Low FODMAP Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Coffee Cake
Say it with me – Low FODMAP Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Coffee Cake! Mmmmm. Can you smell the spices? The aroma of butter and brown sugar and toasted pecans? Well, I certainly could when this was baking and I cannot wait for you to experience this as well.
FODMAP IT™! STAT!
The idea for this cake began when I stumbled upon a version packed with gluten and way too much pumpkin and molasses for our tender tummies. The original also used “pumpkin pie spice” and I chose to break down the spices individually. But man, just the name of the recipe got me running to the Test Kitchen.
Pick Your Pan
I also think the approach I take using a springform pan improves the dish. This way none of the precious, crumbly, sweet and crunchy streusel is lost during unmolding.
Cake & Streusel
The name says it all: Low FODMAP Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Coffee Cake.
Let’s break this down. The cake is made with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, molasses and canned pumpkin.
Canned pumpkin, as you might know, can be a high FODMAP food in larger portions, but our cake, if you adhere to the serving sizes, is well within low FODMAP guidelines. Monash as lab-tested canned pumpkin and it is low FODMAP Green Light at ⅓ cup or 75 g.
Read more in our Explore An Ingredient: Pumpkin, Fresh & Canned.
Molasses is low FODMAP in teeny, tiny 1-teaspoon amounts, but our ¼ cup (60 ml) total used in the cake, divided by the recommended 14 serving sizes, means that you will be within a low FODMAP threshold.
Let’s Make Low FODMAP Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Coffee Cake!
Even if you are not an experienced baker, if you follow my instructions you CAN bake a cake just like the one in the images!
For another ginger-ful cake, check out our Low FODMAP Triple Ginger Cake. Easy enough for non-bakers!
Low FODMAP Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Coffee Cake
This might be the PERFECT fall coffee cake - for bake sales, guests, host gifts...we like discovering excuses to make it!
Ingredients:
Brown Sugar Spiced Streusel:
- ¼ cup (54 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¾ cup (75 g) pecan halves, chopped
Pumpkin Gingerbread Coffee Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups (254 g) plus 2 tablespoons low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (141 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (131 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) unsulphured molasses; not blackstrap
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup (220 g) pure, unsweetened canned pumpkin, such as Libby's
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Preparation:
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Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat the inside of a 9-inch (23 cspringform pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
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For the Streusel: Mash together all of the streusel ingredients, except the pecans, in a small bowl. I like to start with a fork and then get in their with my fingers. The mixture should feel like wet sand, then mix in the chopped pecans; set aside.
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For the Coffee Cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl to aerate and combine; set aside, making a well in the center.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugars and molasses until well blended. Whisk in the spices, the canned pumpkin and then the eggs one at a time until everything comes together.
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Scrape the pumpkin mixture on top of the dry mixture and whisk together until blended well and combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and level the top. Scatter streusel evenly over the top.
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Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil to keep the cake from browning too quickly and bake for about 20 minutes more or until a toothpick tests clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Cool cake on rack for at least 10 minutes, then unmold from springform pan. Cake may be served warm or cool to room temperature. Cake may be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperatures for up to 2 days.
Notes:
Tips
- If you do not have a 9-inch (23 cm) round springform pan, make this cake in a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan. Cool completely. Do not unmold. Simply cut squares of the cake directly in the pan and lift out with a spatula.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
My goodness, this looks like heaven! I ADORE pumpkin-y baked goods, and coffee cake is my favourite kind of cake, and I think that molasses is possibly in my top 3 for baking ingredients I miss on the low fodmap diet. Maybe even ahead of wheat flour!
I’d be worried about stacking fructans though- between the molasses, the pumpkin and the pecans I would imagine this would add up to quite a lot at the suggested serving size? Maybe I will try it out with a smaller slice and see how it goes. Thanks for the recipe!
Heather, stacking is always taken into consideration with our serving sizes. Of course the most important thing is how you do with the recipe at hand. You might find our article on serving sizes interesting.
Wondering if this cake could be frozen.
Hi Wanda, I am not a huge fan of freezing most baked goods, so I do not do it, as it tends to dry them out. This, however, is a good candidate. I would double wrap in plastic and then foil and then place in a zip top bag, air removed. Glaze once defrosted.
If we have a nut allergy, what could I substitute the pecans with?
I like your idea with the oats! As always when you tweak, make sure to recalculate the FODMAPs.
This was really delicious! I added a few tablespoons of oats to the topping. I will definitely make this again!!
You came up with a great idea with the oats! Thank you for sharing.
Dédé, we don’t get canned pumpkin here in India, so do I cook the pumpkin? Can I sub walnuts for the pecans? And what can I use instead of the molasses? All hard to get here, but the recipe looks so tempting..thanks, Anjali
It is a really lovely cake, but I am not sure how to help you. Canned pumpkin is Very thick and smooth. A spoon can stand up in it. I have never had luck substituting cooking from scratch. The Molasses is a key component of what gingerbread is. Walnuts could be subbed for pecans, but I think choosing a different cake might be the best thing