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healthy plant based recipes for the whole family

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake (Vegan)

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Pumpkin Layer Cake with chai spices, a thin layer of pumpkin cashew filling, and topped off with creamy dairy free cinnamon buttercream frosting.

A slice of cake being pulled from a Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake. An orange decorative pumpkin on top of the cake.

Celebrate the Season

I have such a decadent dessert for you guys today! It celebrates the fall and holiday seasons – my fave! I made for you not one, but two pumpkin cakes bursting with seasonal spices! Then I layered ’em up while adding a sweet creamy pumpkin cashew filling. I topped the whole thing off with more indulgence in the form of dairy-free cinnamon buttercream, which I then sprinkled with more cinnamon sugar. Oh my gosh – this Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake is a slice of heaven!!

A slice of Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake being lifted up on a spatula.

Holiday Entertaining

Take a look at that pic above! Who wouldn’t want to see that on the dessert table this holiday? I can’t stand cake that makes you search for a glass of water the second you take a bite. While it does pair beautifully with a cup of coffee or plant milk, you’ll be just fine eating it without. This cake is so moist and soft.

And the creamy pumpkin filling and smooth buttercream all contribute to the perfect texture and taste. And I did it all with no eggs and no oil! Your guests will be singing your praises! But I won’t blame you or judge you if you want to make this just for yourself for no reason at all. 🙂

A slice of Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake on a plate in front of the rest of the cake. Coffee mug behind.

Dairy Free Cinnamon Buttercream

Let’s talk about this buttercream for a moment, shall we? I’m not trying to fool anyone into thinking this is health food. It’s frosting. For a cake. For a seasonal, holiday cake. For a decadent sweet treat.

We eat healthy for almost every meal and even most of our snacks and desserts. Therefore, it’s not concerning to me that we indulge in processed or sugary foods every once in awhile. We definitely don’t make it an every day occurrence.

I did attempt to make a less processed, lower sugar frosting and, while it was ok, it wasn’t the light, airy sweetness that I was going for. So, here we are with this perfect dairy free buttercream with a hint of cinnamon. Let’s all enjoy a special treat!

Overhead view of a slice Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake on a gold and white plate. A fork rests on the plate in front of the cake.

 Chai Spiced

Originally, I was going to do a pumpkin spice cake, but when I got to playing around with the spices, I decided to amp it up with chai spices. They are quite similar to pumpkin spice and it’s a perfect match. I used Simply Organic spices – cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves – because they are so fragrant and full of flavor.

Simply Organic spice ad

Simply Organic and Go Dairy Free

For millions of people, the fall is a special time for enjoying food with loved ones. To help everyone share in the moments, Simply Organic and Go Dairy Free have teamed up with 10 talented food bloggers and authors for a Bake-off! The bloggers will create sweet and savory recipes that are filled with flavor, but fit for dairy-free and other special diet needs. To enjoy more recipes from Simply Organic, follow the hashtag #OrganicMoments. To follow this event, vote, enter to win prizes, and find more exclusively dairy-free recipes, visit http://www.godairyfree.org/news/simply-organic-bake-off.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am one of the bloggers participating in this event. I received free product, but was not otherwise compensated. Voting will start on October 24th. If you like the looks of this dessert, I would be so appreciative of your vote. You will have the chance to win prizes for yourself when you vote as well. Simply click the link in the paragraph above to get to the voting page. Thank you! *Update 11/02/16 – Thank you to everyone who voted! My Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake took home the Reader Choice Award!! Click HERE to view all of the entries and winners.

Bite of cake on a fork in front of a slice of Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake on a white/gold plate.

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake

I hope you guys enjoy this dairy free Pumpkin Layer Cake as much as we did. Please leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it. Happy fall, y’all!

5 from 4 votes
chai-spiced-pumpkin-layer-cake
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Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Super indulgent and decadent Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting. Moist, flavorful, seasonal, delicious!
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: dairy free, egg free, oil free, soy free, vegan
Servings: 14
Calories: 425 kcal
Author: Jenn S.
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Chai Cake (makes 2 9-inch round cakes)
For the Pumpkin Cashew Filling
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle
  • equal parts ground cinnamon and organic cane sugar (a pinch of each is all you'll need)
Chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut out two 9-inch circles of parchment paper and place them in the bottoms of your cake pans. Set aside.
For the Pumpkin Cake:
  1. Whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tbsp cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves, and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium mixing bowl.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups pumpkin purée, coconut milk, aquafaba, softened coconut butter (*see note), apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined, but do not over mix.
  4. Pour half into one cake pan and repeat with the other half in the remaining cake pan.
  5. Bake for 28-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the wire rack to continue cooling completely.
For the Pumpkin Cashew Filling:

  1. Whisk together the cashew butter, 1/4 cup pumpkin purée, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon until smooth. Add 1 tbsp or two of non-dairy milk, if needed, to thin. You don't want it runny, just spreadable. If you need to add milk or not will depend on how stiff your cashew butter is.

For the Dairy Free Cinnamon Buttercream
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the dairy free butter and powdered sugar. Beat until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt. Taste and add an additional 1/2 tsp cinnamon if you want it more pronounced.
To assemble:
  1. Once the cakes are completely cool, spread the Pumpkin Cashew Filling all over the top of one of the cakes (bottom side up) and place the other cake on top of the filling, again bottom side up. Spread the Dairy Free Cinnamon Buttercream all over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and chopped pecans, if desired. Slice and devour!!
Recipe Notes

*It helps to start with room temperature ingredients, not straight from the refrigerator, so the coconut butter doesn't seize up. However, if it does, don't worry, just whisk it in the best you can. It will melt throughout the cake once in the oven.

This cake could serve anywhere from 10-18 people depending on how generous you want to be with the slices. There is a great post on The Cake Flake about how to cut a round cake several different ways. Nutrition facts were calculated assuming 14 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 425 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Sodium 378mg 16%
Potassium 78mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 59g 20%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 40g
Protein 4g 8%
Vitamin A 96%
Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 1%
Iron 8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.


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Pumpkin Layer Cake with chai spices, a thin layer of pumpkin cashew filling, and topped off with creamy dairy free cinnamon buttercream frosting. You will love this soft, moist vegan cake. Perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any fall entertaining. #vegan #cake #pumpkin #chai #dairyfree #oilfree #autumn #halloween #thanksgiving #dessert
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Comments

  2. You had me at chai and pumpkin – holy cow what a glorious combination! This cake sounds incredible! I’m pinning this to make this weekend *snicker, snicker*.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Lisa. There’s no actual tea in this…just the chai spices…so it’ll be perfect for you. 🙂

      Reply

  5. That is so cool that this cake won the Reader’s Choice Award! Congratulations! I’m totally not surprised though – it looks so delicious! I’m going to have to add it to my fall baking list!

    Reply

  6. Please could you tell me if I could use chickpeas in place of the flour? I can’t have grains. Many thanks

    Reply

  10. What a beautiful cake! It would be the perfect ending to a fall dinner party. Good luck with the contest. I voted for you!

    Reply

  12. I’m with you—dry cake is the worst! This cake looks amazing—I love pumpkin spiced desserts. And that frosting—I am a big time frosting lover. YUM!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Sarah! I’m actually not usually a frosting lover, but this one I couldn’t stop eating. I think I was able to balance the flavors really well so it’s not quite so sweet!

      Reply

  13. You had me at chai…and then of course the photos kinda sealed the deal ?? WOW!! I am so impressed and how exciting to be one of the bloggers in this contest – you’ve got my vote! That buttercream looks and sounds so dreamy!! Cake, especially the frosting is meant to be a treat, so I say go all out with a rich, sweet, decadent topping – I think you nailed it!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, Mandy! I am loving that so many people are obsessed with Chai like I am! So good! But, yes, the frosting is for sure a treat that we will enjoy just every once in a blue moon, so I say let’s REALLY enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

  14. Oooh I LOVE chai so much! It’s actually my favorite tea I drink. This is such a beautiful cake and I’m pretty sure I’d eat the whole thing by myself. Haha! I love spelt flour so much too. I just made a chocolate spelt cake last week and I love how soft it is and moist it makes baked goods. Great recipe girl!

    Reply

    • Thanks, girl! I almost exclusively use spelt flour in baking now. It’s just so perfectly soft!

      Reply

  15. This is absolutely stunning Jenn! You just can’t beat the classy-ness of a good old layer cake with frosting and fillings and all. Plus that pumpkin cashew filling layer sounds so good! Good luck in the bake-off 🙂

    Reply

  16. I love everything about this recipe! Chai is such a comfort to me, (and so is cake!), I just imagine how good the house will smell after baking this!

    Reply

  18. Love the “fallness” of this. Is that even a word? But the flavors are quite fall! Looks super pretty and agree, nothing better than a moist cake. And I obviously LOVE Simply Organic. I’ve done some work with them and have some more coming up. Their spices are simply the BEST!

    Reply

    • Yes, the spices are just so flavorful! Can’t wait to see more deliciousness that you come up with too!! Thanks, Sophia!

      Reply

  19. This cake looks so moist and delicious! I love the sounds of that Pumpkin Cashew filling too. The perfect fall-inspired cake for sure!!

    Reply

    • Well, I wish it was healthier, but my healthy version trials just didn’t do it justice, so I went with the less than healthy version. But, it’s a treat, right? Not something for everyday. I think the lemon juice and vanilla extract were key in making it not too sweet. They cake is much healthier than standard cake though, so I think the balance makes it all ok! 🙂 Thanks, Amanda!

      Reply

  23. I’m glad you decided to do chai instead of pumpkin! I’ve been seeing a lot of pumpkin recipes lately, but I haven’t seen any with chai spices, and they seem just good for fall to me!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Dianne! This cake will definitely take us through all of the cooler months for sure!

      Reply

    • Aw, thank you so much, Rebecca! It took me three tries, so it wasn’t without stress. But the final result was so good!! 🙂

      Reply

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My name is Jenn. This is my blog where I share delicious plant based recipes for the whole family. I love to cook; I can read cookbooks like novels; and I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen by making standard American favorites healthier.

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