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A square of vegan pumpkin crumb cake on a white plate with a fork and a pot of coffee in the background.
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Vegan Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Vegan pumpkin crumb cake - an extra moist, soft, spiced pumpkin cake with a crunchy pecan crumble topping; it is so easy to make and so delicious!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 16 people
Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Crumble Topping:

  • 150 g (1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 90 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 100 g vegan block butter cold and diced
  • 75 g (½ cup) pecans roughly chopped (optional)

Cake:

  • 340 g (2 ¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 3 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
  • 100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 425 g (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 150 ml (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive)
  • 90 ml (6 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 23 cm/9 in square cake tin and line with a strip of baking parchment, leaving the ends overhanging so that it is easy to lift the cake out.
  • To make the crumble topping, stir together the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain. Mix in the chopped pecans (if using) and squeeze the mixture together with your hands so that it forms small clumps, set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, light brown soft sugar and caster sugar in a large bowl.
  • Add the pumpkin puree, oil, milk, vinegar and vanilla extract and stir with a balloon whisk until smooth and no dry lumps remain. Do not over-beat the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread level. Sprinkle over the crumble topping evenly and very gently pat it down slightly.
  • Bake for 55-60 minutes until firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with tin foil partway through cooking if the top begins to colour too much.
  • 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 and step-by-step photos.
  • As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. 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!