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Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cinnamon Frosting and Decorated Pumpkins Recipe

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★★★★★

4.5 from 265 reviews

This Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake is a moist, flavorful dessert perfect for autumn or any time you crave warm spices and pumpkin. Made with dairy-free ingredients and a rich pumpkin puree blend, this cake is topped with a creamy vegan buttercream frosting flavored with cinnamon, decorated with cute piped pumpkin designs for a festive touch.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake Ingredients

  • 480ml dairy-free milk
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 420g self-raising flour
  • 350g caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of 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

Frosting Ingredients

  • 400g dairy-free block butter
  • 80g dairy-free cream cheese
  • 360g icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Decoration Ingredients

  • Orange food gel
  • Cocoa powder
  • Vegan caramel sauce (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Cake Tins: Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line three 8-inch loose base/push-up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you only have one tin, bake the cakes separately, covering the unused batter until ready.
  2. Create Vegan Buttermilk: In a bowl, whisk together the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar until combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle, mimicking buttermilk.
  3. Mix Dry Ingredients: Sift together the self-raising flour, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger in a large bowl. Mix well.
  4. Combine Wet Ingredients: Add sunflower oil and pumpkin puree to the curdled vegan buttermilk and whisk thoroughly.
  5. Make the Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  6. Fill Cake Tins: Divide the batter equally among the lined tins. Tap the tins on the counter to release air bubbles.
  7. Bake the Cakes: Place tins in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cakes are done when a skewer inserted comes out clean and tops are springy.
  8. Cool the Cakes: Transfer cakes to a cooling rack, remove from tins when slightly warm, and cool completely before frosting. Store in a sealed container until ready.
  9. Make the Frosting: Using a stand or hand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, whip dairy-free butter and cream cheese together until creamy.
  10. Add Sugar and Cinnamon: Sift in icing sugar and ground cinnamon. Whip on high for 5 minutes to incorporate fully and achieve a fluffy texture.
  11. Assemble the Cake: Place the first cake layer on a serving plate. Spread or pipe buttercream evenly over the surface.
  12. Add Optional Center Filling: Make a well in the buttercream and fill with 1-2 tablespoons vegan caramel sauce if desired.
  13. Layer Cakes: Place the second cake on top gently, repeat with the third layer. Apply a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake for a crumb coat.
  14. Chill Crumb Coat: Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
  15. Apply Final Frosting: Remove cake from fridge and add a thicker, even final coat of buttercream. Use a cake scraper to smooth the edges.
  16. Pipe White Frosting Swirls: Fill a piping bag with white frosting fitted with a star tip nozzle and pipe swirls around the top edge of the cake.
  17. Prepare Colored Frostings: Divide leftover frosting into two bowls. Color one with orange food gel and cocoa powder to get a deep orange shade. Mix cocoa powder into the other for chocolate-colored frosting.
  18. Decorate with Pumpkins: Pipe little pumpkins scattered around the cake using the orange frosting. Use the brown frosting to pipe stalks on top of the pumpkins. Optionally, pipe mini pumpkins along the cake’s top edge with leftover frosting.
  19. Serve: Slice the decorated cake and enjoy the moist, spiced vegan treat.

Notes

  • If you don’t have three cake tins, bake the batter in batches, covering the unused batter until ready.
  • Allow the vegan buttermilk mix (milk and vinegar) to curdle for best results.
  • Tap cake tins to remove air bubbles before baking to ensure even texture.
  • Chilling the crumb coat layer prevents crumbs from mixing into the final frosting layer.
  • Use dairy-free butter and cream cheese to maintain the vegan status.
  • Optional vegan caramel adds a delicious gooey surprise inside the cake layers.
  • Decorations can be customized with different colors or omitted for a simpler look.

Keywords: pumpkin spice cake, vegan pumpkin cake, dairy-free cake, autumn dessert, vegan frosting, pumpkin puree cake

Find it online: https://zarameals.com/vegan-pumpkin-spice-cake-with-cinnamon-frosting-and-decorated-pumpkins-recipe/