Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Cashew Frosting and Granola Topping
For me, this pumpkin cake is a little bit like the fall / winter version of banana bread. It’s fluffy, subtly sweet and has a little bit healthier ingredients than a regular cake-kinda-cake.
Because I added a creamy and indulgent cashew frosting though, I still named it pumpkin cake instead of pumpkin bread. However, now that I think of it, you could also frost banana bread.. hmm..
and here is the recipe for this:
Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Cashew Frosting and Granola Topping
Ingredients:*
*(for a bigger baking sheet w/ about 25 pieces)
for the pumpkin cake:
400g light spelt or cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
500g pumpkin pureé
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
100g plantmilk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
120g natural cashew butter or tahini
260g (coconut-) sugar*
for the cashew frosting:
200g natural cashew butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a little pinch of salt
60g plantmilk
100g maple syrup
a little bit of lemon or orange juice (or orange zest) (optional)
80g melted coconut oil
for the granola topping:
50g oats
50g pumpkin seeds
a pinch of salt
some pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
30g maple syrup
also:
a few orange slices for decoration (optional)
Instructions:
First preheat the oven to 190°C and mix dry and wet ingredients for the cake separately in two bowls. Then combine wet and dry and mix together briefly, using a spoon or spatula until a smooth batter forms. (Don’t overmix the dough or it loose its fluffiness! Small lumps remaining in the batter are totally ok!)
Now transfer the dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and smooth out the top. Then bake for about 25-30mins.
For the frosting start by melting the coconut oil while already mixing together all remaining ingredients in a bowl using a hand mixer.
Now add the melted coconut oil as well and mix / whip again until evenly combined. Then place in the fridge for at least 1,5-2 hours.
Once the baking time is over remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.*
To make the topping start by slightly roasting the oats, pumpkin seeds and spices in a pan over low to medium heat. Then add the maple syrup and let everything caramelize quickly while stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool completely as well.
After the 1,5-2 hours, the frosting should have hardened, so that you can whip it up using the hand mixer again. Whip until the frosting turns noticeably lighter in color and way fluffier in consistency. Then place back into the fridge until you’ re ready to frost the cake.
Once the cake is completely cooled down, spread the frosting on top evenly and sprinkle over the granola. Decorate individual slices with a little orange slice and you’re done!
The cake among the sweet breads.
*Notes:
I used coconut sugar in this recipe because I wanted to keep it free from regular refined sugar, but you can of course use regular white or brown sugar if you like!
To speed up the process of cooling down, I like to remove the cake from the baking sheet and place it onto a cooling rack (or something similar) a few minutes after taking it out of the oven.
Did you make this recipe?
leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @choartemi