Description

A fall version of the classic St. Louis dessert, this tastes like the perfect combination of pumpkin pie and gooey butter cake. Dairy free and gluten free.

Ingredients

Cake layer:

18 oz gluten free and dairy free cake mix in either spice cake, pumpkin, or yellow varieties *see notes
2 large eggs
1/2 C (one stick) earth balance soy free buttery sticks, melted

Gooey layer:

8 oz (one package) Daiya plain cream cheeze style spread, softened
3 large eggs
1/2 C (one stick) earth balance soy free buttery sticks, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C pumpkin puree
1/3 C full fat coconut milk
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 lb powdered sugar (grain/corn free, if needed)

Topping:

1 can (the soup can size) of coconut cream, chilled

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a lightly colored, metal 9×13 inch pan.
Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the cake mix, two eggs, and 1/2 C melted butter alternative. Once combined, it will be crumbly.
Press this mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Using a mixer again, beat the cream cheese alternative until it is as smooth as possible (it may stay a little lumpy but you will be able to completely smooth it in the next step).
Add the three remaining eggs, vanilla extract, the other 1/2 C butter alternative, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, and pumpkin pie spice then beat until completely smooth.
Gradually mix in all of the powdered sugar. The end result should be like a smooth batter. Pour this over the cake layer and gently tap the pan on the counter to get it to spread out evenly.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. The center should still be a little jiggly and finish setting once it’s removed from the oven (like a baked cheesecake). Additionally, some oil may pool on the top of the cake – don’t confuse this oil with undercooked batter or you could end up over cooking it.
Meanwhile, use a hand mixer to whip the coconut cream and store in the fridge until you're ready to serve the dessert.
Once the cake has been removed from the oven and cooled, you can cut it into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped coconut cream. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.

Notes

Potential allergens contained in this recipe may vary due to brands of ingredients used, product reformulations, etc. Please verify that all your ingredients are safe for you to consume and always be mindful of allergen cross contact while cooking.

I originally used Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin and Bread Mix in this recipe but the Simple Mills allergen chart (updated 4/9/2019) shows it is made on shared equipment with wheat (as well as milk and other potential allergens you may have, click on "Allergen Info" on their product page to read more) so I will be using a different brand going forward. Any gluten free/dairy free cake mix should work just fine but know that it is currently untested with other brands. Note that you will probably only need one egg in the cake layer if you do not use a Simple Mills mix.

Brands other than those I’ve linked to in the ingredients section may or may not work but these are the brands I tested the recipe with. An exception would be the grain free powdered sugar – I used conventional powdered sugar but either one will work fine.