¼cupunsweetened vanilla almond milkother milks may be substituted including coconut, soy, rice, cow, preferably at room temp
2tablespoonsmild or medium molasses
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1teaspooncinnamon
1teaspoonpumpkin pie spice
1teaspoonallspice
¾teaspoonground cloves
½teaspoonground nutmeg
pinchsaltoptional and to taste
1cupplus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
Frosting
¼cupunsalted buttersoftened (half of 1 stick; use vegan butter to keep recipe vegan)
about 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 to 4tablespoonsPumpkin Spice Latte coffee creameror sub non-dairy milk
pumpkin pie spicefor sprinkling
Instructions
Cake:
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9-by-9-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients through optional salt, and whisk to combine. Using room temp milk will prevent coconut oil from re-solidifying, but if it does, a few small white clumps are okay.
Stir in the flour and baking powder until just combined, don’t overmix. Batter is quite thick.
Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
Bake for about 27 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Allow cake to cool in pan, on top of a wire rack, for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto the rack to finish cooling completely. While cake cools, make the frosting.
Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, combine (vegan) butter, 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons creamer, and beat with an electric mixer on medium high speed until smooth. As needed, drizzle in more creamer until desired frosting consistency is reached. If frosting is too loose, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar, playing with the sugar and creamer ratios until desired consistency is reached.
Turn frosting out onto cooled cake, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. If you have extra frosting, it will keep airtight in the refrigerator for many weeks, and can be used at a future date.
Sprinkle pinches of pumpkin pie spice over the frosting before slicing and serving cake.
Notes
Storage: Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days. I personally am comfortable storing buttercream-frosted items at room temp, but if you prefer to store in the fridge, that’s fine, but note the fridge will dry the cake out more quickly. Unfrosted cake will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 4 months.Adapted from Soft Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Streusel Crust.