Normally, earthquake cakes are chocolate and of course not usually plant-based. So, I decided to make an earthquake cake for my favorite season. This vegan pumpkin earthquake cake is messy in the best way. Scoop some into a bowl and serve it warm with some ice cream! This pumpkin cake is fluffy and cakey on the bottom, and then ooey and gooey in the center and top. You make a simple pumpkin spice cake and then swirl a vegan cream cheese frosting type of situation into the batter. Then sprinkle the top with vegan white chocolate.
What You Need For This Earthquake Cake:
- All purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Cloves: These are the dry ingredients for the cake batter.
- Brown Sugar and Cane Sugar: These both go into the cake batter.
- Pumpkin and Applesauce: For flavor and they also serve as egg replacers.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: I like Miyokos Creamery!
- Vegan Powdered Sugar and Vegan Butter: These are whipped with the cream cheese to form the top layer that gets swirled in.
- Vegan White Chocolate: You can also use vegan dark chocolate if you prefer.
Once baked, you will definitely understand why this is called a vegan pumpkin “earthquake” cake! It kind of bubbles up and erupts and has these kind of cracks on top. It will look like molten lava when it comes out of the oven, but it gets firm as it cools. I promise that if it gets messy or doesn’t look that pretty, it will all be worth it. This cake is incredible! I like to put the baking pan on a sheet pan to stop any overflow from getting into the oven.
Why Should You Make This Vegan Pumpkin Dessert?
- The combination of fluffy cake and gooey center is amazing!
- This cake is really easy to throw together.
- I love a one step cake, you just mix everything in one pan. No frosting or anything.
- You serve this cake kinda warm with ice cream. I love a hot and cold dessert.
- This is one of the best cakes for the fall!
Vegan Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup Cane sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups Canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 Cup Applesauce
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable oil
- 3/4 Cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 4 Ounces Vegan cream cheese, I used Miyoko's
- 1/4 Cup Vegan butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 1/2 Cups Powdered sugar, vegan
- 1/2 Cup Vegan white chocolate chips, I used King David Brand
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees(F).
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Then stir in the salt, brown sugar and cane sugar.
- In a separate medium sized mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, applesauce, oil, water and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is fully combined.
- Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Smooth the batter out evenly. Set aside.
- Now put the vegan cream cheese into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Then begin to whip the cream cheese with the whisk attachment of a hand mixer or the stand mixer.
- Then start streaming the melted vegan butter into the bowl, while the whisk is still going. Once the butter is combined with the cream cheese, begin adding the powdered sugar about 1/2 a cup at a time.
- Continue whipping, scraping down the sides as needed until everything is fully combined.
- Drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture all over the top of the batter. Then using a knife, swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter.
- Sprinkle the white chocolate evenly over the top.
- Put the baking dish onto a large baking sheet. The cake will bubble up and possibly bubble over, so I like to put it on a baking sheet to catch any batter.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top will be very bubbly and crack and still look liquidy(it will look like an earthquake happened). It will firm up as it cools. You want the cake part to be cooked through, but the rest will be liquidy until it cools.
- Once the cake cools, you can serve it warm, just make sure it cools enough to firm up, with ice cream. Or you can let it cool completely, and then serve.
- The center and top should be gooey and the bottom fluffy.
Video
Nutrition
This looks amazing! Is it ok to make it the day before and let it sit overnight for the next day, or is it really only best to eat it the day it’s made?
It is great the next day!
Such a perfect cake! So full of flavour and moist! Loved by vegans and non vegans alike!
Made this today and it was delicious! Totally easy to throw together too. Thanks for the great recipe!