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The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

October 6, 2021 By Gretchen Leave a Comment

When you have the best base recipes

Creating endless cake combinations are a breeze!

This is truly the best pumpkin cake you will ever try

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

It’s so perfect on it’s own

But when you start adding fillings like date caramel and chocolate ganache for an amazing Pumpkin Turtle Cake

 

You can quickly see all the gates of possibility opening up!

An easy one bowl mix and you are on your way to fluffy, moist pumpkin spice loaded goodness!

Not only is this recipe the perfect base canvas for every filling and icing you can think of

But it also bakes perfectly into every cake pan shape and size you have!

Chocolate Marble Pumpkin Bundt Cake was the original version of this recipe

Chocolate Pumpkin Marble Cake

This pumpkin cake recipe bakes up into perfect cupcakes with little domes just as we like!

Chocolate Pumpkin Marble Cake

I got super creative with this one and plunged a mini Snickerdoodle Apple Pie into the batter before baking

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

For these amazing Apple Pie Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes!

Apple Pie Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes

Keep it simple for a basic buttercream layer cake too!

Or bake it into sheet pans for the cutest little Petit Fours ever!

Vegan Pumpkin Petit Fours

Whatever you decide to make out of this recipe, you will be happy you did!

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MIX THE CAKE BATTER!

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Notes for Success:

The recipe listed below makes 1-9″ X 13″ sheet cake

Halve the recipe for the 6 cup capacity bundt pan or 18 cupcakes or 2- 8″ layers instead

Just be careful on the math with your conversions when doubling or halving all the ingredients

Oven temperature will stay the same no matter what you are baking and I like to start it off at 350°F for the initial 15 minutes of baking

Then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F to bake the rest of the way

The sheet cake 9″ x 13″ pan only took a total of 30 minutes to bake!

Many people like to know exact baking times for everything, but I don’t like to stick to definites there

All ovens and pan materials are different, so no matter what you are baking just check in around the 18 minute mark to see where you are and how much time to add until done

I do the toothpick test to check for moist crumbs not raw batter.

There is no egg replacer here in this recipe and I am using a neutral vegetable oil for lightest cake result

The cake flour addition could be an issue for some people

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CAKE FLOUR

For those who cannot get canned pumpkin you can make your own pumpkin puree just be wary that homemade version are always going to be super liquid compared to the tinned varieties

Compensate for that extra moisture by straining the homemade puree as much as possible.

And another helpful trick when using homemade puree is to switch the flours listed below in the recipe

Meaning instead of 1 cup AP & 2 cups Cake Flour, you will use 1 cup cake flour & 2 cups AP

How to Make your Own Pumpkin Puree

One last thing, I list all the spices in this Pumpkin Cake recipe individually but if you want to make your life easier

Make a small jar of Pumpkin Pie Spice and use 1½ teaspoons total for the recipe listed below

Pumpkin Pie Spice

For more pumpkin recipes click the links below!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding~Vegan
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Pumpkin Spiced Cinnamon Buns
Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Spiced Cinnamon Buns

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
25 mins
Bake time
30 mins
Total time
55 mins
 
The recipe listed below will make 1- 9" X 13" pan
Serves: serves 12-15ppl
Ingredients
  • For the Cake Batter
  • Vegetable Oil 12 Tablespoons (180ml)
  • Light Brown Sugar 1 cup (210g)
  • Plant Milk *I use soy 1½ cup (354ml)
  • Vinegar 2 teaspoons (10ml)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml) *optional ~ there is so much flavor going on here that I sometimes leave it out & cannot tell the difference
  • Canned Pumpkin 1 cup (250g) *see notes for homemade puree in the article above the recipe
  • Salt 1 teaspoon
  • All Purpose Flour 1 cup (125g)
  • Cake Flour 2 cup (240g) *see notes in text above the recipe box
  • Baking Soda 2 teaspoon
  • Ground Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
  • Ground Ginger 1 teaspoon
  • Ground Cardamom ½ teaspoon
  • Ground Cloves pinch
  • Ground Nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
  • OR 3 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • Optional Buttercream:
  • 1 Recipe Buttercream add 3 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice at the last stage of mixing
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F
  2. Grease your cake pan(s) with professional bakery pan grease
  3. Combine the vinegar with the soy milk (soy milk is the only milk that will thicken with vinegar, but you can use another plant milk of your choice)
  4. In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin, and then the thickened vinegar/plant milk and with the vanilla & whisk to combine well
  5. Sift the flour with all the spices and the baking soda and add it all at once to the wet mixture in the bowl
  6. Whisk smooth
  7. Pour into your greased and parchment lined cake pans (or bundt pan greased very well!)
  8. Bake immediately in the preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes
  9. Then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F and bake for the remaining time *see notes above for exact baking times or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
  10. Cool the pumpkin cake in the pan(s) until you can touch it without burning your fingers, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool all the way
  11. Ice & fill the cake with whatever icing you like the best
Notes
It depends on what filling & icing you are using to determine how to store your finished pumpkin cake.

But just the cake itself can be stored at room temperature wrapped to prevent drying for up to 4 days, for longer storage keep refrigerated for up to 1 week

Freeze wrapped well for up to 2 months
3.5.3251

 

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