This Vegan Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake is easy to make and is topped with a delicious vegan cream cheese frosting. Sweet and spiced, this fall treat is sure to become your favourite pumpkin cake recipe!

A square of pumpkin cake on baking paper with a gold knife.

Vegan Pumpkin Cake With Frosting

A slice of cake is always a favorite sweet treat any time of the year! This pumpkin spice cake is perfect for the fall months but I find myself making it all year round because it is so delicious.

This homemade pumpkin sheet cake is full of sweet pumpkin spice flavors and is topped with a creamy vegan cream cheese frosting. No one would be able to tell that this moist and fluffy pumpkin cake is 100% vegan!

This is an easy recipe to make and it never seems to fail! While the cake bakes you can prepare the yummy vegan frosting and then in no time you will have a delicious sweet treat to enjoy with a cozy warm beverage.

Why you'll love this recipe

Completely plant-based and vegan. This recipe is made with nut milk and flax eggs making it the perfect vegan fall dessert.
Freezer-friendly. You can make this pumpkin cake ahead of time and keep it in the freezer, ready to enjoy whenever you so desire!
The perfect fall dessert. Made with all of the sweet pumpkin spices and pumpkin purée to celebrate the taste of fall.

Another delicious vegan pumpkin sweet treat recipe to try out is my Fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes!

A slice of pumpkin spice sheet cake topped with frosting on a white plate.

Ingredients and Notes

All-purpose flour - Feel free to swop this for a 1:1 gluten-free flour to make the cake gluten-free. Alternatively, try using oat flour (make sure it's definitely gluten-free) or brown rice flour. Those are always my top gluten-free flours for baking and should deliver great results.
Pumpkin spices - Ground cloves, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
Baking soda and baking powder - This is what gives the cake a soft and fluffy texture.
Pumpkin purée - You can use homemade or storebought for this recipe. I have an easy homemade pumpkin purée recipe if you want to make your own from scratch - which is flavorful and healthy.
Nut milk - You can use any non-dairy milk alternative you prefer best. I love using almond milk for this recipe but oat milk or hazelnut milk should also work well!
Flax eggs - This is an easy egg replacement for vegan recipes. To make the flax eggs you will need 3 tbsp ground flax seeds and 9 tbsp of water. If you're not worried about the vegan aspect, you can substitute the flax eggs for normal eggs.
Vanilla extract - This gives the cake a delicious sweet flavor to enhance its taste.
Granulated sugar - You can substitute this with coconut sugar or xylitol if preferred.
Oil - Any light oil can be used for this recipe, such as coconut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil.

A baked pumpkin sheet cake with a thick layer of vegan cream cheese frosting.

How to make a vegan pumpkin spice cake

STEP ONE

Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F. Line a sheet pan with baking paper and set it aside.

STEP TWO

In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine all the dry ingredients.

A glass mixing bowl with a whisk and combined dry ingredients.

STEP THREE

In a separate mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine all the wet ingredients until smooth and well mixed.

STEP FOUR

In three additions, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, stirring between each addition.

A glass bowl with a whisk and wet ingredients mixed.

Combining wet and dry ingredients in a glass bowl.

STEP FIVE

Using a spatula, pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan. Place in the centre of your oven and bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until the cake has completely cooked through.

What is vegan cream cheese frosting?

If you haven't tried vegan cream cheese frosting you'll have to give it a go because you're in for a very pleasant surprise. This dairy-free cream cheese frosting is a must-make for anyone - not just vegans.

Homemade vegan cream cheese is typically made from soaked cashew nuts. This is then blended until smooth and creamy with a cream cheese consistent - that is perfect for making vegan cream cheese frosting.

This recipe is made with my delicious homemade vegan cream cheese and a combination of warm fall pumpkin spices.

How to make vegan cream cheese frosting

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the margarine / vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until smooth and creamy. This should take about five minutes.
Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom, and powdered sugar.
Combine well and spread over the cake once it has completely cooled.
Optionally, sprinkle over crushed walnuts or pecans, and enjoy!

A delicious vegan cake that is so easy to make it is sure to become your favourite pumpkin cake recipe. With the most delicious vegan cream cheese frosting it will wow anyone. This vegan pumpkin spice sheet cake recipe can also be frozen and served at a later stage.

What's the difference between a sheet cake and a regular cake?

The main difference between a sheet cake and a regular cake is the shape and size of the cake. A regular cake is typically made in round 9" cake tins. Sheet cakes are usually made in rectangular larger pans called sheet pans. Sheet pans are typically 12x18 inches but they can vary in size like other cake tins.

Tips & tricks for making a healthy pumpkin sheet cake:

To make the flax egg combine the ground flaxseeds and water. Then allow this to stand for 5 minutes before adding it to your batter.
Ensure that you've made the vegan cream cheese ahead of time, the cashews require soaking time.
Do not overmix the cake batter. Overmixing will result in a tougher and less fluffy sheet cake. A few small lumps in the batter are fine.
Always allow the cake to cool completely before frosting it otherwise the frosting could melt off the cake.
To freeze the cake, cut the cake into 8-12 squares before frosting and freeze individually. You can then simply pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds and top with a little frosting.

Vegan Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Yield: 18-20 slices

Ingredients

PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE

2 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 ½ tsp baking powder
400 grams pumpkin purée
¾ cup nut milk
3 flax eggs (3 tbsp ground flax seeds + 9 tbsp water)
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups sugar
½ cup oil

FROSTING

110 grams margarine / vegan butter
220 grams vegan cream cheese See recipe in text above
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamon
2 cups icing sugar
crushed walnuts for garnishing

Instructions

Grease a sheet pan and line it with baking paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, flax eggs, milk, and pumpkin purée.
In three additions, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, stirring between each addition.
Pour batter into the prepared sheet pan.
Bake for 17 - 20 min at 180C / 350F.

FROSTING

In a mixing bowl, whisk the margarine and vegan cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamon, and icing sugar.
Combine well and spread over the cooled cake.
Sprinkle over crushed walnuts, and enjoy!

I hope you love this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake recipe as much as I do. And if you want to see more of my food adventures, follow me on Instagram or Facebook.