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 purée 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 purée 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 350°F (180°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 purée in a strainer so any excess water runs off.
So it was really too easy. 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! 
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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
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
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 Purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Extra Virgin 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:
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°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 purée, 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 purée. I baked the peeled and chopped pumpkin in the oven (plain, no oils or spices) for 30 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until soft and cooked and then pureed it in the food processor. If you do it this way and your purée 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 purée.
*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
Will this work for cupcakes?
Hi Cindy, yes it will work for cupcakes (a perfect 12), you can also check out our vegan pumpkin cupcakes recipe. 🙂
Can I double this and make it in 2 9” pans?
Yes! Just be careful with your measurements and that will work great! 🙂
I’ve seen some cute pumpkin shaped cakes made out of bundt cakes. Would this work for those?
Hi there! I think this could be adapted, it would just be a case of monitoring it during baking as the baking time would change. 🙂
Delicioso me encanto soy tu fan #1
★★★★★
Thank you so much Sibell! 🙂
I made this for my daughter’s birthday, and it was AMAZING!! Previously I have not had much luck with vegan cakes, but following this recipe exactly made for a perfect cake that everyone loved. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Awesome Laura! Thank you so much for the amazing review. 🙂
I made this with whole wheat flour and subbed the refined sugar for maple syrup. instead of the buttercream, I did a salted caramel glaze (made with maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt). Can’t wait to try it!!
★★★★★
Hi Alison,
We have just transitioned into spring (Southern Hemisphere) but my favourite time of year is autumn. I decided to make your pumpkin cake with cinnamon buttercream frosting since as it is autumn in the Northern hemisphere. It was one of the best vegan cakes that I have eaten all year. I had all the ingredients on hand and baked it in between walking the dog and having my children here for brunch on the weekend. We demolished it on Sunday which was Fathers’ Day here in Australia. Thank you for this recipe. I think it will come in handy at Christmas time too with some added Christmassy additions.
So glad you enjoyed it Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Can I use a bundt cake pan instead, without dividing the batter?
I’m sure you can, but it would bake for a longer time. I’m not sure exactly how much longer, but I would estimate about 45-50 minutes, you’d just need to just keep a check on it.
Can you make it without the flax seed egg? Like with the lemon cake?
Hi Leigh, you can replace it with something else, like 3 Tbsp applesauce or 3 Tbsp of extra oil or even 3 Tbsp extra pumpkin purée. But it will need to be replaced with something to keep the recipe balanced. 🙂
I made this tonight and it was amazing! It tasted so good that even my non-vegan family members enjoyed it! The frosting tasted like real buttercream frosting – I was in awe! I was wondering though, do you think it would be possible to make the frosting less sweet (more like a lighter, whipped frosting)?
★★★★★
Hi Leah, so happy to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for the awesome review! You can try our vegan cream cheese frosting which would be a good match for this cake and is a bit less sweet. Otherwise vegan whipped cream makes a great cake topping too. 🙂
Those both sound tasty! Thanks so much!
Hey Alison, thanks for the recipe. But, can I substitute Brown sugar with white sugar?
Hi, yes you can! 🙂
Have you tried to make this gluten free?
I doubled the recipe and made a three layer cake. I substituted vegan butter with coconut oil. And topped the cake with coconut as well as walnuts. The coconut complimented pumpkin very nicely. Company loved it. Vegans and non-vegans! Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear that Laura, and thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
I’m not vegan – but was looking for a dairy free (a relative with a lactose allergy) dessert and this looks great. Can I use 1 egg instead of the flax seed egg?
Sure! 🙂
Amazing, so tasty and brilliant for Christmas time! Not a lot of fuss too if you get the purée. I was lucky enough to find some in the UK, in Sainsbury’s!
★★★★★
Awesome, thanks Laura! Yes, it saves lots of time if you use canned pumpkin purée and it’s every bit as good. 🙂 Thanks for the fabulous review.
So darn delicious! I was surprised what a huge hit this cake was with vegans and non-vegans alike. I don’t think any of us got as much as we wanted, despite me doubling the recipe.
I made 2 recipes of this cake for Thanksgiving to make a 4 layer cake. For two of the layers I used the flax egg, but for two of the layers I folded whipped aquafaba into the already combined remaining ingredients. Both ways were equally delicious, but the whipped aquafaba made prettier, slightly lighter layers. I then iced only between the layers and top, leaving the sides naked. It was not only delicious but beautiful. And that cinnamon icing, well, it’s truly divine!
Thank you very much for sharing this great recipe, and making this newbie to vegan baking look like a pro.
★★★★★
Wow, sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This cake came out great! It was very sweet, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Substitutions:
I used canned pumpkin. It must be more dense than pumpkin puree, so I thinned out the cake batter with water.
I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour.
I omitted the cinnamon in the frosting and the walnuts on top.
It was still amazing!
★★★★★
Hi Leah, so glad it worked great! I’m thinking you needed more liquid because of using gluten-free all purpose flour, because gluten-free flours absorb more moisture so usually need to have a little more added in, I usually increase the oil when making a cake gluten-free, but really glad to hear even water did the trick! Canned pumpkin purée vs homemade can also be a factor if the homemade variety is more ‘wet’. But I definitely think the gluten-free played a part here as well. Thanks very much for sharing, it’s super helpful. 🙂
I made this cake mainly for my daughter who is vegan, but EVERYONE loved it. It was the hit of my Thanksgiving dinner!
I will make it soon again regardless of who’s at the table…. vegan or omnivore
★★★★★
Fantastic! Can’t tell you how much I love hearing this. Thanks so much Barrie! 🙂
Would this work as a bundt cake and if so would there be any modifications?
Is there anyway to make this gluten free!? This is exactly the recipe I’ve been looking for but cannot use wheat flour. I have almond, coconut and rice flour options! Thanks in advance.
A single type of flour like rice or almond or coconut is very unlikely to work well, if you want to make it gluten-free it has to be a gluten-free all purpose flour blend.