This vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake turns your favorite fall drink into a cozy dessert! The fluffy and perfectly spiced cake is layered with espresso buttercream frosting to give you the cinnamon, pumpkin, vanilla, and coffee flavors you crave in the fall.
It’s fall, y’all! Celebrate with more vegan pumpkin desserts, like Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I don’t know about you, but I love pumpkin everything as soon as the weather gets cooler and the leaves change color. The sooner I can have a pumpkin spice latte in my hand, the better!
If you love this classic fall beverage as much as I do, then you’ll surely fall for this Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake, too. Just like a PSL, the soft and fluffy cake is spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and infused with canned pumpkin puree. The creamy espresso buttercream frosting is the perfect finishing touch and makes this pumpkin dessert taste like it came from your favorite coffee shop.
Made without dairy or eggs and easy to make gluten-free, vegan fall desserts don’t get much better than this vegan pumpkin spice latte cake!
Why you’ll love this pumpkin spice latte cake
- The goodness of a PSL in cake form – Skip the line at Starbucks and indulge in a slice of this PSL cake instead. It has everything you love about the classic drink, from the pumpkin flavor to the caffeine boost from the espresso.
- Cozy, perfectly spiced, and sweet – Just like my frosted Vegan Pumpkin Cookies and Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes, this sweet, fluffy, and moist cake is flavored with the goodness of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
- Slathered in espresso buttercream frosting – It’s not a pumpkin latte without a shot of espresso. To make sure you don’t miss out, I infused my Vegan Buttercream Frosting with espresso for a touch of caffeine and a subtle coffee flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use this cake recipe to make vegan pumpkin spice latte cupcakes if you’d like. Pour the batter into a lined standard muffin tin and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Yes! Simply use a quality gluten-free flour mix, like Better Batter, instead of all-purpose flour.
Not if you don’t want to. Omit the espresso powder/brewed espresso from the buttercream or replace it with an equal amount of brewed decaf coffee if you’d rather skip the caffeine. Or replace the espresso powder with instant coffee or strong brewed coffee instead.
The frosted cake will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature or even longer in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container or in a cake carrier to prevent it from drying out.
The baked and unfrosted cake layers freeze well, too. Wrap each layer in a layer of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight before decorating and serving.
Yes, you can make the frosting up to 2 days ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s time to decorate the cake. When ready to use, set the frosting on the kitchen counter to bring it to room temperature and mix well before decorating.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake Layers
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup soy milk or oat, almond, coconut
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Espresso Buttercream
- 1 cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons espresso powder or 1-2 tablespoons espresso, cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons soy milk or other milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Place a round of parchment paper on the bottom for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, oil, milk, sugars and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
- Now add the flour on top of the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice on top of the flour and whisk or stir until just combined.
- Pour evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully invert on to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting. If desired, slice the dome off each cake layer before frosting.
- Make the frosting – In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Now add the powdered sugar gradually, until it's mixed in. Add the espresso powder, vanilla and 2-3 tablespoons plant milk, as needed. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, smooth and well combined.
- Once the cake layers are completely cooled, frost, serve and enjoy!
Notes
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You can use another oil, such as avocado or even melted coconut oil.
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You can use a different milk, like oat, almond, coconut, etc.
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For gluten free, use a gluten free quality mix.
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If your frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add more milk. Make sure your butter is NOT melted when you begin, or your frosting will be too runny.
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If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice mix, you can substitute 1 more teaspoon cinnamon (2 total), 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves in the cake.
Hi! I love all your recipes! Do you think this could fit in a 9×13 dish? If so, do you have a recommended bake time?
Hi Ari. Thank you so much! I am thrilled you are loving my recipes! Thanks for using them! This should bake ok as a A 9×13 inch cake, and will probably take 40ish minutes to bake at 350. It’s best to bake in the center rack of your oven. Happy baking!
Hot damn Nora! You did it again!!! These were AMAZING!!!! I cannot wait to share these at our potluck tomorrow
Hi Keshia! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe! What a great potluck item! Thanks for your awesome review! Your feedback just makes my heart smile! Have fun tomorrow!
Hi Nora – I absolute LOVE all your recipes!! I’m from South Africa and they don’t sell tinned pumpkin anywhere here. I will give it a try with fresh pureed pumpkin, but wondered about the weight to use. Not sure if the 425g includes the weight of the tin in the US? Have a great day xx
Thanks Janine! You can use homemade pumpkin puree, I would follow a method like this: Easy Pumpkin Puree. Then weigh 425 grams. The weight does not include the tin. Hope you LOVE this cake!
Delicious! I baked mine for about 40 minutes and feel they could’ve spent a couple more minutes in the oven, but the cake is moist and delicious and the ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM! Divine 🙂 Excellent recipe and an easy rotation for fall and winter
Hi Paul. I’m so glad you love the cake! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and feedback! Happy fall baking!
Fall is my favorite! I can’t wait to make this! 🍁
Can it be made into cupcakes too? How long would they bake and at what temperature! Your recipes are always the best! Thank you!
I love Fall baking! I hope you love this recipe. Yes, fill liners half full and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Enjoy!
This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it. Can you make this cake without the icing though? My husband is on a but if a health kick at the moment and wants to limit his sugar intake.
Yes for sure! The cake itself is incredible without any frosting.
This looks lush 😋 Definitely making this at the weekend.
Can the cake either frosted or unfrosted be frozen? Can a vegan cream cheese frosting be used instead?
Yes, it can be frozen whether frosted or not. And yes, a vegan cream cheese frosting works well here.
Hi Nora 🙂
I’d like to make the pumpkin puree if it’s an option you recommend and I was wondering which pumpkin would work best? I read the Halloween varieties don’t give much flavour and I’m not too sure what other pumpkin I could find at thr moment (I’m in the UK) so perhaps the tinned version offers the best taste?
Thanks very much! xx
I’ve only used canned pumpkin puree so I’m not really sure. I’m sure some varieties are better than others, but I always used canned since it’s easier and more consistent to bake with. I hope that helps!
So good! I made 2 dozen cupcakes with the recipe. They came out perfectly and are so so good! Thank you for another amazing recipe, Nora!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you!