Mini Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cakes
Serving
Cooking Time
Difficulty
Would you rather carve pumpkins or mini vegan pumpkin spice cakes?
When I first saw these pumpkin-shaped cakes by the Preppy Kitchen, I knew immediately that I had to recreate them. But instead of creating John Kanell’s Pumpkin Cake recipe, I developed my own plant-based version. My Mini Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cakes contains no eggs, no butter and no milk!  Yet, it’s delicious, perfectly spiced and moist. If you’re gluten-intolerant, you can certainly substitute the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour on a 1:1 basis. As for the frosting, it’s a yummy vegan buttercream which complements the cake wonderfully. After layering the cake with the said buttercream, I then dyed the rest orange before frosting the cake.
Shaping the cake
To create that round gourd shape, my mini vegan pumpkin spice cakes were first baked in a donut pan. Once cooled, I sliced a little off the top (flat side) of each cake to create a flat-ish surface to which I added a little frosting to attach the two donut-shaped cakes together. When attached, they became this cute little roundish, pumpkin shape cake that’s flatter on the top and bottom. To create that pumpkin appearance, I covered these little cakes with a generous layer of orange buttercream frosting and then followed John’s instructions and created this shallow V-shaped tool out of a recycled yogurt container to carve out the ribs for my pumpkins. For the Preppy Kitchen’s original instructions, watch this video here.
To smooth out the frosting, I lightly wetted my fingers and then rubbed them over any rough or uneven spots. However, I should warn that too much water will melt the frosting.
Perfect for displaying and for eating
While these cakes take time to complete, they are so worth the effort! These mini vegan pumpkin spice cakes double as beautiful centerpieces for a Halloween or Thanksgiving tablescape. The best part, you can surprise your guests by serving them up for dessert.
If carving a pumpkin out of cake is too much work for you, I still highly recommend that you make this delicious dessert. Instead of baking the batter in a donut pan, bake it in a 6” round pan instead. Cut the cake into 2 even layers and frost with butter cream, then serve as usual.
MINI VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE CAKES
Makes 3 Mini Pumpkin Spice Cakes
- 1-1/4 cup(150g) All-Purpose Flour (for Gluten-Free Diet, Substitute with Gluten-Free Flour on a 1:1 Basis)
- 1 tspBaking Powder
- 1/2 tbsBaking Soda
- 1 tspGround Cinnamon
- 1/2 tspNutmeg
- 1/2 tspGinger
- 1/8 tspCloves
- 1/8 tspAllspice
- 2 tbs(30ml) Vegetable Oil
- 2/3 cup(130ml) Pumpkin Puree
- 1/3 cup(65g) Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp(5ml) Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbs(15ml) Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 cup(217g) Vegan Butter Sticks
- 4 cups(480g) Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1 tspVanilla Extract
- 1-3 tspOat Milk or any Plant-Based Milk
- Orange Gel Food Colouring or Alternatively, Red and Yellow Gel Food Colouring
- 1 longPumpkin Stem from a Fresh Pumpkin, Cut into 3 Pieces.
Cake Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add the vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Generously spray a 6-hole donut pan with vegetable oil and set aside.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir mixture until there are no streaks of flour left. Do not over mix. Lumps are okay.
- Transfer batter into a piping bag or large freezer bag. Evenly pipe the batter into the donut pan.
- Transfer the donut pan into the oven. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and continue baking for 12 to 13 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown.
- Remove the donut pan from oven. Allow the cakes to cool for 2-3 minutes before inverting the pan over a baking rack. Allow cakes to fall out of the pan. Should they not fall out easily, rap on the bottom of the pan with a spatula to loosen the cakes. That should help them fall out of the pan.
- Allow the cakes to cool on a baking rack for about an hour.
Frosting Instructions:
- While cakes are cooling, make the buttercream frosting.
- In a stand mixer, add the vegan butter sticks. Beat until light and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar gradually, mixing in between. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tsp of milk. Continue beating until the consistency is smooth yet thick enough to cover the cake. If the buttercream is still too stiff, add 1 tsp of milk at a time and beat until well combined. Set aside until needed.
Creating the pumpkin-shaped cakes:
- When cakes are cool, slice a little off the flat-ish side of each cake to create a flat surface. Frost with buttercream. Top with another cake, creating a pumpkin-like shape with a dome top and bottom. Repeat to create 3 cakes in total. Set aside.
- Return the bowl with the buttercream to the stand mixer. Add orange gel food colouring, or alternatively, red and orange gel food colouring to create an orange shade. Beat until the colour is even throughout.
- Transfer the cakes to individual pieces of parchment paper. With a piping bag, apply a generous layer of orange frosting to the top and sides of each cake. Then using your ribbing tool, create ribs in the pumpkin by carving the pumpkin from the bottom up. Turn the cake slightly and repeat creating ribs.  Once completed, set aside and repeat for the other 2 cakes. Allow frosting to firm up slightly.
- To smooth out the pumpkin, dip fingers in a bowl of lukewarm water and with a back and forth motion, go over the frosting to smooth out the ribs and any rough and lumpy spots. Repeat for the other 2 cakes. Set aside.
- To display cakes, cut off the stem of fresh pumpkin, Cut stem into 3 pieces. Clean and attach one stem to the top of each cake by pushing it into the frosting. Display cakes as part of a centerpiece. Remove stem before serving.
