Thank you so much to Sprouts for sponsoring this post and allowing me to create something delicious using their pumpkin line of ingredients!
You better be getting ready for fall. If you are not, I got just the thing you need. No better way to kick off the pumpkin season than with cake, right? Not your typical cake though, a pumpkin and spice-infused, rich, gooey, fudgy cookie cake. Do I have your attention?
For this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cake, you only need 8 ingredients. You’ll need pumpkin, molasses, maple syrup, oat flour, tapioca starch, pumpkin spices, pecan butter and chocolate chips. This cake is the result of my love for cookie cakes, but with a pumpkin pie twist. It is dense, fudgy, chewy and ooey gooey moist! These are incredibly rich and decadent. I use to love those cookie cakes from the mall and how buttery they were, so to try and get a buttery taste to these, I used pecan butter. It has a higher oil content than most other nuts, so it really makes these buttery. I first started using pecan butter over 4 years ago, for my first chocolate chip cookies I ever posted and ever since then, I’ve loved the flavor and buttery taste they give! It’s also my secret to my oil-free Apple Hand Pies. However, a super creamy roasted almond butter would work too.
This post comes to you with major excitement from me after having Sprouts ask me to create another recipe for them,using their awesome pumpkin products. They really enjoyed the Mango Caramel Swirl Cheesecake I did for them and asked to work with me again. I don’t need to remind you that I shop there weekly, so any chance to work with them I will gladly love to do.
They sent me several pumpkin-themed ingredients to create a recipe with. I chose to use three items in this post. Their Pumpkin Spice Applesauce, pumpkin spice blend and to pair my cookie cake with pumpkin spice coffee.
I nearly squealed when I saw this Pumpkin Spice Applesauce. I mean, hello, pumpkin spice pumpkin applesauce? So, so good and so much flavor. It is a blend of both pumpkin and applesauce and some spices. Don’t freak out though if you don’t have a Sprouts store near you, I know not all my readers do, so simply sub it with plain pumpkin puree and that works as well.
They also sent me their pumpkin pie spice blend. I use these spice blends like crazy during the Fall, so this was exciting to use in this cookie cake. I also really loved that it was organic. The spices smell and taste wonderful.
And what better way to enjoy this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake than with some pumpkin spice coffee? Yes, you read that correctly. Coffee that tastes like pumpkin spice, it was incredible!!
Coffee. Cookie cake. Pumpkin and spices. Perfection.
This cookie cake is not only vegan and plant-based, but it is totally gluten-free and oil-free as well! Just make sure to use certified gluten-free oats, if necessary. Just 8 easy ingredients and super simple to make.
These are incredibly rich, dense, fudgy and gooey just like the cookie cakes I remember from the mall back in the day. I did test a version with baking powder and it made them more cakey than I wanted, so I took it out and was left with exactly what I wanted….cookie cake fudgy heaven with crispy edges. YUM.
Do let me know when you make this and what you thought! Be prepared to be in rich, fudgy, decadent heaven. Warning you now. And be sure to see all the amazing things I’m pinning on my fun Pinterest boards!
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (148g) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (62g) Sprouts Pumpkin Spice Applesauce (if you cannot get this, just sub with plain pumpkin puree)
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (203g) roasted pecan butter (or you can sub with almond butter, just make sure it's a very smooth roasted drippy kind and not stiff and chunky.
- 2 Tablespoons (44g) unsulphured molasses , not blackstrap
- 1 ¼ cups (160g) fine oat flour
- 3 Tablespoons (22g) tapioca starch
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin Pie Spice (See Note for sub)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (80g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for top
NOTE
If you cannot find the pumpkin pie spice, then you can make your own by combining the following: 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. This is the blend I came up with that I love.
NOTE
These are very dense and fudgy like a traditional cookie cake. If you want yours a bit more on the caky side, add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
Instructions
- Use a scale for accurate results. Preheat an oven to 350 F degrees and grease an 8x8 round metal cake pan. A 9 inch is not recommended or the cake will be too short. Place a parchment paper round on the bottom for easy removal later
- To a large bowl, add the syrup, pumpkin applesauce blend, pecan butter and molasses. Whisk until completely smooth.
- To a medium bowl, add the oat flour, tapioca starch, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk very well until mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips. Once it is completely mixed, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until mixed. Stir around for a couple of minutes so it gets well mixed and very thick.
- Scrape the batter into the greased pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon so that it is even. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips all over the top and lightly press them into the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or when a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Mine took 23 minutes. It should have a nice golden top that is fairly firm and shiny and golden edges.
- Leave to cool for at least 45 minutes in the pan before flipping out. Place a plate over the cake pan and quickly flip it over, pull off the pan and then flip it back over onto a cooling rack or serving platter to cool completely. You don’t want to leave it flipped upside down because of the chocolate chips. Leave to cool completely before serving, as it will still be too delicate while warm. Slice carefully with a knife and serve. Enjoy the dense and gooey fudge cookie texture! Store at room temperature covered completely, to retain their moisture.
Recipe Notes
I make my own nut butters. To make roasted pecan butter, follow these steps. To make almond butter, add 2 cups whole raw almonds to a sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Blend in a food processor for many minutes, scraping down the sides a few times during. This may take several minutes, but you want to keep going until it gets very, very, very smooth and drippy like oil almost. It should not be too thick or stiff. When you think you've gone long enough, keep going.
*Nutrition per slice (based on 8): 381.8 calories, 19.8 g fat, 44.1 g carbs, 17.8 g sugar, 3.3 g fiber, 8.2 g protein, 63 mg sodium
Love your recipes. So good and always come out! I don’t use oats in cooking, what other gluten-free flour could I use? Thanks.
Thank you so much Naomi, so glad to hear that! I would suggest trying sorghum flour, that is really the only other gluten-free flour that I think would work well here, especially with the pumpkin spices. I have not tried this, so I can’t vouch for it, but since the cookie cake is really fudgy and dense, I don’t think the crumbly-ness will be an issue like sorghum can cause. There is enough fat in it to hold it together. I’d love to hear if it worked, let me know!
I actually was wondering if I can use coconut flour instead of oats flour and raw amber instead of pure maple syrup?
No, coconut flour will not work. It’s extremely dry and would completely alter the result making these dry and crumbly. Coconut flour is very different and needs to only be used in recipes that already call for coconut flour. Raw amber, do you mean agave? If so, then yes, that should work instead of syrup.
Girl! What are you doing to us? This looks amazing in every way!
Pumpkin spice applesauce sounds so good! Haha! Why have I never thought to add more than just cinnamon? Genius product! This just means we’ll all have a very happy Fall!
Oh my girl this looks incredible. I have a couple weekends off coming in December and I plan to bake and I think I need to make this. But there are so many of your baked goods I want to make and not enough weekends off to make it. So I have some hard decisions to make. Haha But this looks absolutely divine and I love sprouts I shop their all the time. So it will be easy for me to find the ingredients and I love that they are organic as well.
As always your pictures are incredibly gorgeous and perfect. I seriously can’t wait for December to get here. Time for me to bake. Last year when I had time off I made some of your cookies and brought them to work. They were a big hit. Everyone is asking me when I am going to bake again 🙂
You are so sweet Christina, thank you so much! I’m so happy you love these pics. And hahahah on trying to pick which to dessert to make, such tough decisions, LOL! This is definitely one rich and decadent cookie cake, I don’t even eat one piece at a time, just a few bites.
So glad to hear my cookies are hits with your coworkers, yay!
I’m a huge fan of cookie cakes too – so darn fudgy! I LOVE that you used pecan butter. That’s what I use in my Toffee Bars too and it works so well to get that perfectly buttery flavor and texture. I’m a sucker for all things pumpkin spice, and I have all of these ingredients (minus the pumpkin applesauce, but I can easily sub)…can’t wait to try this out!
Thank you Jenn! Oh yes, pecan butter and me go way back, I’ve been using it since 2012 when I posted my first ever chocolate chip cookie recipe! It is amazing stuff! Yes, pumpkin spice I use year round on my toast, I love, love that stuff!
Ooooh, is your toffee recipe vegan? If so, I would love your recipe!
Oh my gosh, this looks so good! I’ve always preferred cookie cakes to cake cakes.
I have never heard of a cookie cake before but love it, especially as it has chocolate and pumpkin pie spice in it! The perfect combo of all of my favourite things!
Oh, really? Gosh, they are a huge thing around here. Basically, it’s just a giant fudgy chocolate chip cookie, LOL!
That fudgey perfect slice of cookie has my full attention! So many chips and so many spices and it’s so THICK too. This puts all other cookie cakes to shame I think, how can those thin rounds even call themselves an anything cake next to this beauty!? When you were listing ingredients I was falling in love with it more and more with each one you named off–nothing but wonderful fall flavors in here! And chocolate of course, an every season flavor 😉 The pumpkin spice applesauce sounds delicious, I have to try that with my homemade applesauce now. You never fail to blow me away with your delicious creativity Brandi, I can’t wait to see what else you do with pumpkin 🙂
You are just the sweetest Natalie, thank you so much! And you know what, I didn’t really think about it, but you are totally right, my version is WAY thicker than the mall cookie cakes, hahaha! More fudgyness in each bite that way, lol. This was a spur of the moment recipe, as you don’t even want to know how many recipes failed before I finally had success with this one!! So glad though, because this one is soooo good!
Straight up, I love Sprouts, Pumpkin things, and this cake! An amazing trifecta!
Cookie cakes are da bomb! Love this version – chocolate/pumpkin spice combination is underrated, IMO! I have to admit that I’ve never eaten or used pecan butter and am totally intrigued!
This looks SO good! I love pumpkin flavor with chocolate chips for the fall. And a giant cookie cake? YES please!!! Looks so simple too. Must make!
Brandi, can’t believe it’s almost fall, but it’s here for real! This chocolate cookie cake is just pure delicious! I have to admit, I’ve never eat pecan butter before. I should definitely make my own, I’m so curious and excited how does it tastes? Your pictures make me drool, yes I want that cake now! Do you deliver?
Bring on all things fall and pumpkin!! It’s been ages since I’ve had a cookie cake…actually I think the last time was a Mrs. Field’s cookie cake from the mall when I was in high school. Haha!! But yours looks way better – gooey and rich and no skimping on the chocolate chips 🙂 Pecan butter sure is magical in baked goods! I actually made a pumpkin spice pecan butter before I quit nuts…talk about dreamy! So I can only imagine how amazing this cookie cake is! But let’s talk about these pumpkin spice products!! That applesauce sounds SO good – I’m always dumping cinnamon in our applesauce, but I never thought to spice it up even more. Must try!! And I bet that coffee pairs perfectly with a slice of your cookie cake.
P.S. – I love your apron!!! So adorable! ❤️
This looks so good, Brandi! I love the idea of a cookie cake, and the simple list of ingredients.
Hi, I made this today, it turned out perfectly. My husband loves it. Thank you for this. 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy you and your hubby both loved it Regan, that makes me happy! Thank you so much for the feedback!
This looks amazing. I found it searching for allergy friendly recipes. However, nuts and peanuts are top food allergens, so I will have to sub the nut butters. Do you have a recommendation? Thanks.
Hi Jessie! Thank you so much. The nut butter is crucial to the texture, there is more than 3/4 cup of it so it won’t work without it. The only sub would be a really creamy smooth sunbutter, but it will have a sunbutter taste.
Aretilcs like this just make me want to visit your website even more.
I was so excited to see your recipe post, Brandi! After being abroad for a whole year and recently returning home, I realized I’ve missed fall and your recipe is the perfect fall recipe for me to get back into the groove of things at home! Thank you!! 😀
Hi Violet! Oh wow, yes, it’s been a long time! So nice to see your comment again, thank you so much! Sounds like you’ve had a fabulous time 🙂
You’ve inspired me. I am SO making a cookie cake now. I really miss having a Sprouts nearby and am excited because I just heard they are coming to our town – woohoo!
Holy smokes, girl!! Stunning. The recipe – the photos. Just gorgeous.
Aww thank you so much Annie! That means so much to me!
These look so delicious, Brandi! I’m actually really looking forward to fall this year! 🙂
I made this as soon as I saw it posted and it was amazing!!!! Disappeared within an hour! I’ll be posting the pic on instagram shortly and will definitely be sure to tag you. I just wanted to mention- I didn’t have the molasses and I was halfway through the recipe so I substituted 3 tbsps of concentrated date syrup and it worked really well! Obviously I didn’t taste the original but it came out delicious as well with the perfect cookie cake consistency. Love all your recipes! Just keep them coming and I’ll keep making them! ❤️
Yay! So very happy you loved this so much Morgan and wow, an hour, hahaha! Thank you so much for the feedback and can’t wait to see your pic on IG!
This is GORGEOUS, friend! WOW. I love pumpkin and chocolate together. Who can argue with a cookie cake?! I will certainly be making this during the prime time of year for pumpkin treats! Thanks for the amazing vegan recipe as always!
Thank you so much Kaila! You are so sweet! So glad you love these! 😉
My daughter has a nut/seed allergy. Any alternative to the nut butter?
Hi Lauren, yes, you can use a really smooth sunbutter. It will leave a sunbutter taste, but another reader made it with sunbutter and loved it!
Can I just say that I love your food! You made eating vegan exciting. I love this recipe and the pumpkin pie one. You seriously saved my holiday season. Thanks for all the work you do! Now I just have to stop eating all of your good food so I don’t blow up like a blimp.
Oh Katie, I know I’m months late, but sometimes I miss comments! So sorry and thank you so much for your wonderful compliment! I’m so glad you loved this cookie cake! hahaha, blimp, lol! Sorry!
Oh my heavens to Betsy! I made this tonight and followed the recipe to a T. It was so stinking good like every other thing you make! I mostly sit all day at my computer and push refresh in my inbox hoping that a new vegan 8 recipe will be sent.
I have yet to be let down.
Thanks!
Haha, awww Chase, thank you for such an awesome review! I’m SO sorry I somehow missed this comment last season, dangit! Glad to see it now though. I’m very glad you loved this and your comment absolutely cracked me up!!
I am drooling my friend!! This choco chip cake looks absolutely amazing! Love pumpkin season. 🙂
So much fun! Your delicious recipes always make life nicer. This is our first cookie cake and it’s just fantastic!
Thank you so much Lauren for the review and your gorgeous pics on Facebook!!