Chocolate Pumpkin Torte is rich, moist, and decadent with a creamy silky-smooth texture. This fudgy fall treat is perfect for anyone trying to bake a little healthier this season! It’s naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free and refined sugar-free too.
With a toddler at home, we try baking many desserts refined-sugar-free but they don’t always work out well. I’m happy to report that this cake was a clear winner. This cake was well loved by our neighbors, friends, and family.
Why this cake works
I stumbled upon this sweet potato chocolate torte and it inspired me to make a pumpkin version. After a little trial and error, I’ve perfected this delicious dessert to suit my tastes. Of note, adding fall spices like cinnamon was not a success.
This cake relies on eggs and pumpkin for structure and stability. So as you can imagine, the batter is incredibly wet as a result. It bakes up very similarly to a cheesecake and is done when the top is set but jiggles slightly or an internal thermometer reads 160F / 72C.
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Main Ingredients
- Semi-sweet chocolate bars or dark chocolate bars (dairy-free option), chopped
- 5 eggs, large
- Smooth almond butter – this is important if you don’t like the gritty feel of regular almond butter. Here’s the smooth almond butter we love.
- Canned coconut milk (full-fat)
- Pumpkin puree
- Pure maple syrup
How to make flourless chocolate torte with pumpkin
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this dessert. See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 177℃. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with a parchment round and the sides with parchment strips.
- Melt the chocolate bars and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk until combined. Add the almond butter, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, and espresso powder (optional). Mix together gently.
- Add in the melted chocolate, mixing together all ingredients until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is set with a slight jiggle. It is done when the center reaches 160℉ / 72℃ on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack. Once cooled to room temperature, chill in the refrigerator until serving.
- Right before serving, dust with a light layer of cocoa powder.
More pumpkin desserts you’ll love
Chocolate Pumpkin Torte (flourless)
This flourless recipe is easy to make and tastes incredible. With a custard-like batter, it bakes similarly to a cheesecake with a mousse-like texture.
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340g) semi-sweet chocolate bars, chopped
- 5 (250g) eggs, large
- ½ cup (130g) smooth almond butter
- 1 cup (230ml) canned coconut milk (full-fat)
- 1 cup (230g) pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup (110g) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350℉ / 177℃. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with a parchment round and the sides with parchment strips.
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Melt the chocolate bars in a bain marie (double boiler) or a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Alternately, microwave the chocolate in 20-second intervals in the microwave until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool.
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In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk until combined. Add the almond butter, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, and espresso powder (optional). Mix together gently using a wooden spoon, whisk, or silicone scraper/spatula.
Electric mixer optional: use on low speed, don't beat too much air into the batter.
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Add in the melted chocolate, mixing together all ingredients until smooth.
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Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is set with a slight jiggle. It is done when the center reaches 160℉ / 72℃ on an instant read thermometer.
-
Remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack. Once cooled to room temperature, chill in the refrigerator until serving.
-
Right before serving, dust with a light layer of cocoa powder.
Recipe Notes
Storing and serving instructions:
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve cold.
Dairy-free, refined sugar-free modification option:
Use dark chocolate that is dairy-free and refined sugar-free for the healthiest version of this dessert.
Elsa Clay says
I can vouch for how yummy this is! I love a good chocolate torte and this one is my favorite to date! So light and creamy… you’ll wish you cut a bigger slice!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thank you, Elsa! I’m so glad you loved this cake!
Alissa says
This is a divine and decadent torte. My husband and grown sons have declared this is their new favorite. It tastes like a high end dessert you eat while gazing at the Eiffel Tower. Thank you for sharing this recipe, making it easy for anyone to bake!!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Alissa! Thank you so much for your kind words. I felt the exact same way when perfecting this recipe. My husband is begging me to make it again before Thanksgiving too!! I couldn’t get over the mousse-like texture even though it’s fudgy too. Decadent is 100% the word for this dessert. Your comment absolutely made my day!
Karyn S. says
Hey there, Stephanie, I was just about to make your chocolate pumpkin torte cake as I had it in a restaurant here in New York and it was fabulous! She added toasted almonds to it and I can’t tell you how delicious it was. Unfortunately you are not clear about how many bars of chocolate to use – you say 12 oz bars, not ‘one’s 12 oz bar but ’12 oz bars’ Can you tell me how many 12 ounce bars for this cake? Thank you so much!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Karyn! Thanks for the message! The standard baking chocolate bars I use are 4oz each so whatever bars you use, just make sure they total up to 12 oz! Great question!! 🙂 I clarify with bars instead of chocolate chips because chocolate chips contain lecithin and don’t melt as well.
Hope this helps you! You’ll love this dessert!
Heather says
This is not your average chocolate cake. The torte is like a cross between: mousse, flan, and cheesecake. It tastes like something you would get at a fancy restaurant. Try a small wedge of it with a cappuccino, delish! Making the recipe is a wild ride as it looks like you’re combining random things together until, the very end (the coconut milk was very glob-by when combining) However, when you mix the melted chocolate in, then it looks like cake batter. Enjoy! It’s a crowd pleaser for sure!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
This comment made me giggle for all the right reasons… You’re totally correct. It seems like a mad science experiment. As if my child threw a bunch of random ingredients together and it doesn’t really work until the chocolate emulsifies everything. It’s mind-blowingly good. Thank you for your kind words, Heather. “Fancy restaurant dessert” was exactly what I was going for here.
[email protected] says
Glad to make you laugh 😂
My husband’s coworkers absolutely loved it! Us too!! My husband’s exact words were: “Holy Moly! This is amazing!”
Madelyn Brown says
Could honey be substituted for maple syrup?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Madelyn, that would be a perfectly acceptable swap. I chose maple syrup because it blended better at room temp. Honey can be a little thick, so warm it slightly for easier blending.
Sandra says
Omg this was so good! I was thinking of making it for Christmas as well and wondered if maybe some mixed spice would pair well and make it more Christmassy. How much do you think, maybe a teaspoon? I’m in New Zealand and we don’t have pumpkin spice blends here.
Cheers
Sandra
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Sandra! Funny you say that – I actually tried adding a little fall spice blend to this while recipe developing and it just never went well for me. I highly recommend following the recipe on this one. Others have noted that adding almonds to it has been extra special, so maybe go the nut route instead of the spiced route? 🙂 Cheers!
Sydney says
About to try to make this but I just have peanut butter not almond butter. Would that be a feasible swap? Also was wondering about almond milk versus coconut milk?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Sydney! Smooth peanut butter would be a great swap – it just will give the final cake a chocolate and peanut flavor. The almond butter provides a more neutral flavor. As for almond milk, I wouldn’t recommend that swap. Full fat canned coconut milk is really important for the fat content and texture in this recipe.
Meg says
Could this be made ahead of time and frozen?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Meg! I haven’t frozen this cake yet, but I’m sure it would be fine. Just store it in an airtight container and thaw fully before serving.