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A moist and perfectly spiced vegan pumpkin spice cake layered with tangy vegan cream cheese frosting and decorated with adorable piped mini pumpkins. Entirely vegan, dairy-free, eggless, and can be made gluten-free.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 480ml dairy-free milk (such as soya, oat, or almond milk)
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 420g self-raising flour (or 1:1 gluten-free self-raising flour blend for gluten-free)
  • 350g caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 120ml sunflower oil
  • 100g pumpkin puree (plain, not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 400g dairy-free block butter
  • 80g dairy-free cream cheese
  • 360g icing sugar (sifted)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for frosting)
  • Orange food gel (for frosting decoration)
  • Cocoa powder (for frosting decoration)
  • Vegan caramel sauce (optional, 1-2 tablespoons for filling between layers)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan and line three 8-inch loose-base cake tins with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar together and let sit for 10 minutes to curdle, creating vegan ‘buttermilk’.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together self-raising flour, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
  4. Combine dry ingredients thoroughly.
  5. Add sunflower oil and pumpkin puree to the vegan ‘buttermilk’ and whisk until smooth.
  6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined; avoid overmixing.
  7. Divide batter evenly among the lined tins and tap the tins on the counter to release large air bubbles.
  8. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean and cakes feel springy to the touch.
  9. Let cakes cool in their tins briefly, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Using a stand or hand mixer, whip dairy-free block butter and dairy-free cream cheese for 2-4 minutes until pale and creamy.
  11. Sift in icing sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, then whip on high for about 5 minutes until fully incorporated and fluffy.
  12. If frosting is too thick, add a splash of dairy-free milk to loosen to smooth piping consistency.
  13. Place one cooled cake layer on serving plate, spread or pipe a generous layer of frosting, smoothing with an offset spatula.
  14. Optionally, make a small well in the frosting and spoon in 1-2 tablespoons vegan caramel sauce.
  15. Stack the second and third layers, pressing down gently, then spread a thin crumb coat of frosting over entire cake.
  16. Refrigerate cake for 10-15 minutes to set crumb coat.
  17. Apply a final thicker coat of frosting, smoothing the sides and top with a cake scraper or offset spatula.
  18. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with some white frosting and pipe swirls around the top edge of cake.
  19. Divide remaining frosting into two bowls; tint one with orange food gel plus a little cocoa powder and add cocoa powder to the other for brown.
  20. Transfer tinted frostings to piping bags (orange with small round tip, brown with tip snipped off) and pipe orange pumpkins randomly around cake, then pipe brown stems on each pumpkin, adding extra decorations as desired.

Notes

Never frost the cake until fully cooled; chilling it in a sealed container overnight boosts moisture and eases decorating., Use soya milk or other fortified dairy-free milk mixed with vinegar to create vegan ‘buttermilk’ which helps cake rise and stay tender., Sift dry ingredients and icing sugar to avoid lumps; fold batter gently to keep cake light and fluffy., Tap cake tins before baking to remove large air bubbles and check doneness with a skewer., Whip frosting 5-8 minutes at high speed for smooth, light, pipeable texture; chill and rewhip if too soft., Use gel food colors and cocoa powder for vibrant colors without affecting frosting consistency., To make gluten-free, use 1:1 gluten-free self-raising flour blend and add xanthan gum if needed; baking time may be slightly longer., For neat edges, crumb coat and chill before applying final frosting and decoration., Flavor variations include adding 50-75g vegan dark chocolate chips, 75-100g toasted chopped pecans or walnuts, or swapping frosting for maple or cinnamon buttercream., Bake layers in advance for convenient make-ahead; unfrosted layers keep up to 2 days at room temperature or frozen up to 2 months., Refrigerate frosted cake up to 3 days; allow to come to room temperature before serving., For serving, microwave individual slices for 8-12 seconds for freshly baked feel, watching to avoid frosting melting.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://sweetovenstories.com/vegan-pumpkin-spice-cake/