Pumpkin Cream Cake [Vegan, Paleo]

This no-bake vegan & paleo pumpkin cream cake is about as delicious as fall desserts get. It tastes like a mix between pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and cheesecake! Also, it’s versatile because it can be eaten frozen like an ice cream cake or it can be thawed for more of a cheesecake texture.

This pumpkin cream cake is vegan, paleo, uses no refined sugars, AND it’s incredibly easy to make! It requires no baking, and you can make the whole thing using only a blender (aside from toasting the pecans). Creamy, indulgent, festive, easy clean up, what’s not to love?

3 layers of yum

I think the crust is my favorite part of this whole cake. You would never know that it’s only 3 simple ingredients (toasted pecans, dates, and salt)! The pecan crust pairs so well with the pumpkin and makes me feel like I’m getting the best of both Thanksgiving worlds - pecan pie AND pumpkin pie. Guilt free!

The cream layer uses cashews (soaked overnight) as the base. Soaking the cashews not only makes them easy to blend, resulting in a rich, creamy texture, but it also allows you to more easily digest the cashews and better absorb their nutrients into your body! Cashews are rich in healthy fats (essential for brain health), plant protein, and they’re also a great source of copper, magnesium, and antioxidants!

The pumpkin layer is made by blending pumpkin purée, coconut sugar, and pumpkin pie spice into some of the leftover cream filling. A little tip: pumpkin purée and canned pumpkin are the same thing! Make sure you get that as opposed to pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has a bunch of sugar and artificial ingredients in it. Your pumpkin purée should only have one ingredient - I bet you can guess what it is 😉

Shortcut to soaked cashews

Although I highly recommend soaking the cashews in room temperature water overnight, there is a shortcut for when life gets crazy! Submerge the cashews in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 - 15 minutes. Then, drain and rinse the cashews. You will want to let the boiled cashews cool before using them in this recipe. The heat from the cashews paired with the blender could create pressure and cause your blender lid to explode off. We don’t want any disasters happening especially if you’re trying to impress those in-laws for Thanksgiving!

How to make perfectly even layers (if that is your preference)

Keep in mind that however your layers look around the circumference of the springform pan is how the cake will look on the outside when you take it out of the pan. If you have divots in the crust, for example, from pressing it with your fingers, that might create some inconsistencies on the outside of the cake. To avoid this, you could use the back of a rubber scraper around the edges to flatten the crust.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the cream layer might shift a little when you add the pumpkin layer on top since it’s not going to be completely set at this point in the recipe. You could either leave the cream layer in the freezer for 15-20 extra minutes before adding the pumpkin layer or just be careful when adding the pumpkin layer to make sure you don’t dump it in one spot onto the cream layer. The weight of doing that might cause the cream layer to shift, so make sure you are distributing it equally onto the cream layer.

You may not care, and that’s A-OK! I personally care more about taste, and this pumpkin cream cake will not disappoint in that category 😉

How to easily line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper

1. Disassemble the pan into 2 parts

2. Place your sheet of parchment paper over the removable circular base

3. Place the ring back over the base and assemble it like you normally would, trapping the sheet of parchment paper in between the base and the ring

4. Use scissors to cut off the excess parchment paper underneath the base

   
   
   

This has easily become my favorite Thanksgiving dessert. I hope you love it as much as I do! If you test the recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram by tagging @__thecleankitchen

Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Yield: 9

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups pecans

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

• 1 c firmly packed medjool dates (pitted, about 11 dates)

• ½ tsp salt

Cream filling

• 3 cups raw cashews (soaked in water overnight)

• ½ c canned coconut cream (unshaken so the cream and water separate)

• ¾ c coconut water (from the can of coconut cream - there will be a little leftover in the can that you won’t use)

• Juice of ½ lemon

• ⅓ c maple syrup

• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pumpkin filling

• 1 ½ c pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)

• ¼ c coconut sugar

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Add 1 Tbsp coconut oil to a skillet and toast the pecans over slightly lower than medium heat for about 4 minutes or until they start to turn darker brown (stirring frequently, especially towards the end, so they don’t burn). Set aside to cool.

2. While the pecans are cooling, line the bottom of a 9 inch springboard pan with parchment paper.

3. Combine the toasted pecans, medjool dates, and salt in blender. Blend on low until crumbly, but sticky, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the blender as needed.

4. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of your lined springboard pan. Place in freezer while you complete the next step.

5. For the cream filling: drain and rinse the cashews. Use a paper towel to dry any excess water off the cashews. Rinse your blender and combine the cashews, coconut cream, coconut water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and vanilla in blender. Start on low and slowly increase blender speed to high. Blend mixture on high for 2.5 - 3 minutes until very smooth and chunks of cashews are not visible. Stop to scrape the sides of the blender as needed.

6. Take the crust out of the freezer and scoop 2 heaping cups of the cream filling on top of the crust. Make sure to use a rubber scraper to get all of the cream filling out of your measuring cup. Spread the cream filling evenly over the pecan crust with the back of a spoon or rubber scraper. Leave the rest of the filling in the blender for the next step. Put the cheesecake pan with the crust and cream layer back in the freezer. Freeze at least 10 minutes before adding the pumpkin layer.

7. For the pumpkin layer: add the pumpkin purée, coconut sugar, and pumpkin pie spice to the blender with the leftover cream filling. Blend well until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the pumpkin layer on top of the cream layer and spread evenly. IMPORTANT: don’t dump the contents of the blender in one spot onto the cream layer, otherwise the cream layer will shift and your layers will look uneven. Carefully spoon the pumpkin mixture evenly onto the cream layer to keep the integrity of the layers. Return to the freezer for at least 3 hours before serving so the cake can set.

8. Remove the cake from the freezer. Let thaw for 5-10 minutes before slicing (more or less depending on how long it was in the freezer and your desired consistency).

9. Garnish with coconut whipped cream, toasted pecans, and/or pumpkin pie spice.

10. Store in refrigerator. You can also freeze the cake for extended storage (or if you want more of an ice cream texture).