Pumpkin Chocolate Crumb Cake (vegan)
This vegan pumpkin chocolate crumb cake is a lovely Autumnal treat. It features a moist, tender spiced pumpkin cake base and is topped with a substantial layer of rich, decadent dark chocolate crumble. It’s the perfect treat for any occasion and is really easy to make too!
Servings 12 people
Equipment
- 20 cm/8 in square cake tin
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 140 g (10 Tablespoons) vegan block butter melted
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 35 g (3 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 25 g (4 ½ Tablespoons) black cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 85 g (½ cup) chocolate chips
Cake:
- 210 g (¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons) pumpkin puree
- 90 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 68 g (5 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive)
- 45 g (3 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- ½ teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 170 g (1 cup + 7 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a deep 20 cm (8 in) square cake tin with baking paper, making sure that you leave some overhanging on either side so that you can easily lift the cake out later.
- To make the crumb topping, stir together the melted butter, the light brown soft and caster/graulated sugars and salt in a bowl.140 g (10 Tablespoons) vegan block butter, 100 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar, 35 g (3 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and mix to form a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips then refrigerate while you make the cake batter.180 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 25 g (4 ½ Tablespoons) black cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder, 85 g (½ cup) chocolate chips
- To make the cake, use a balloon whisk to whisk together the pumpkin puree, light brown soft and caster/granulated sugars, oil, milk, vinegar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.210 g (¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons) pumpkin puree, 90 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar, 50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 68 g (5 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive), 45 g (3 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), ½ teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in the pumpkin spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, followed by the flour. Be careful not to over-beat the batter, just mix it until no dry lumps remain.2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ¼ teaspoon table salt, 170 g (1 cup + 7 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Scrape the cake batter into the lined cake tin and spread it level.
- Use your hands to break the crumb topping into small pieces of varying sizes and scatter them evenly over the cake batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The crumb topping may still look a little greasy in the middle, it will firm up as it cools.
- Allow to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes then use the overhanging parchment to carefully lift the cake out of the tin and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, store in an airtight container.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for proper measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml and they should be level, not heaped.