Categories: Desserts
Ingredients
- For the pumpkin crème:
- 1/3 cup cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin purée
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
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- For the vanilla cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour*
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups soy, almond, or rice milk
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla or almond extract
- 1/2 cup amaretto
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso
- 12 ounces dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips, ground in a food processor or chopped finely
Directions
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For the pumpkin crème:
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In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water with a whisk or fork and set aside.
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In a medium saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and heat over medium heat until it just begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Slowly drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan, whisking continuously. Let cook until the mixture becomes very thick in texture, about 5 minutes, whisking frequently.
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Pour the crème into a bowl and let cool for about 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is touching the top of the crème. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
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For the vanilla cake:
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 9-inch-round cake pans or one 9-by-13-inch pan and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
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Fill each prepared cake pan evenly with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Rotate the cakes halfway through the baking time. Cool the cakes completely before assembly.
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In a small bowl, whisk the amaretto, water, and espresso until the espresso dissolves.
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In a large bowl or trifle dish, place 1 layer of cake at the bottom and drizzle it with the espresso mixture. Spread a layer of pumpkin crème on top and generously sprinkle with ground chocolate. Repeat this process for 3 more layers until all of the components are used up. You could also cut the cake into mini rounds for individual servings in mini trifle dishes or ramekins.
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*Note: You can substitute 3 cups gluten-free, all-purpose flour plus 1 ½ teaspoon xanthan gum for every 3 cups regular all-purpose flour.