Moist One Bowl Vegan Sweet Potato Spice Cake
This deliciously soft and tender vegan spice cake is full of all of the classic spices- ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg – and bakes so incredibly moist with sweet potato puree and molasses! Topped with a silky dairy free cream cheese frosting and eggless toasted vegan marshmallow meringue, this vegan sweet potato spice cake is a holiday masterpiece- and yes, it’s made in just one bowl!
Why you need this spice cake recipe at your holiday table:
For all of my people who aren’t fans of pumpkin, apple, nor believe chocolate should be at the Thanksgiving dessert table: I give you, this unbelievably delicious vegan sweet potato spice cake.
(Although, I have to say, my vegan apple pie and this vegan chocolate cream pie really do wow a crowd- especially the non-vegan people!).
This vegan spice cake is it. We have the easiest one bowl cake batter that’s baked into there beautifully moist and tender layers and stacked and slathered in my classic vegan cream cheese frosting and eggless toasted marshmallow meringue.
And then topped with some sugared cranberries, because aren’t they just gorgeous!?
Honestly, with how easy, delicious, and showstopping-ly beautiful this vegan spice cake is, this sweet potato spice cake is going to be the star of your vegan Thanksgiving dinner or vegan Christmas dinner – or any winter celebration!
What does Spice Cake taste like?
Spice cake basically tastes like a mix between gingerbread and pumpkin cake (because it uses a lot of the same spices as pumpkin spice- cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves)…and normally, spice cake does NOT contain sweet potato, but the sweet potato flavor really brings everything together.
Now, don’t think of a spice cake in terms of heat though, because in that respect, this cake is far from spicy. The rich molasses will hit the senses with all of the beautiful fall and winter flavors, and honestly, you won’t be able to stop at one bite.
Baked in a fluffy and moist sweet potato cake and swirled with a vegan cream cheese frosting, this vegan twist on the classic spice cake is an absolute dream!
Ingredients & Substitutions:
- Sweet potato puree: I just used a can of sweet potato puree. It’s usually right next to the pumpkin puree! That way, you just dump the entire can into the cake batter- no need to measure! You can use fresh sweet potato puree made from baked sweet potatoes though- ether will work! The only recommendation here is that you puree the homemade sweet potato puree to make sure it’s not stringy. The sweet potato basically acts as our vegan egg substitute. And gives much added flavor!
- Flour: You can use all purpose flour here or gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (such as King Arthur measure-for-measure gluten free flour- my favorite!).
- Sugar & Light brown sugar: Both are important here, as the light brown sugar will add extra moisture to the cake!
- Molasses: Typically found in spice cakes, but not heavy in quantity, the molasses will also add moisture to the cake.
- Vegan butter & neutral oil: You can use both or one or the other, but I do like using oil in this cake, as it creates a really lovely and soft texture (and can be cheaper than using all vegan butter!).
- Spices: Here, we’re using cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Leavening agents: This is your baking powder and baking soda. And a touch of sea salt!
- Vegan buttermilk: Don’t worry, this you don’t buy in stores but instead make it using dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar (or any acid, like lemon juice or even rice vinegar!).
Overview: How to make vegan sweet potato spice cake in one bowl
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
Toasted Vegan Marshmallow Frosting:
Arguably my favorite part about this cake is the vegan marshmallow frosting. It’s like sweet potato casserole meets cake, and I’m so happy about it.
With layers of lush cream cheese frosting perfectly set, the marshmallow meringue goes on top to just add even more flavor profile to this cake and make it truly feel like a warm hug in a bite.
So, how the heck do you make marshmallow meringue frosting without egg whites?! Simple. Use aquafaba.
Aquafaba, or chickpea brine, is another one of my favorite vegan egg substitutes. It literally fluffs into the most perfect meringue, and I’m not sure why even more conventional bakers don’t use it (because honestly, who wants the stress of using egg whites?!).
To make the frosting, you’ll make it similarly to meringue: start by adding a spoonful of sugar at a time, letting the meringue breathe.
Then mix into stiff peaks, smooth over your cake, and toast!
I use a culinary torch, which I got on Amazon. They’re so easy!
You’re just going to LOVE this easy vegan spice cake.
If you make it for the holidays, let me know down below in the comments section. As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy spice cake baking!
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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Moist One Bowl Vegan Sweet Potato Spice Cake
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 33
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This deliciously soft and tender vegan spice cake is full of all of the classic spices- ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg – and bakes so incredibly moist with sweet potato puree and molasses! Topped with a silky dairy free cream cheese frosting and eggless toasted vegan marshmallow meringue, this vegan sweet potato spice cake is a holiday masterpiece- and yes, it’s made in just one bowl!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour (or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (110 g) neutral cooking oil
- 1 can (15 ounces) sweet potato puree
- 1/4 cup (60 g) molasses
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Cream cheese frosting:
- 1 batch vegan cream cheese frosting
Vegan Toasted Marshmallow Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) aquafaba (chickpea brine)
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1/2 batch sugared cranberries
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F, and line three 8″ cake pans with oil and parchment paper. Make sure the vegan buttermilk is prepped.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, oil, sugar, brown sugar, molasses, sweet potato puree, sea salt, and vanilla extract. Add in the spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg), followed by the baking powder and baking soda, and whisk to distribute them evenly into the batter.
- Finish the spice cake batter: Add in the flour, followed by the vegan buttermilk, and whisk just until the flour is integrated into the wet ingredients.
- Bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake for 33-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. While the cake is baking, I recommend making the sugared cranberries here.
- Cool: Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting (sometimes up to an hour, as sweet potato can take longer to cool).
- Make the cream cheese frosting: Right before you’re ready to frost and assemble, make the cream cheese frosting according to the recipe’s instructions.
- Assemble the cake: For this portion, we’re essentially making a crumb coat with the cream cheese frosting, as the marshmallow meringue will go on top. Add about 1/2 cup of frosting to one cake layer, and spread it to the edges. Repeat for the next cake layer, and top with the third cake layer. Frost the outside of the cake, using a bench scraper to smooth the edges of the cake. Once frosted, place the cake into the fridge to chill while you make the marshmallow meringue.
- Make the marshmallow meringue frosting: In a large bowl of a stand mixer, add in the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Begin mixing on high speed, adding in 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time, pausing between each spoonful (I count 2 breaths) before adding the next. Keep this process up until there is no more sugar. Then continue mixing the meringue until you reach stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.
- Top and toast the cake: Remove the cake from the fridge, and top the marshmallow meringue on top, spreading to create one even coat over top. Then use a culinary torch to lightly toast the meringue. Top with sugared cranberries.
- Slice and serve! Slice the cake, and serve! Because meringue weeps more quickly in the fridge, I recommend if you’re waiting to serve this cake, making the meringue topping about 20 minutes prior to serving. Then toast immediately after assembling and serve!
Notes
Gluten free: I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour.
This cake is so cute and stunning! Love that you added sweet potatoes, so smart. Beautiful photos! 🙂
Aw Elsa thank you thank you!! You’re such a gem!! Sending you a big hug!
Hi! Is this calling for canned coconut milk or just regular boxed milk? Thanks!
Hi Madeline! You can use either! I used canned, but either will work! 🙂
Oh that little snowman is just the cutest 🙂 The flavor on this is awesome! Tastes like carrot cake but even better!
Aw thank you so so much!! Enjoy!
Could the cassava flour be substituted for a different kind?
Yes absolutely! You can use all purpose or a gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour!
Hello!
This cake looks delicious, but I have never used cassava flour before. Is it pretty expensive, or can it be easily substituted with almond flour?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Evelyn! Cassava flour is pretty similar to regular AP flour 🙂 You can find it at the grocery store for about $8-9, which is about the same if not a little cheaper than almond flour, but it definitely is on the pricier side (as are most Paleo flours compared to regular!)! But if you want to swap in almond flour, I would do for every cup of cassava flour, 3/4 cup almond and 1/4 cup coconut!
Thank you so much! I’m excited to try this!
I am sure that if I would have had all of the right ingredients this cake would be fabulous. I didn’t have regular coconut milk so I used canned coconut milk. All of the other ingredients were the same. The canned coconut milk made the cake inside turn out kind of pasty. I will still eat it because all of the spices and sweet potato taste great. I just won’t be serving it at Christmas dinner at church. 🙁. That’s ok though, because I am the only one that is gluten free and there will be other desserts for them to eat. 😉. I’ll try again with the right milk and I’m sure I will be giving this recipe 5 stars
This is not nut free! Coconut is a nut, & coconut milk is nut milk!
Hi Dee! So coconut is not actually a nut- it’s a fruit called a drupe. That’s why those with nut allergies can eat coconut, but you have to have a very specific allergy to coconut in order to be allergic to coconut. You can have a coconut allergy and not be allergic to nuts, and vise versa.
I don’t have 3 8″ cake pans; can it be made in two 10″? Thanks–Ilene
Hi Ilene! Yes, it can! The layers will be slightly thinner, but should bake around the same time- check how they’re doing around the 20 min mark using the oven light!
Would love a meringue since we don’t do eggs this sounds awesome. Where do you get the Aquafaba?
From the chickpea jar! It’s just the liquid that the chickpeas are stored in!