is the wet ingredients).
I very much appreciate you keeping me on my toes 😊
Angie says
There’s no amount listed for salt
Kim says
I'm so sorry! It's supposed to be 1 tsp. I added it to the recipe. Thank you for finding that error😍