Put the kettle on! A slice of this delicious autumnal bake is packed with the delicious flavours and feels of fall. Cosy up with a slice of pumpkin fruit cake, a hot drink, a warm blanket, and a good movie for a tasty evening!
100gramsvegan margarine[or vegan butter, or use your usual baking fat]
225gramssoft brown sugar[light-brown sugar, or replace with granulated, caster, or any brown sugar]
160mililitresplant-based milk[such as oat or soya, or your usual milk]
450gramsdried fruit mix[any combination of dried fruit or use ready-prepared dried fruit mix. We like to add at least 100 grams of chopped dried dates to a home-made mix]
130gramspumpkin puree or mash[check recipe notes for a simple homemade method or use shop-bought.]
225gramsself-raising flour[or plain/all-purpose flour with two teaspoons of baking powder, and a few pinches of salt]
1teaspoonground cinnamon [all the spices can be replaced with 2 ½ teaspoons - 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice mix]
¾teaspoonground ginger
¼teaspoonground cloves
¼teaspoonground allspice
⅛teaspoonground mace
Frosting, optional:
60gramsvegan cream cheese[vegan soft cheese]
200gramsicing sugar[powdered sugar]
a few chopped walnutsoptional, for garnish
Instructions
Pre-cook the dried fruit: (this can be done several hours in advance)
Add the dried fruit, margarine, sugar, and milk to a saucepan.
100 grams vegan margarine, 225 grams soft brown sugar, 160 mililitres plant-based milk, 450 grams dried fruit mix
Over a medium heat, mix and bring to a gentle boil. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Decant the stewed fruit into a bowl so that it can cool quicker. If preparing the dried fruit a few hours in advance, it can be left in the saucepan to cool.
Once cool mix the pumpkin puree through the dried fruit.
130 grams pumpkin puree or mash
Bake the cake:
Preheat the oven to 150 Fan, 170 Celsius, 325 Fahrenheit, or Gas 3.
Prepare a loaf pan by greasing with some margarine and lining it with baking paper.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and stir through the spices.
Next add the dried fruit mix to the flour and stir until all combined.
Scoop the cake mix into the loaf pan and level out the surface.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-60 minutes. Check the cake after 50 minutes to see how it is going. It will be ready when golden, firm, and the sides are coming away from pan. A skewer popped in the middle will come out clean.
Our cake was ready after 50 minutes in a fan oven. However, as ovens tend to bake quicker than other types of ovens, your cake may require a few more minutes.
Leave to cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before carefully removing and allowing to cool completely on a cooling rack or cutting board.
Frosting, optional:
Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add the cream cheese. Either use a mixing spoon or an electric cake whisk to cream the ingredients together into a thick spreadable but light frosting.
If the frosting is too thick to spread incorporate a small amount of cream cheese until its at the right consistency, and if its too thin then sift in some more icing sugar and mix well.
When the cream cheese frosting is at your desired consistency its ready to spread over your cake. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts or pecans over the frosted cake if liked, and leave the frosting to set for a few hours before slicing.If time is short pop the frosted cake into the refrigerator so that the frosting will set more quickly
a few chopped walnuts
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
Vegan pumpkin spice cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 7 days, likely longer if well wrapped. Wrap in a layer of baking paper and a second layer of kitchen foil and place into a food container or cake tin.
The cake can be frozen as a whole cake or as individual slices. Wrap the cake or individual slices well and place into a freezer bag or container for up to 3-4 months.
Pumpkin puree can be either homemade or shop bought.
For an easy method of preparing home-made pumpkin puree or mash have a look at our recipe notes and FAQ section above this recipe.
We used home-made pumpkin puree prepared from a Halloween carving pumpkin.