Pumpkin Spice Cake
Make this moist pumpkin spice cake with dairy-free cream cheese frosting. You’ll be enjoying this easy, indulgent cake in less than an hour!
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This ultra-moist vegan pumpkin spice cake is autumn’s ultimate love letter: warm cinnamon-ginger swirls, rich pumpkin depth, and zero dairy or eggs, yet so tender and decadent your friends will swear it’s “the best pumpkin cake they’ve ever had, period.” One bite and you’ll be ditching runs to Starbucks forever, because nothing says fall quite like a thick slice of this spiced perfection, slathered in dreamy vegan cream cheese frosting.
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!
Watch How to Make This Cake
Ingredients & Substitutions
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.
- 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
Why it’s 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.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cake from Scratch
- Stir together the wet ingredients, from the water to the pumpkin puree.
- 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.
New to Vegan Baking?
The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!
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.
Ever experience a cake failure? Here are my best tips on how to fix undercooked cake.
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!
That’s it for this ultimate pumpkin spice cake!
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Pumpkin Spice Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree (1 15 oz can)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (See note)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- Optional Add-ins: 1 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts, 3/4 cup chocolate chips or raisins, or zest of 1 orange (trust me, it's incredible!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a 9×13 baking pan or two 8-inch round pans with vegetable spray and/or line with parchment paper.
- 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 powder/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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Video
Notes
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.
Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
If you love pumpkin dishes, be sure to check out my vegan pumpkin crisp recipe. So good! Ready for more? Here are some favorite vegan pumpkin recipes to try:
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.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
10 Responses to Pumpkin Spice Cake
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My cake is in the oven…..I guessed on the vanilla at 1 teaspoon. Would you clarify please? Thanks!!!
Hi Katherine, I hope you like this cake as much as we do! Actually, the recipe steps inadvertently mentioned vanilla, so thanks for your comment. I removed it. However, adding a teaspoon of vanilla is absolutely fine. My apologies for the confusion!
Such a gorgeous color — looks delicious!
Pumpkin spice cake sounds so great right now!
This looks so good, Marly!! I love the addition of chickpeas!!
Nice to meet you, Marly! Beautiful cake…a pumpkin spice cake always goes over like crazy around here!
That is one gorgeous cake Marly. I go a little overboard o pumpkin this time of year. 🙂
I just want to tell you that I made your scrambled tofu for lunch and it was delicious! I never made it with the starch/soy milk slurry, and that made the texture so much better. A little hot sauce on the finished product and some daiya cheddar shreds, and I was good to go. Thanks! Can’t wait to browse through the rest of your blog!
Wow, Pam, Thanks so much for your kind comments. So Glad you liked the scrambled tofu. I love that recipe too. It’s a perfect breakfast to get the day started on the right foot!
Living in the prairies, I really miss the ocean at times, but I do adore watching the leaves change colours during Fall.
That pumpkin cake looks so perfect, light and fluffy with just the right amount of icing, yum!