Description
This vegan pumpkin cake features moist layers infused with seasonal pumpkin and warm pumpkin spice, frosted with a creamy vegan pumpkin cream cheese frosting. Enhanced with a sweet biscoff cookie filling and topped with delightful homemade pumpkin truffles, it’s a perfect festive dessert that is entirely plant-based and deliciously decadent.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 360 g all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix (see note 1)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 300 ml soy milk (see note 2)
- 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 300 g canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 120 ml olive oil (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- 200 g vegan butter (room temperature, see note 5)
- 200 g vegan cream cheese (room temperature, see note 6)
- 100 g homemade pumpkin butter (see note 4)
- 60 g powdered sugar
Pumpkin Truffles Ingredients
- 200 g biscoff cookies
- 120 g homemade pumpkin butter (see note 4)
- 200 g biscoff spread
- 15 halved pecan halves (for decoration)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C (320°F) or conventional 180°C (356°F). Lightly grease the base and sides of two 8-inch or three 6-inch cake tins with oil. Line each base with a circle of parchment paper and the sides with strips of parchment.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice mix, and sea salt into a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: In a jug, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes to curdle and create a vegan buttermilk substitute.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the vegan buttermilk and whisk again until combined.
- Make the Batter: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two parts, folding gently after each addition. Be careful not to overmix to keep the batter light.
- Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes for 8-inch pans or 25-30 minutes for 6-inch pans. Check doneness by inserting a skewer into the center; it should come out mostly clean with a few crumbs.
- Cool the Cakes: Let the cakes cool in the tins for 15 minutes. Then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, gently peel off the parchment paper from the bases.
- Make Frosting: Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand-held whisk, beat vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add homemade pumpkin butter and mix until incorporated. Slowly add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Prepare Pumpkin Truffles: Blitz biscoff cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Add pumpkin butter and pulse until a dough forms. Divide the dough into 15 portions and roll each into a ball. Use a toothpick to press lines resembling pumpkin segments and top each with a halved pecan half.
- Assemble Cake: Place a cake layer on a turntable. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge to create a dam for the biscoff filling. Whisk biscoff spread until fluffy and pipe it inside the frosting dam. Smooth it evenly with a spatula. Add the next cake layer and use remaining frosting to cover the top and sides. Smooth the frosting with a cake scraper.
- Decorate: Garnish the finished cake with the pumpkin truffles on top for a festive, elegant look.
Notes
- Note 1: Pumpkin spice mix typically includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and allspice.
- Note 2: Soy milk is used here for its neutral flavor and ability to curdle with vinegar, mimicking buttermilk.
- Note 3: Olive oil adds moisture and richness; you may substitute with another neutral oil if preferred.
- Note 4: Homemade pumpkin butter is used in frosting and truffles; it’s made by cooking pureed pumpkin with sugar and spices until thick.
- Note 5: Use a firm vegan butter suitable for baking for best consistency in frosting.
- Note 6: Vegan cream cheese should be at room temperature for smooth whisking.
