• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • About Sam
    • FAQ's about veganism
    • Press
    • Contact
      • Reader Inquiries
      • Business Inquiries
  • Cookbooks
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Video
  • Start Here

It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • Start Here
    • Tips to Use This Site
    • Press
    • Contact me
    • FAQ About Veganism
  • Join over 500,000 followers

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Cookbooks
    • Recipes
    • Start Here
      • Tips to Use This Site
      • Press
      • Contact me
      • FAQ About Veganism
  • Join over 500,000 followers

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Pies

    September 17, 2017 138 Comments

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake

    18.6K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    I admit it, I have a slight addiction to all things pumpkin spice. Call me a millennial (I am one), call me a sucker for marketing (I am totally a sucker for marketing), call me a lover of this fall tradition (I totally love this tradition). Seriously, what's not to like about Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake!? You better believe that's a fluffy spiced frosting on there too. Initiate drooling sequence.

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Reasons why I love this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake:

    1. PUMPKIN SPICE!!!!!! (Duh).
    2. The pumpkin in the recipe makes this cake super moist, not too sweet, and it's balanced with the perfect amount of party in your mouth pumpkin pie spice goodness.
    3. If you're not the frosting type of person (who are you!?), it's great without as well and pairs marvellously with coffee if I do say so myself.
    4. I cut the sweetness of the frosting ever so slightly by adding a touch of apple cider vinegar. WAIT! Don't run away. I promise this is a brilliant addition that sounds all sorts of weird but tastes amazing. It gives it a slight cream cheese frosting feel. Sam cooking hack 101. Don't do it if you don't want to (but you'll want to).
    5. This is the perfect cake for Thanksgiving, tea time, to celebrate autumn, or just as an excuse to eat more pumpkin spice... as if you even need an excuse!

    Every visitor I've had this week has happily walked away with a cake to take home. While my first test run of this cake was pretty great, I ended baking up 6 whole cakes. YES, 6! My house smells like pumpkin spice permanently I'm pretty sure (and I'm not mad about it).

    Call me nitpicky but I test my recipes multiple times before posting them on It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken so that I know they will work perfectly for you. With this cake, it was a little tricky figuring out the perfect ratios of pumpkin but I finally nailed it. Woohoo!

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    To make Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake:

    In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Then in a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix.

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Divide the batter among the cake pans and give the pans a little wiggle to help flatten the batter. Bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    To make the frosting, mix all the ingredients together with a hand or stand mixer until fluffy.

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Frost your cake as desired. This time I kept it a little rustic by exposing the cake layers, but there is enough frosting to cover the whole cake if you prefer. I then added a little extra pizazz by grating a bit of fresh nutmeg on top.

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake! This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. Dairy-free, egg-free. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Print Recipe
    4.97 from 54 votes

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake

    This easy to make, super moist cake is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or to welcome the autumn season. Spread with fluffy pumpkin spice frosting or serve without. 
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course : Dessert
    Cuisine : AmericanCanadian
    Servings: 2 8" layer cake with frosting
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    Dry Ingredients:

    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ¾ cup white sugar
    • 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Wet Ingredients:

    • 1 ½ cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
    • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
    • ½ cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Frosting:

    • 3 cups powdered sugar
    • ½ cup vegetable shortening
    • ½ cup vegan butter
    • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 - 2 tablespoons plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 350 F (180C). Lightly grease two 8" round cake pans.
    • In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
    • In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. Divide the batter among the cake pans and give the pans a little wiggle to help flatten the batter. Bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
    • To make the frosting, mix all the ingredients together with a hand or stand mixer until fluffy, adding 1 - 2 tablespoons plant-based milk to reach desired consistency. Frost your cake as desired. This time I kept it a little rustic by exposing the cake layers, but there is enough frosting to cover the whole cake if you prefer. I then added a little extra pizazz by grating a bit of fresh nutmeg on top.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 18 servings) | Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 2358IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.



    « Classic Vegan Baked Ziti
    Book Tour & Infomercial! »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rita Shields says

      October 21, 2022 at 12:15 pm

      Can this recipe be baked in a 9x13 pan?

      Reply
    2. Amber says

      May 24, 2022 at 2:08 pm

      5 stars
      This is the fluffiest, most moist pumpkin cake I've even had. I love this recipe! I made it with a chocolate ganache filling for Thanksgiving last year, and it was a delicious combo, everyone loved it.

      Reply
    3. Carolyn Carlisle says

      April 16, 2022 at 9:04 am

      Can this cake be made in a Bundt pan?

      Reply
    4. Michelle says

      March 21, 2022 at 8:44 am

      5 stars
      I've made this cake before but can't remember if I left a comment or not, so decided it was time to do so! What a FANTASTIC cake! I added a few walnuts and raisins (about 3/4 cup of each) and baked two 9" round cakes and they are incredible. The cake is delicious on its own but the frosting just puts it over the top! Thanks once again Sam!!!

      Reply
    5. Einnah M says

      October 18, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      I made about 2 dozen cupcakes with this recipe. I skipped the icing. My family and I ate them all in one weekend. So delicious and moist. Thank you so much this recipe! I just wish I knew what to do with the remaining can of pumkin puree.

      Reply
      • Diana Potyok says

        October 21, 2021 at 1:43 am

        add a cpl tbls to your coffee and put it in a blender for a pumpkin spice latte!

        Reply
      • Krista says

        May 07, 2022 at 8:00 am

        Hi there, i was just wondering if the bake time was altered to change the recipe to cupcakes? I have made this cake many times and it’s always perfection but I’ve never done cupcakes. Im throwing a party and planning on bringing cupcakes as its more party friendly.
        Thank you

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Sam Turnbull

    Hi Friends!

    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

    Join over 500,000 followers

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Amazon.com • Amazon.ca • Barnes & Nobel • Indigo • Kobo • Book Depository

    Amazon.com • Amazon.ca • Barnes & Nobel • Indigo • Kobo • Book Depository

    Footer

    Stay Connected

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Copyright

    I love when you share! All of the images and text on this site is the property of It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. Feel free to share photos and quotes with a link back to my original post. Do not share entire recipes, large bodies of text, or edit my photos in anyway without first obtaining permission from me. Social media shares are always welcome. Thank you!

    Affiliate Link Disclosure

    On this site, I sometimes use affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken would receive a small cut, at no cost to you.

    Privacy Policy

    Footer

    COPYRIGHT

    I love when you share! All of the images and text on this site is the property of It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. Feel free to share photos and quotes with a link back to my original post. Do not share entire recipes, large bodies of text, or edit my photos in anyway without first obtaining permission from me. Social media shares are always welcome. Thank you!


    AFFILIATE LINK DISCLOSURE

    On this site, I sometimes use affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken would receive a small cut, at no cost to you.

    Privacy Policy | Contact | About | Sponsor Newsletter

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 - IT DOESN'T TASTE LIKE CHICKEN