Ooooh this vegan pumpkin cake you guys! Soooo good.
I searched high and low in our small town for some canned pumpkin because when you’re making pumpkin desserts, canned pumpkin purĆ©e is the business!
Sadly though it seems canned pumpkin isn’t a ‘thing’ around here. I guess pumpkin desserts aren’t really a thing around here either. Maybe folks here don’t realize how good they are!
So I had to do things the old fashioned way and make pumpkin purĆ©e from scratch! Was pretty easy really, just bought some ready peeled and chopped pumpkin cubes and baked them on a parchment lined baking tray at 350Ā°F (180Ā°C) for 30 minutes. No spices or oils, just plain.
And when baked, you just let it cool and then puree it in a food processor! The baking part gets rid of any excess moisture so you don’t end up with pumpkin puree that is too ‘wet’. But if you do, you can just stand the pumpkin purĆ©e in a strainer so any excess water runs off.
So it was really too easy.Ā Probably still better to use canned though if you can get it, saves time!
And then when it comes to the frosting, I had a look around the web to see what a good pairing usually is and I saw a lot of recipes using a brown butter frosting.
So, naively I set out to try and make one using the vegan butter I’m getting here at the moment. And oh my what an utter disaster. You don’t even want to know how gross that turned out.
So it seems browning butter really needs actual butter! Hahaha! Who knew (probably everyone). Apparently it’s the milk proteins in the butter that brown, and there ain’t any of those in the vegan varieties!
So then I decided on a cinnamon buttercream frosting and that was just perfect.
There’s cinnamon and other spices in the pumpkin cake and so the pairing with a cinnamon flavored frosting did the job fabulously well.
And then I sprinkled it with some extra cinnamon and tossed some crushed walnuts on top and the result was utterly divine.
This vegan pumpkin cake sort of reminded us of carrot cake! Or a spice cake!
It’s deliciously spiced in the same way that a carrot cake usually is, with the cinnamon and the nutmeg and it’s also sweetened with brown sugar.
This pumpkin cake adds in some ground ginger and cloves too, so it’s really a treat.
So if you like carrot cake, or spice cake, then you’ll love this too!
You will love this fabulous vegan pumpkin cake, it is:
- Wonderfully spicy
- Perfectly moist
- Light and fluffy
- Topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting
- Gorgeously colorful!
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for a few days, or keep it covered in the fridge where it will stay fresh for up to a week!
So let us know what you think of this vegan pumpkin cake! So pretty isn’t it! And please do rate the recipe too, thanks so much.
And if you love cakes, you’ll probably love these beauties too:
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
There’s heaps more, but that’ll do for now!Ā 
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Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10
Description
Perfectly moist and utterly delicious vegan pumpkin cake with a cinnamon buttercream frosting. Spicy and colorful and ideal for any special occasion!
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- 2 cups (250g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (200g) Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) White Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 and 1/2 cups (337g) Pumpkin PurƩe (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Extra VirginĀ Olive Oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Flax Egg
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting:
- 3 and 3/4 cups (450g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter/Margarine
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
For Decoration:Ā
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F (180Ā°C).
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.
- Prepare your flax egg by adding 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then adding in 3 Tbsp of Hot Water and allowing to sit for a minute to become gloopy.
- Add the pumpkin purƩe, vanilla, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and flax egg to the mixing bowl and mix in very well. The batter will be thick.
- Spray two 7 inch cake tins with non-stick spray and then add a circle of parchment paper to the base of each cake tin.
- Divide the batter equally between the cake tins.
- Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla and soy milk to the bowl of an electric mixer. Starting at slow speed, gradually increase the speed until smooth. If your frosting is too thick, add in soy milk a drop at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it is too thin, add in more powdered sugar.
- Add the cinnamon in last and mix on low until just mixed in.
- When your cakes are completely cooled, frost the top of one of the layers. Then add the other layer on top and frost the whole cake.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and add crushed walnuts to the top.
Notes
*I used homemade pumpkin purĆ©e. I baked the peeled and chopped pumpkin in the oven (plain, no oils or spices) for 30 minutes at 350Ā°F (180Ā°C) until soft and cooked and then pureed it in the food processor. If you do it this way and your purĆ©e is a bit ‘wet’ then stand it in a strainer so any excess water can run off.
*Nutritional information is an estimate based on 1 slice of 10 with a generous amount of cinnamon buttercream frosting. Excludes crushed walnuts.
*For the most accurate results, weigh your flour and your pumpkin purƩe.
*Recipe adapted from our Vegan Carrot Cake.
- Category: Desserts, Cakes
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 10)
- Calories: 501
- Sugar: 75.1g
- Sodium: 375mg
- Fat: 11.4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8g
- Carbohydrates: 98.3g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 3.2g
Keywords: vegan pumpkin cake
This recipe looks fab. Iām in England and was wondering what type of sugar I should use for the brown and white, is it caster, granulated or Medera?
Hi Michelle, granulated white sugar and light brown sugar.
Hi! I want to make this recipe but I only want one layer with a 9-inch pan? Should I halve the ingredients?
Hi Alyssa, you can make it as is for a single layer 9-inch cake. š
What could I replace the vegan butter with :)?
Hi Julia, I don’t think there is a good replacement for vegan butter in frosting, although some report that coconut oil can also work.
First class recipe, thank you very much for sharing. I’m the only vegan in our clinic, and they were bowled over!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Karen!
Can I add grated carrot to make it a hybrid carrot-pumpkin cake? Would I need to change any of the other ingredients proportions?
You could try it, you would probably need to replace some of the pumpkin with the carrot.
Thanks for this recipe! I made it for my birthday and it was a hit! I used one egg replaced instead of a flax egg too.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Lu!
Could you replace the flax egg with something else like applesauce? Thank you!
Sure, 3 Tbsp of applesauce will replace the flax egg. š
This looks amazing! Do you think rice flour will work instead as I’m on the low FODMAP diet?
Hi there, no, rice flour definitely doesn’t work well in cakes as I have found from previous attempts! If it’s gluten-free that you’re looking for then a gluten-free all purpose blend is the best bet.
I made it as muffins! It’s so great, and the smell… I love this recipe, I used my own pumpkin puree, it’s really easy to make. You should all try it! ā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøššš
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks Paulina!
I made this for a Halloween party last year that had some vegan attendees. While Iām not vegan, I wanted to make sure I brought a dessert that everyone could enjoy. I didnāt have the smaller size cake pans, so I used my bundt pan and it was perfect! Everyone loved it and I now find myself coming back to this recipe repeatedly throughout the year! Thank you for this!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Denise!
I love this recipe and have been using it since last year. However, Iād love to make cupcakes or this, would the recipe have to be changed in any way?
★★★★★
Hi Dulce, so glad you like the recipe. You can make this as cupcakes, nothing needs to change except the baking time is shortened to 25 minutes. We have also made some vegan pumpkin cupcakes if you’d like to check out that recipe though. š
I don’t usually read all the blog part of recipes, but I am glad I read yours! I’ve been planning on experimenting with trying to brown plant butter and you have saved me time, money and wasted ingredients!
I found a large tub of pumpkin puree in my freezer and I’m planning on making this recipe with it. I’ll probably bake it in a 13×9, so my roommates can grab a chunk and eat it on the run. I’ll give a star rating after I bake this.
So glad it was helpful Holly! Hope the cake works out great!
Love this receipe. Non vegan friends and family referred this cake over non vegan options.
★★★★★
Fantastic! Thanks so much Michelle! š
Hi Alison,
This cake was such a hit at Thanksgiving, that Iām making it again for Christmas! Wondering if I double the recipe will it make a fluffier, just as moist cake using my 9 inch pans?
Hi Kristen! So glad it was a hit before! Yes, for 9-inch I would double it, just be really precise with your measures and either weigh the flour on a food scale or use the spoon and level method for measuring and it will be super fluffy and just as moist! All the best! š
Thank you for your quick reply! I will definitely do the spoon/ level method with the flour! My Grammy taught me that many years ago!
★★★★★
I made this for a church dinner. I baked it in a 9×13 glass pan. Even my brother who knows I’m gluten and dairy free told me that this was great. My mom loved it. My dad ate it too. Along with others who never knew. NOTE: I made it with oat flour (gluten free) and used guar gum because that’s what is in my kitchen. And, I used an egg because I’m not vegan, with all due respect for those who are. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. I’m making it again for family now. I’m thinking of using replacing the powdered sugar with brown sugar in the buttercream frosting. No idea how that will turn out.
★★★★★
Allison, Thank you for this fabulous pumpkin recipe!! I’m sharing back with you my frosting experiment. Your Buttercream Frosting inspired me!! I’m sure the process can be improved. This is my first take on it. Have fun using it, if you – or other’s – so desire.
Brenda’s Buttercream Brown Sugar frosting
1 stick Butter (almond)
1 cup Brown Sugar, divided
1 cup Powered Sugar, divided
1 teaspoon real Vanilla (homemade)
2 teaspoons Almond Milk
1/2 – 3/4 cup chopped Pecans
1-2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
I took 1 stick Butter. Softened it in the microwave for 29 seconds. Lol, 30 was the intent but I pulled a second early. Into the partially melted / softened butter I stirred about 3/4 cup Brown Sugar. And stirred, even beat it by hand until it began to cream together. It was grainy of course. I stirred in Vanilla and 1/2 cup Powered Sugar and beat it well. Next, I stirred in Pecans. Then, gasp, I microwaved it for 15 more seconds!! Immediately I added the other 1/4 cup Brown Sugar and beat it well. Then I added Almond Milk, stirred. Added remaining 1/2 cup Powered Sugar, stirred. Last I stirred in 1-2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon. The flavor was great. I’m hoping standing time will finish taking care of the bit of grainy that remained. In retrospect, I’m wondering if I had microwaved it an additional.5 seconds both times I used the microwave if that would have cured the grainy texture. Of course microwaves are different!! I’m currently in a temporary apartment in transition between homes. To be honest I have no idea at the moment what the wattage is on this particular microwave. And, I’m riding in a car. Another thought, an electric mixer beating this frosting may have also solved the grainy texture had I tried. If you have a glass bowl with your mixer it just might be the fix needed. The frosting is currently sitting in the refrigerator. I’ll pull it out tonight to return to room temperature for ease of frosting the cake for tomorrow. I’ll try to return and give honest feedback from family who sometimes cringe at my GF/DF baked goods, but are lovingly supportive.
So glad you liked the cake recipe! And thanks for sharing your frosting. š
So glad it worked out well! Thanks for sharing Brenda!
I love this cake. It never rises like the cake in the picture, but it tastes amazing.
Thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★
As long as it tastes amazing! Thanks so much for the awesome review! š
I don’t have cloves on hand, but I do have pumpkin pie spice. Do you know how much of that I would use in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves?
It looks great, and I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Richard, I would use 3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. All the best! š
Love it!
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks for the great review! š
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is the first vegan cake i tried where the texture is really like it should be: springy and a little moist. Will bake this one very often!
Hi again! How can I make this into a single layer 8 inch round cake? Thank you!
I would probably try just halving the recipe and see how that goes. š