Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Vegan Cranberry-Walnut Streusel

Yield: one 9 x 13" cake

This is the moistest cake you may ever eat. And it becomes even more so as it sits (well covered of course).

The cake was inspired by a recipe I saw for a dried cranberry-nut pumpkin cake. I didn't think the dried cranberry and nuts sounded very good in the batter. So, thinking that I wanted to make something that didn't require frosting, but that was more than just a "naked" cake, I thought of a streusel topping. Then it occurred to me that I could add the dried fruit and nuts to the streusel. Eureka! Goldilocks would agree that the combination is just right.

I crave this cake perhaps most especially at breakfast because it functions well as a coffeecake. But I hope you will enjoy it anytime you please!

Vegan Pumpkin Cake:
1 can of pumpkin (just under 2 cups)
2/3 cup oil
2-3 tablespoons vegan sour cream (optional, but makes the cake more tender and moist)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegan Dried Cranberry and Walnut Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13" metal pan. In a large bowl, stir together the first six ingredients. (Avoid using a mixer to prevent gumminess.) Stir in remaining ingredients until well combined. Transfer batter to the pan, spreading evenly. Crumble streusel evenly over the top surface of the cake and bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. And store covered or in an airtight container.

Vegan Dried Cranberry and Walnut Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature (I like Earth Balance)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon or more pumpkin pie spice
1 cup self-rising flour
1/3-1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3-1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Crumble together first four ingredients with your fingers until the clumps start to look fairly uniform; add dried cranberries and walnuts and continue to mix with your fingers just until all ingredients are well distributed.

Source: the cake only (not the streusel) is slightly adapted from the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I omitted the chocolate chips and added vegan sour cream.