It is the eve of Thanksgiving, and I’m tired. There’s a house to clean (it’s a disaster right now), laundry to fold, a baby to bathe, and potatoes to boil.
But, I’m tired. Is that allowed? On Thanksgiving, I mean?
In order to keep myself from feeling guilty for not wanting to go “all out” this year, I must pose a question: What makes a happy Thanksgiving?
Is it volunteering in the soup kitchen? Eating a lavish feast with family and close friends? Perusing the newspaper for Black Friday steals?
Or is it just what the name implies–giving thanks to a God who has done great things for us? I tend to believe the latter. But in most cases, we as a human family tend to get caught up in the food, fine china, decorations, and shopping of Thanksgiving.
This year, however, is going to be different for our little family. This year, we’re just thanking God quietly at home, and I like that.
But thanking God quietly doesn’t mean that we’re going hungry this Thanksgiving. Jonathan and I enjoyed a marvelous early Thanksgiving feast with his parents last Sunday. And today, my little sis Emily and I threw together this pumpkin spice cake. We’ve taken the time to bake only this treasured item because every good woman knows that dessert is the most important part of any holiday meal. And with that, I present to you, Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake. The best vegan pumpkin cake out there. Guaranteed.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup oil (any neutral flavor oil will work like safflower oil or melted coconut oil)
- 1 1/3 cup cane juice crystals (or granulated sugar)
- 1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
- 2/3 cups almond milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cup unbleached pastry flour sifted
- 3 tablespoons Ener-G baking powder sifted with flour; or use 2 teaspoons baking soda with 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon coriander (optional)
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 teaspoon clear vanilla flavor
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon almond milk
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix vegan butter, oil, sugar, pumpkin, almond milk, water, lemon juice, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coriander) in a separate bowl.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients with wire whisk, then pour batter into an oiled 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Mix frosting ingredients together either by hand with a fork or whisk or with a mixer. Frost cake once it is cool.
I’ve been looking for a good pumpkin cake recipe and this looks perfect! One question though. Would it be alright if I used all purpose flour instead of pastry?
http://herbonherbs.com
Love this… “Because every good woman knows that dessert is the most important part of any holiday meal”!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I’ve personally never tried pumpkin cake, so i can’t compare. Here where i live, in Australia pumpkin is never really used in any desserts. I haven’t even heard of pumpkin cake or pumpkin puddings until earlier this year. However this is one of the most amazing things i’ve ever tasted! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, Zoe! My husband Jonathan’s gandmother was Australian, and Jonathan still has relatives there. I hear it is a beeeeaautiful country. Thanks for stopping by. :)
I made this over the holidays and it was fantastic – and it makes a lot of cake! Really foolproof recipe. Thank you!
New favorite cake recipe, hands down!! It’s soooo gooood it has helped me break the vegan barrier and get people to see veganism in a whole new, very delicious light! Nobody can believe it’s egg and dairy free. Thanks!
My wife made this last night and it was delicious.
Both of us thank you for another great vegan recipe!
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I want to make it for my husbands bday, just had a question- can i use a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour for this recipe? Thanks alot. Pia
One more question- can I 1/2 the recipe? If yes, what size cake pan should I use? Thanks.
Hi there! This looks amazing and I want to try it so badly. I think I can do almond milk if really necessary, but usually the only non-dairy milk I keep around is soy, because that’s what most of my recipes call for! Do you think that would make a big difference? If it would, I’ll totally just spend the extra two bucks for almond instead :) This is getting made on Sunday. I am so excited!
Is there some other way to make the frosting that doesn’t include powdered sugar? Powdered sugar isn’t 100% vegan as it’s refined using bone char. :/
I have made this twice now. The first time I didn’t read the instructions and just piled in 3 Tbsp of regular baking powder and guess what? It worked great! I brought it into work and it was a hit. I had many requests for this recipe and one co-worker said that if this is vegan, I’m going vegan! Thanks for a great fall recipe!
I followed the recipe to a T and it was PERFECT! The cake is light and fluffy and the frosting is sinful! My daughter is a vegan and I always feel guilty when I bake for the non vegan boys on the house. Nobody knew the difference! I will have to make double cakes in this house. It’s a keeper. THANK YOU!