You guys – let me introduce you to my new favorite fall cake. Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting, meet everyone. Everyone, meet Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting.
Y’all will be besties in no time.
This beauty is not only AMAZINGLY delicious, but it is completely vegan. No dairy, no eggs, and uses whole wheat pastry flour instead of the regular refined white stuff. It still contains sugar, because, duh, it would kind of taste like garbage without it, but you can switch it out for a less refined option like coconut sugar or sucanat and still get great results.
So my absolute favorite thing about this cake mix is that it contains pumpkin. By adding in this seasonal fruit, it increases your intake of beta carotene, vitamin K, fiber and protein. It is amazing with both the fresh or canned variety. Pumpkin is a great binder which is why no eggs or oil are needed. How cool is that! You are saving time, money and eating nutrients while consuming CAKE!! Yes, I know there is still the sugar thing, but in moderation, there’s no reason to live a little ;)
With much love from my table to yours,
xoxo, Tiffany
Do you LOVE cake? Check out these WHISKEY PRALINE MERENGUE CAKE BITES!

Vegan Pumpkin Ganache Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 cup cane or coconut sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 can pumpkin organic preferred
- 1.5 cups water
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 3/4 cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ginger ground
- 2 tsp espresso powder
Maple Frosting
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp non-dairy creamer
Chocolate Ganache
- 1.5 cups enjoy life chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix sugar, pumpkin and water together and set aside. Sift remaining ingredients and slowly mix into pumpkin blend. Stir just until combined. Divide among 3 greased 8 inch round cake pans. Bake for 20-25 min or until set in the middle and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before icing.
-
To make icing: Melt coconut oil. Add pumpkin spice and maple syrup. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix for 1-2 minutes until frosting will coat a spoon without falling off. It should be a stiff, but spreadable consistency. Add in creamer as needed to achieve consistency.
-
To make ganache: Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl for 1 min. Mix until completely smooth. Set side to let cool slightly before pouring over cake. Before using, test ganache. It should coat a spoon and slowly pour off.
-
To assemble cake: Divide frosting in between cake layers, reserving a small amount to decorate the top. There is no need to frost the top. Smooth edges with a spatula and chill cake for 20 min. Once chilled, pour ganache over cake and chill again for another 10 min or until ganache is set. You can either drizzle it on the cake or completely cover. Pipe swirls of buttercream on the top, sprinkle with chopped walnuts and drizzle with Dulce de leche sauce.
Astrid says
Omg this looks delicious. I don’t use sugar, would I be able to sub with swerve or stevia?
Tiffany says
Hi Astrid! I soooo wanted to make this a sugar free variety, but sadly, I ended up using the real thing. I have not tried it with an alternative sweetener, but it would be interesting to see if the bulk sugar substitutes would work. Please let me know if you try it! I did sub half the sugar in the main cake for coconut sugar to help cut some of the really processed stuff out and used organic for the rest. The powdered sugar can also be made from other sugar sources like coconut. Check out this really cool link for how to make your own powdered sugar ;) https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/how-to-make-powdered-sugar-powdered-sugar-substitute/
Michelle - Hold the Moo says
I love this! Vegan recipes are great for me because I am dairy free. Thanks sooooo much for sharing; this recipe looks simple to make as well.
Tiffany says
Thanks Michelle! It really is so simple! I think layered cakes are scary for some people (I definitely used to be one of them lol) but this one is definitely user friendly ;)
Astrid says
I know! It’s kind of hard to bake without the real deal, but hey this delicious cake is way better than anything at the store. Plus it look s gorgeous and I’m sure tastes even better.
Yes I have also baked with coconut sugar that’s a great idea. Thank you for the link I’m definitely going to check it out :)
Stephanie Gervais says
I love the idea of chocolate and pumpkin!! Looks great, the cake batter must be deliciously moist with the use of pumpkin purée!
Tiffany says
Thanks Stephanie!! It really is so awesome using pumpkin for that exact reason…no more dry cakes!
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says
What a dreamy cake! Those drips down the side are my favorite!
Tiffany says
Thank you!! I know a ganache like that just draws me in every time!
Marcia says
Looks delicious! Wish I could test it — Whole30 until Nov 1 and will definitely be ready to try this then!
Tiffany says
Great job on your challenge!! The good thing is this is vegan so if you HAD to eat a dessert, it would be a good place to start ;)
Sarah Newman, Vegan Chickpea says
OMG OMG OMG!! I can’t even articulate how much I want to dig a fork into this!! Looks delicious and absolutely gorgeous. Well done!
Tiffany says
Haha thank you!! I feel the same way every time I look at it too!
Anne Lawton says
This looks like the perfect chocolate cake!
Tiffany says
Thank you!! It quickly became one of my favorites!!
K says
This looks delicious! Does this need to be stored in the refrigerated once everything is made and set?
Tiffany says
I did store mine in the fridge since I used pumpkin in the cake mix, but technically since it is vegan, you could leave it out for a few days without worry ;)