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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. It will delight your senses. The perfect fall dessert!
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I have such a decadent dessert for you guys today! It celebrates the fall and holiday seasons – my fave!
I made 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!!
Ingredient notes
This cake is so moist and soft! And it doesn’t require any eggs or oil!
Here’s what you’ll find inside…
Flour ~ Spelt flour is a whole grain flour that can replace all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. It bakes up soft and fluffy and is the perfect wholesome choice for this pumpkin layer cake.
Sugar ~ Coconut sugar is my go-to dry sugar. It’s a natural sugar made from coconut palm sap and has a lovely caramel-like flavor similar to brown sugar.
Pumpkin ~ Use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
Milk ~ I like full fat canned coconut milk for this recipe. It adds the fat content that baked goods need in a healthy way.
Spices ~ I created the Chai flavor of this cake by using Simply Organic spices – cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves. They are so fragrant and full of flavor.
Aquafaba ~ Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It works as an egg replacer and helps baked goods rise and bake up soft and fluffy.
Frosting ~ 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!
*Update 11/02/16 – Thank you to everyone who voted! My Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake took home the Reader Choice Award in the Simply Organic bake off hosted by Go Dairy Free!! Click HERE to view all of the entries and winners.
More vegan pumpkin desserts
- Frosted Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Fluffy Pumpkin Donuts
- Sweet Pumpkin Hummus
- Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
- Vegan pumpkin Cupcakes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Chai Cake (makes 2 9-inch round cakes)
- 2 ¼ cups spelt flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Simply Organic Ground Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Simply Organic Cardamom
- 1 ½ teaspoons Simply Organic Ground Nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons Simply Organic Allspice
- ¾ teaspoon Simply Organic Ground Ginger
- ¾ teaspoon Simply Organic Ground Cloves
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pure pumpkin purée
- ¾ cup coconut milk I prefer to use full fat, but lite will work too
- ½ cup aquafaba liquid from a can of chickpeas
- ¼ cup coconut butter melted or softened (not coconut oil)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Pumpkin Cashew Filling
- ⅓ cup cashew butter
- ¼ cup pure pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon Simply Organic Ground Cinnamon
- thin with non-dairy milk if needed
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup dairy free butter I used and recommend Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- 2 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½-1 teaspoon Simply Organic Ground Cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle
- equal parts ground cinnamon and organic cane sugar a pinch of each is all you'll need
Chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°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:
- Whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- 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.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined, but do not over mix.
- Pour half into one cake pan and repeat with the other half in the remaining cake pan.
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 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:
- Whisk together the cashew butter, ¼ cup pumpkin purée, ¼ cup coconut sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon 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
- 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, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Taste and add an additional ½ teaspoon cinnamon if you want it more pronounced.
To assemble:
- 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!!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Mandy
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!
Jenn S.
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! 🙂
The Vegan 8
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!
Jenn S.
Thanks, girl! I almost exclusively use spelt flour in baking now. It’s just so perfectly soft!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
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 🙂
Jenn S.
Thank you, Natalie! Fingers crossed!
Emily Kyle
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!
Jenn S.
Oh, yes, the smells!!! So warm and cozy and comforting! Thanks, Emily!
Alisa Fleming
Wow Jenn, just WOW! This looks unbelievable and I can only imagine the flavors. I can’t wait to try this!
Jenn S.
Thank you, Alisa! There is definitely some stiff competition. I hope you love this!!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
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!
Jenn S.
Yes, the spices are just so flavorful! Can’t wait to see more deliciousness that you come up with too!! Thanks, Sophia!
Julie Running in a Skirt
You are so talented! This cake looks nothing short of dreamy!!!
Jenn S.
You are so sweet. Thanks, Julie!
amanda -runtothefinish
OMG dairy free buttercream, I could kiss you!! that’s been one of the hardest things, I love icing, but finding something that was actually close has been really hard
Jenn S.
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!
Laura
This cake is so beautiful and encompasses everything wonderful about fall! Love it!
Jenn S.
Thank you, Laura! Fall is my favorite! 🙂
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen
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!
Jenn S.
Thank you, Dianne! This cake will definitely take us through all of the cooler months for sure!
Susie - SuzLyfe
I literally can’t even handle how delicious this looks! I love that you used chai in the recipe–chai and pumpkin are a match made in heaven!
Jenn S.
Thanks, Susie! The flavors really do complement each other so well.
Shelley
I don’t understand how to see the recipe
Becky
This looks so good! Chai is my favorite type of tea.
Jenn S.
Thanks, Becky! Chai tea is so cozy in the cooler months.
Heather
Oh man, chai is like my favorite flavor for EVERYTHING. Thanks for this!
Jenn S.
Oh, good! I hope you love this cake! Please let me know if you try it. 🙂
Rebecca - Strength and Sunshine
I love seeing beautiful cakes like this! So much talent! You nailed it, my friend! Perfect way to bring some celebration to these cold sad Fall days 😛
Jenn S.
Aw, thank you so much, Rebecca! It took me three tries, so it wasn’t without stress. But the final result was so good!! 🙂
Taylor Kiser
I am loving everything about this dessert! Pass me a big slice, please!!
Jenn S.
Thanks, Taylor! It’s a keeper for sure! 🙂