This easy pumpkin spice cake recipe creates a tender cake with a gorgeous, creamy, spiced frosting. Make this vegan pumpkin cake from scratch using only 10 simple ingredients plus the frosting. This cake comes together quickly meaning soon you’ll be enjoying all the deliciousness!
Try this Vegan Vanilla Frosting or even this Vegan Chocolate Frosting for something different.
I love all the pumpkin recipes during the fall. To be completely honest, I love pumpkin all year round! This cake is a perfect example because the pumpkin keeps it nice and moist and that cream cheese frosting adds gooey goodness to every bite. It’s true, I’m a frosting girl!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Pumpkin puree adds lots of moisture, color, and flavor, creating a dense and delicious cake
- Cornstarch helps to create a lighter crumb, softens the protein in the gluten, and acts as a binder
- Pumpkin pie spice adds the perfect blend of seasonings, delivering a delicious seasonal flavor to this fall dessert.
Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour but you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour.
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin pie spice
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cake from Scratch
- Stir together the wet ingredients, from the water to the vanilla.
- Combine and stir the dry ingredients, from the flour to the spices.
- Stir the pumpkin mixture
into the bowl with the flour mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake
pan.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a tester comes out clean or mostly clean.
- Allow the cake t to cool completely before adding frosting.
Tip: You can stir in some add-ins to the batter, like chopped pecans or dairy-free chocolate chips.
Frost and Serve
This vegan pumpkin cake is delicious without frosting, but I highly recommend serving it with my vegan cream cheese frosting. Be sure to allow it to cool completely before frosting it.
Does Pumpkin Cake Have to Be Refrigerated?
Pumpkin cake will keep at room temperature for up to 4 or 5 days. So, if you’ll be eating it within that time-frame, it will be fine. However, if it’s unusually warm in your kitchen or if you will be taking longer to eat it, it should be refrigerated.
Marly’s Tips
- Create a pumpkin spice birthday cake by adding candles or baking it as a layer cake.
- Make pumpkin spice cake muffins by distributing the batter into muffin pan compartments. Cook them for 20 to 25 minutes.
Most recipes for pumpkin spice cake use canned pumpkin puree, meaning you can make this delicious cake all year round!
Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
That’s it for this ultimate pumpkin spice cake!
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- ▢ 2 cups water
- ▢ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ▢ ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ▢ 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour (See note)
- ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ▢ 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- ▢ Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Heat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with vegetable spray
In a medium-size bowl combine the water, vinegar, oil, sugar, and pumpkin. Stir to combine. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and spices. Whisk until well combined. Create a well in the middle of the flour ingredients.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Use a whisk to stir until well-combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Insert a tester in the center. If it comes out clean or mostly clean (with only a few crumbs), the cake is done. If not, return it to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so.
When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before adding the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.
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For flour, you can use whole wheat pastry flour, gluten-free baking flour, or all-purpose flour.
The nutritional estimate is based on the cake without the cream cheese frosting.
Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 2542IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2012 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.
Whatever vegan pumpkin desserts you’re making and munching on, enjoy!
Also, I created a quote graphic with one of the original photos from this post. Here you go.