Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (2024)

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5 from 3 votes

55 minutes minutes

by Marly

10

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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.

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (1)

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!

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Why is This the Best Recipe?

  • 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, including substitution ideas:

  • 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

  1. Stir together the wet ingredients, from the water to the vanilla.
  2. Combine and stir the dry ingredients, from the flour to the spices.
  3. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.
    Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (2)
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
    Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (3)
  5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a tester comes out clean or mostly clean.
  6. 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.

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (4)

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.

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (5)

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

Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

30 mins total

Pumpkin Pie Spice

5 mins total

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts

24 mins total

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

315 mins total

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (10)

That’s it for this ultimate pumpkin spice cake!

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (11)

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Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (12)

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (13)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

This moist pumpkin spice cake can be made in less than an hour. Enjoy it with a creamy, dairy-free cream cheese frosting.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate Save

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 15

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 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

Instructions

  • 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.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

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.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!

This post was originally published in 2012 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (14)

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.

Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (15)
Best Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my pumpkin cake too moist? ›

If you find that your pumpkin cake is too moist, isn't holding it's shape and is gummy in certain areas, it's usually caused by too much liquid in your recipe.

How long can pumpkin cake last in the fridge? ›

Pumpkin spice cake will last about 3-4 days at its peak but can last in the refrigerator for about a week.

How long can pumpkin cake sit out? ›

There are a few ways to check if your pumpkin pie has gone rancid. Toss the pie if it has a foul smell, looks like it has excessive separation or weeping, or has grown mold. Homemade pie that has been left out for longer than two hours should be thrown away.

What does pumpkin spice cake taste like? ›

This Pumpkin Spice Cake is everything you love about pumpkin desserts — it is perfectly cinnamon-y and pumpkin spiced, it is wonderfully moist, and it is topped with a heavenly cream cheese glaze. Believe it. Then try it. :) I used to start baking with pumpkin in October.

Can you eat 10 day old cake? ›

Here's a simplified guide for how long different types of cakes might last in the fridge: Plain Cake (like unfrosted Moist Vanilla Cake): About 5-7 days in the fridge. Cake with Buttercream, Whipped Cream or Custard (like Moist Chocolate Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting): 4 days, since dairy spoils quicker.

Does unfrosted pumpkin cake need to be refrigerated? ›

Whether frosted or unfrosted, cake can be stored at room temperature for about four to five days. After baking, you'll want to allow the cake or cake layers to cool completely before frosting or storing.

Can I eat cake after 10 days in fridge? ›

So, how long does cake last in the fridge? How long a cake lasts is entirely dependent upon what the cake is made of and how it has been stored. Cakes that have been refrigerated properly can last up to one week.

Can I eat cake that was left out overnight? ›

How long can cake sit out unrefrigerated? If your cake is frosted with buttercream, it will last covered at room temperature for up to four days. However, it is best to refrigerate cakes with other frostings such as cream cheese or ganache. A fully covered unfrosted cake will last for up to 2 days at room temperature.

Can I eat 7 day old pumpkin pie? ›

If properly wrapped—that is, loosely covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap—a freshly baked pumpkin pie keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Why is store-bought pumpkin pie not refrigerated? ›

Commercially-produced pumpkin pies are typically made with preservatives that allow them to remain shelf-stable for longer at room temperature. Most store-bought pies will include a sell-by date, which gives you an idea of how long they will remain safe to eat—even stored at room temperature.

Which pumpkin is best for cakes? ›

Queensland Blue Pumpkins

The QLD blue is perfect in baked dishes and also lends itself really well to boiling, making it great for mashes and soups.

What is the big deal about pumpkin spice? ›

Some think it relates way back to our colony days where pumpkins were one of the only crops the settlers could sustain and so, subconsciously, pumpkin reminds us of our roots. Others believe that the seasonal appeal of the pumpkin-flavor is what creates the allure.

Why pumpkin spice is the best? ›

Because our perception of taste goes hand in hand with aromas, we taste (and in turn smell) pumpkin spice and our brain perceives it as a warm, happy memory that we enjoy. "Our olfactory systems are already built to respond enthusiastically to odors and their associated memories.

What causes a cake to be too wet? ›

A cake that's wet in the middle, in most cases, has not baked long enough. Put it back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to check every 5 minutes with the toothpick test for any changes. If sliced, cover with aluminum foil to prevent the top from browning even more.

Why is my cake extra moist? ›

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

Why are my cakes so moist? ›

So, to prevent moist cakes, make sure you're binding the ingredients well. If over-mixing is a problem, so is under-mixing.

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