Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Layer Cake

 You need this pumpkin spiced cake to make your Autumn even more cosy!

I intended to have this cake recipe out way earlier than planned, but as I am now a student, my time spent blogging is a little less than I 'd like! I made this as a little halloween celebration and I absolutely loved piping these pumpkins on the cake, it's so much easier than I thought it would be, and if you need any pumpkin inspiration, I always look on Pinterest, it's really the best. This cake is full of delicious moist pumpkin layers and a pumpkin spiced buttercream and whilst it is pretty decadent, there is never an excuse to not make it and enjoy every bite! :)

If you like pumpkin and cakes....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Vegan Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes x3 6 inch cake layers

Recipe

Prep: 5-10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

Cake

• 280g Self-raising flour
• 150g Caster sugar
• 100g Light brown sugar
• 1tsp Salt
• 270g Pumpkin purée
• 170ml soya milk + 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
• 90ml Vegetable/coconut oil
• 3 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Mixed spice

Buttercream

• 300g Vegan butter softened
• 500g Icing sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Mixed spice
• 1/4 tsp Ginger
• Fondant pumpkins 
• Orange food colouring 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and grease and line x3 6 inch cake tins with baking paper.
2. In a jug, mix together the soya milk and ACV and let sit for a few minutes to create a 'buttermilk'. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together both the sugars and the oil until combined. Add the pumpkin and 'buttermilk' and mix again.
4. Sift in the flour, spices and salt and fold together gently until there is a smooth batter.
5. Spoon the cake batter into the cake tins evenly and tap on the surface a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Place in the oven for 20 minutes and once cooked leave to cool completely in the tins then remove onto a wire rack.
6. Meanwhile make the buttercream. Using an electric whisk or a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar about 100g at a time, and mix together making sure to stop and scrape in and around the bowl to collect all of the icing and butter.
7. Add the spices and vanilla last and mix together and you should have a fluffy buttercream doubled in size. 
8. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a plate or cake board and spread a few tbsp of buttercream on top. Repeat with the next two layers and then cover the cake in buttercream.
9. I usually do a crumb coat which is a thin layer of buttercream around the cake and chill in the fridge until the buttercream is firm to touch. Then repeat with a thicker layer of buttercream smoothing around the sides and piping swirls on top last. If you want to pipe pumpkins on, keep a little buttercream to the side and use the orange food colouring to dye it orange, I judge this by eye so add as much or as little as you need. I used a 1M Wilton tip.
10. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy! 

Christina

xx