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Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Marbled Cake

This delectable cake is as delicious as it is beautiful! Plus, it really isn’t too hard to put together, and is the perfect portion for a family to enjoy.

Orange frosting covered a marbled layer cake, with a knife sticking out of the top

Hey, y’all, happy Halloween! I’m back with another recipe and am really excited about it, hence squeezing it in the day-of. Though, let’s be real, you can enjoy this all throughout pumpkin season if your heart so desires! Gorgeous swirls of black cocoa-tinged chocolate batter intermingle with spiced pumpkin-vanilla flavors to create a combo that is irresistible (and really pretty).

Many, many bowls of ingredients for cake

Now, because I’ve finished a couple of large projects and a litany of smaller ones I’m hoping to have more time during the holidays to share recipes! I have so many ideas and it’s really my favorite time to cook, to be honest. What are these projects you (didn’t) ask? I was shooting a cookbook for a documentary, many VegNews shoots plus a whole spread in the Holiday Issue that’s about vegan caramel! And other freelance photography and recipe development for an assortment of brands. Gotta pay for these house renos somehow!

image collage of white person prepping two different cake batters

Anyway, I’m glad to be back for the time being, and though I haven’t been as present here on the blog, I’ve been sharing fun and informative videos over on my instagram and tiktok pages. So, if you’re over there, go follow and comment so I can see you! Also, how are y’all liking the new site design? Is it easy to navigate, read, and use? Definitely let me know if you’re having any issues. Now, onto recipe info!

Three cake pans filled with marbled cake batter before baking

Substitutions & Tips

  • All-purpose flour – this recipe would likely work with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, but the texture will be slightly more dense than with AP flour.
  • Sugar – here I’ve used evaporated cane sugar (vegan) as it works well, but subbing out a little of it in the pumpkin spice batter with light brown sugar could also be delightful!
  • Black cocoa vs. dutch-processed cocoa powder – I used black cocoa powder here for the color, but it also has a richer, more chocolate-y flavor than your standard cocoa powder, hence using a smaller amount than usual. If you only have Dutch-processed cocoa powder on hand, it will still be great! Just make sure to use 1/3 cup of it instead of the 1/4 cup black cocoa.
  • Olive oil – if you’re avoiding oil as much as possible (sorry about the frosting, lol), you can substitute it with an equal amount of pumpkin puree.
  • Apple cider vinegar – you can also use white vinegar here, as both will activate the baking soda well.
  • Vegetable shortening – using this as a base for vegan frostings is a go-to for me, as it holds up well in all temperatures. Make sure that your shortening is fresh as it may clump/have granules that are hard to smooth out in the frosting. (this happened to me with the first batch of frosting for this recipe!)
  • Vegan butter – I used salted here, since the frosting is half shortening-half butter – which I swear tastes like toaster strudel frosting – but use your vegan butter of choice.
  • Powdered sugar – I cannot emphasize enough that you need to sift your powdered sugar before using it in frosting, as the clumps are near-impossible to get out if you don’t. Also! If you don’t have powdered sugar on hand, blitz some granulated sugar in a blender until super fine as a replacement.
  • I’ve used a mix of color from spices and food-coloring to give this cake its hues, but either – or none – will work depending on your preferences. The gel food coloring that I used is made by ChefMaster, which is vegan-friendly.
  • Frosting/buttercream – depending on the vegan butter you use, if left out at room temperature for too long it may become very soft and hard to manage (for assembly), if this is the case, chill it in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Orange frosting covered a marbled layer cake, before finishing touches

While I do love making cakes generally, even with all of the dishes, this latest one was inspired by the cover of the latest Better Home & Gardens Halloween Issue, that had the cutest layer cake topped with meringue ghosts. So, just be glad I didn’t whip out the aquafaba for this one, but maybe next year I will. 😉 And if you’re looking at this cake like, “this may be too much for me to handle” may I recommend my Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting?

Orange frosting covered a marbled layer cake, with sprinkles
Yield: 8 servings

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Marbled Cake

Orange frosting covered a marbled layer cake, with a knife sticking out of the top

Swirls of black cocoa-chocolate batter intermingle with spiced pumpkin-vanilla flavors to create a vegan cake that is irresistible. And the ganache makes it even better!

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Batter

  • 1 1/2 cups (212 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (230 g) sugar
  • 1/4 cup (25 g) black cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup (245 ml) cold water
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Spice Batter

  • 1 3/4 cups (242 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (230 g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, optional (for color)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup (245 ml) cold water
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 1 cup (227 g) vegan butter
  • 1 cup (140 g) vegetable shortening
  • 4 cups (450 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) non-dairy milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange gel food coloring, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon yellow gel food coloring, optional

Ganache

  • 1/2 cup (95 g) vegan chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) non-dairy milk
  • Vegan sprinkles, as optional toppings

Instructions

    For the cake, preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease three 6-inch cake pans. In a mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add water, olive oil, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla to the bowl and whisk until combined, with no clumps. Set aside.

    In another mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, turmeric, and salt together. Add water, pumpkin puree, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla to the bowl and whisk until combined, with no clumps.

    Now, divide batters between the three cake pans, pouring a little of each batter interchangeably. Using a toothpick or butter knife, draw swirls in the batter, making sure not to swirl too much or the colors will get muddled. Bake cakes on the middle rack of the oven for 38-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick draws clean. Cool on racks for 20 minutes, before transferring to the refrigerator to chill.

    For the frosting, in a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl, beat shortening and vegan butter together until very fluffy, then slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time while mixing at high speed. Once sugar is incorporated, add milk and vanilla, beat until fluffy and smooth.

    Remove 1 cup (150 g) of frosting from the bowl and set aside, then add food coloring to the mixer bowl and whisk until combined.

    To assemble, trim rounded tops of cake layers off, and place one cake on a pan or plate, as the base. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of frosting over the top of it, then gently place another layer of cake on top. Repeat with another layer of frosting, then turn a cake layer upside-down, so that the cut side is on the bottom, and place it on the frosting.

    Make sure all of the layers are centered, then spread remaining orange frosting all over the sides and top in what will be a semi-thin layer. Don't worry about it being perfect at this point. Place cake in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.

    Take cake out of fridge and smooth sides with a metal cutter/scraper, then move on to the ganache.

    To make the ganache, in a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips with non-dairy milk, and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Stir until melted and completely smooth. You can also do this with a double boiler, if you don't want to use the microwave.

    Wait 2 to 3 minutes before slowly covering the top of the cake with ganache. Letting excess ganache drip down the sides. Here you can add sprinkles to the top of the ganache, if desired. Chill cake for 15 minutes, then use a piping bag with decorative tip to pipe a border of white frosting in your desired shape around the top edge of the cake, then chill until ready to serve.

    Wait for cake to reach pretty close to room temperature before serving, so that the frosting is not too stiff.

Did you make this recipe?

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Other Vegan Halloween Recipes

Orange frosting covered a marbled layer cake, with a knife sticking out of the top

I hope that you all have a great and safe Halloween!

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