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gluten free pumpkin bars with mascarpone frosting

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars with Mascarpone Frosting

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  • Author: Claudia Curici, Health Coach
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten-Free

Description

These gluten-free pumpkin bars are soft, moist, and warmly spiced, with a rich mascarpone frosting that makes them perfect for fall gatherings and holiday tables. Naturally sweetened with just a few Medjool dates — without sugar, syrups, or excessive amounts of alternative sweeteners — they have all the pleasure of a festive pumpkin cake in a more balanced, nourishing form. Almond and tigernut flours, pumpkin, and extra virgin olive oil give them flavor, substance, and a beautifully tender texture.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 3/4 cup tigernut flour, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup almond flour, well packed
  • 4 tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt

Wet ingredients

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 260 grams pumpkin puree
  • 3 pasture-raised eggs
  • 3 Medjool dates, approximately 65 grams
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tablespoons inulin powder (or allulose)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mascarpone frosting

  • 250 grams cold Italian mascarpone
  • 3 heaping tablespoons cold organic crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons allulose, monk fruit sweetener, or preferred sweetener

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) metal baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tigernut flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Add the olive oil, pumpkin puree, eggs, dates, pumpkin pie spice, inulin, and vanilla to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
  4. Pour the blended mixture over the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold until evenly combined and no dry flour remains.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
  6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
  8. Meanwhile, combine the cold mascarpone, crème fraîche, and sweetener in a mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on medium speed just until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until the cake is completely cool.
  9. Spread the mascarpone frosting over the cooled cake. Dust with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and decorate with edible flower petals or your preferred sprinkles, if desired.
  10. Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

Use plain pumpkin puree, preferably home-baked pumpkin for more flavor and a less watery texture. 

For a more complex spice profile, replace one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice with one teaspoon of Warming Spice Blend.

I use inulin in a lot of my baking, not so much for added sweetness, as for its contribution to a better crumb. However, if you don’t have it, feel free to use allulose, which is one of my favorite natural sweeteners.

This recipe was formulated for the stated combination of tigernut, almond, and tapioca flours. A general-purpose gluten-free flour blend is not a direct substitute.

Store the frosted bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Find it online: https://creativeinmykitchen.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-bars/