It's that time of the year where we all are craving pumpkin spice everything and this Vegan Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting is sure to be your new favorite Fall dessert. The only thing that can make this fluffy eggless pumpkin cake even better is a thick layer of vegan salted caramel frosting!
Steps to make a vegan sheet cake
The best part of making this pumpkin sheet cake is that it only takes 25-30 minutes to bake into the perfect caramel pumpkin cake!
Make pumpkin cake batter
This eggless & dairy-free pumpkin cake is incredibly moist because of the canned pumpkin and olive oil. If all you have on hand is vegan butter or another liquid oil, it should be okay to substitute this 1:1 for coconut oil in this recipe.
I like to make this cake by whisking all the wet ingredients together first. Then, I sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients. This helps to make sure the spices, baking powder, and baking soda are well dispersed!
P.S- If you have any leftover canned pumpkin you can use it to make my Vegan Pumpkin Bourbon Cupcakes or Pumpkin Pie Truffles next!
Bake the pumpkin cake
Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, you'll pour the vegan pumpkin cake batter into a 9*13 baking dish with parchment paper inside.
If you are wondering why I use parchment paper, it makes the removal of the cake from the baking dish super easy. If you prefer to just cut the slices right out of the pan, this cake also bakes well without any parchment paper (just make sure to grease the pan first or it will stick).
This vegan pumpkin cake recipe is so easy that it can be prepped in about 10 minutes and baked up in 25-30 minutes.
Make the vegan salted caramel frosting
Honestly, the part of this recipe that takes the most time is making the vegan salted caramel frosting.
The first step is to make the vegan salted caramel. However, you can use store-bought caramel to make this step easier.
I personally like to make my salted caramel the day before to spread out my time in the kitchen and to give it more time to set and thicken in the fridge.
After the caramel sets, it's just a matter of whipping it with vegan butter, vegan shortening, and powdered sugar to form a fluffy caramel frosting.
I will tell you- it is WORTH the extra time, but if you want a more simple frosting recipe you can follow the vegan vanilla buttercream recipe I used in these Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes instead (just make sure to double it for this cake!)
Don't forget to save some salted caramel to drizzle on top! Not only does it make this vegan pumpkin cake look gorgeous, but it tastes great too.
FAQ & Tips:
I haven't tried it, but using a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour in place of all-purpose flour should work in this recipe. Please keep in mind, subbing in coconut, almond, or any other flour alternatives will NOT work in this recipe.
Likely yes, but I personally haven't tried it so can't recommend the exact baking time or amount of batter to use for any other pan. For that reason, I'd recommend sticking to making this as a sheet cake recipe.
If unfrosted, this pumpkin cake can be stored at room temperature for 2 days wrapped in tin foil or in a closed container.
If frosted, this cake can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in a closed container or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I prefer storing the cake in the freezer as I think the fridge tends to dry it out.
I can't wait for you all to make this moist and delicious Vegan Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting! Let's be honest, this pumpkin cake will be front and center at our Vegan Thanksgiving celebration this year.
While I don't like to pick favorites on my blog, I am going to break my own rules and say this is my favorite vegan pumpkin dessert recipe I have made this Fall season. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cake & cupcake recipes on SGTO you will love:
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Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
Vegan Salted Caramel:
- 13.5 ounces can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup turbinado sugar coconut or brown sugar also works
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Vegan Pumpkin Cake:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 flax eggs 3 Tbsp ground flax with 9 Tbsp water, left to sit for 5 minutes
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Vegan Salted Caramel Frosting:
- 1 cup vegan butter
- ½ cup shortening *can be subbed 1:1 with more vegan butter if needed
- 1-1 ½ cup powdered sugar *add more if needed
- 6-8 Tablespoons vegan salted caramel plus ¼-1/2 cup more to top the cake
Instructions
Make the Vegan Salted Caramel
- Add the coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla bean paste to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low het for 30-40 minutes until the caramel is amber in color and thicker.
- Remove the caramel from the heat, stir in the salt, and place in a closed container in the fridge to "set" for at least one hour.
Make the pumpkin cake
- While the caramel is in the fridge, make the vegan pumpkin cake. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9*13 inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan.
- Next, add the pumpkin puree, flax eggs, sugar, brown sugar, nut milk, olive oil, and vanilla to a large bowl and whisking together.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Once sifted, gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl of wet ingredients and whisk together until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour the batter into the 9*13 inch pan lined and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake is cooked through.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool. While the cake is cooling, make the salted caramel frosting.
Make the salted caramel frosting
- Add the vegan butter and shortening to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until cream.. Next, slowly add in the powdered sugar and 6-8 Tbsp of salted caramel and continue to mix together until a smooth frosting forms.
- Once the cake has completed cooled, top with the vegan salted caramel frosting. As a final step, drizzle ¼-1/2 cup of additional salted caramel on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Almond milk can be subbed 1:1 with any dairy-free milk like oat, soy, or cashew.
- I prefer to make the vegan salted caramel the day before I cook the cake and make the frosting, but all of it can be made on the same day
- Frosted cake can be stored in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month or in the fridge for 3-4 days. Storing in the fridge may dry out the cake, so I recommend storing it in the freezer. Unfrosted cake can also be stored at room temperature for 2 days wrapped in tinfoil or in a closed container.
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