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A slice of Vegan Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake on a small white plate on a white cloth.
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5 from 4 votes

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake

This Vegan Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake recipe is soft, well-spiced and delicious all while being eggless and dairy-free! Its the perfect Fall cake for any celebration.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Cooling Time2 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 671kcal
Cost: $7

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment For the frosting
  • 1 Large Bowl
  • 1 Medium Bowl
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Spatula
  • 3 6" Round Cake Pans or 2 8" Cake Pans
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt half this amount if using table salt
  • 4 ¾ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed
  • ½ Cup Canned Pumpkin Purée Not pumpkin pie filling
  • ½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
  • Cup Canola Oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoon White Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Frosting

  • 16 tablespoon Vegan Butter see note
  • 4 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk

Instructions

To Make the Cake

  • Prepare three 6" round cake pans by greasing the pans with shortening and inserting a parchment circle into the bottom of each pan. This recipe can also make two 8" cake rounds.
  • Preheat oven to 350* F.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to combine.
    1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, 4 ¾ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, pumpkin purée, non-dairy milk, canola oil, vinegar and vanilla. Whisk well to combine.
    1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed, ½ Cup Canned Pumpkin Purée, ½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk, ⅓ Cup Canola Oil, 1 ½ teaspoon White Vinegar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Add the dry ingredients into to wet ingredients and whisk to form the batter. See note.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the pans and gently spread it out with a spatula or knife.
  • Bake in a 350* oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove from the pans onto a parchment-lined sheet tray to cool completely, about 2 hours.

Make the Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter until its completely smooth. Then add the powdered sugar and mix on low until it comes together.
    16 tablespoon Vegan Butter, 4 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
  • Add the vanilla and non-dairy milk and mix on low until combined, then turn the speed to medium and mix until its light and fluffy, about 30 seconds- 1 minute.
    2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 2 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk

Stack the Cake

  • Place a cake upside-down onto a cake board or cake stand. Top the layer with about ½ cup of frosting and use a butter knife or an offset spatula to spread it out. Top with another upside-down cake layer and repeat.
  • Use the same butterknife or offset spatula to frost the outside of the cake. Serve!

Notes

If you don't have pre-made pumpkin pie spice use this blend:
2 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon Ginger
¼ teaspoon Allspice
⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon Cloves
Whisk only until the batter is formed, then stop. Over-mixing can result in a tough cake.
Choose a vegan butter that comes in stick form. My favorite is Soy-Free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.
To make the cake even easier to stack, place the cake layer in the freezer for about 30 minutes before stacking.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 671kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 88g | Vitamin A: 3528IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 2mg