Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake made with cozy spices, pumpkin puree, and creamy frosting. This fall favorite is moist, flavorful, and perfect for holidays or gatherings.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 480 ml dairy-free milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 420 g self-raising flour
- 350 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1½ tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 120 ml sunflower oil
- 100 g pumpkin puree
For the Frosting:
- 400 g dairy-free block butter
- 80 g dairy-free cream cheese
- 360 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Orange food gel
- Cocoa powder
- Vegan caramel sauce optional
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (fan). Line three 8-inch cake tins with parchment paper.
- Combine dairy-free milk and vinegar, whisk, and let sit for 10 minutes to create vegan buttermilk.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk oil and pumpkin into the buttermilk.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.
- Divide batter equally into tins, smooth tops, and tap gently to release air.
- Bake 25–30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool on wire racks, then store in an airtight container until ready to frost.
Frosting:
- Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
- Sift in icing sugar and cinnamon, then whip for 5 minutes until creamy.
- Frost between each cake layer, optionally filling the center with caramel.
- Apply a thin crumb coat and chill for 15 minutes.
- Apply the final thick layer of frosting, smoothing with a cake scraper.
Decorating:
- Reserve some white frosting for piping swirls on top.
- Color remaining frosting orange and brown using gel and cocoa.
- Pipe pumpkins around the cake with orange frosting; add brown stalks.
Notes
Tap cake pans before baking to remove air bubbles.
Use pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
Keep frosting firm by chilling it briefly if it becomes too soft.