Last updated: October 2026
This vegan pumpkin chocolate protein cake is Charlotte’s recipe (@charlottesplantkitchen): a fudgy chocolate cake made with pumpkin purée, silken tofu, oat flour, protein powder and our Reishi Cacao, finished with a thick chocolate protein frosting. It serves 10, and Charlotte works out about 19g of protein a slice.
A lovely bake for Halloween (Friday 31 October) or any autumn weekend, with UK measurements, swaps and storage tips below.
Charlotte’s code: CHARLOTTE20 gives you 20% off at Evopure (one use per customer), including the Reishi Cacao in this cake. Or shop through Charlotte’s link, which applies her 20% for you.
Charlotte is an Evopure affiliate partner and earns commission on sales through her code. We’re grateful she let us share her recipe.
Meet Charlotte
Charlotte creates plant-based recipes and shares them on Instagram as @charlottesplantkitchen. She calls this one “the fudgiest pumpkin chocolate cake”, and it first appeared as a collab reel with us, where you can watch her make it.
The recipe, protein figure and photo are Charlotte’s; the tips around them are ours.
Ingredients
Serves 10. To keep it fully vegan, check the labels on your protein powder and dark chocolate.
For the cake
- 400g pumpkin purée (plain purée, not sweetened pumpkin pie filling)
- 300g silken tofu
- 150ml unsweetened soy milk
- 90g chocolate protein powder (use a vegan one to keep it plant-based)
- 150g oat flour
- 60g Evopure Reishi Cacao
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp pumpkin spice (mixed spice works as a UK swap)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- A pinch of salt
- 75g dark chocolate, chopped
- 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the chocolate protein frosting
- 400g thick plant-based Greek-style yogurt
- 50g chocolate protein powder
- 30g Evopure Reishi Cacao
- 2 tsp black cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
To decorate
- Dark chocolate, made into shards
- Freeze-dried cherries or berries
- A dusting of icing sugar
Method
Charlotte’s method, shared with her permission:
- Blend the pumpkin purée, silken tofu, soy milk, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth.
- Mix the oat flour, chocolate protein powder, Reishi Cacao, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Stir through the apple cider vinegar and chopped dark chocolate.
- Pour into a lined 20cm tin and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes at 180°C, checking the centre with a skewer. Allow to cool completely.
- Mix the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy, then spread over the cooled cake.
- Finish with dark chocolate shards, freeze-dried cherries and a dusting of icing sugar. Slice and enjoy!
Oven temperatures vary, so start checking at 30 minutes. If your oven is fan-assisted, many bakers turn it down by about 20°C.
Tips and swaps
These are general baking tips we haven’t tested in this cake, so expect the texture to change a little.
- Pumpkin purée: larger UK supermarkets sell it tinned in autumn. Or roast a butternut squash until soft, blend and drain; carving pumpkins tend to be watery and bland.
- No tofu: silken tofu replaces eggs and gives the fudgy texture. Thick plant-based yogurt is the usual vegan baking swap.
- No protein powder: replace it with the same weight of oat flour. The cake will be less sweet and much lower in protein, so add a little extra maple syrup to the frosting if you like.
- Gluten-free: oats are listed with the gluten cereals in UK allergen rules, so use oat flour labelled gluten-free and check every other label. We don’t make a gluten-free claim for Reishi Cacao.
- Nut-free: no nuts in the recipe, but check protein powder, chocolate and yogurt for “may contain” warnings.
- Soya-free: tofu, soy milk and many plant yogurts are soya. Oat milk is an easy swap for the soy milk; the tofu is harder to replace.
- Lower sugar: use an unsweetened yogurt, go lighter on the chocolate shards and skip the icing sugar. If sweet cravings are a bigger theme, see our guide to sugar cravings.
- Chocolate shards: melt dark chocolate, spread thinly on baking paper, scatter over a few pumpkin seeds if you like, chill until set and snap.
Fancy more chocolate bakes? Our brownie recipe and easy cake recipes use CBD oil; Charlotte’s cake doesn’t contain any CBD.
How to store and freeze it
The frosting is yogurt, so keep the cake covered in the fridge. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says fridges should be 0 to 5°C, and suggests eating leftovers within 48 hours or freezing them.
- Make ahead: bake the cake the day before and frost it on the day you serve it.
- Freeze: wrap the unfrosted cake or slices well and freeze. Yogurt frosting can turn watery once thawed, so add it fresh.
- Defrost: in the fridge, then eat within 24 hours.
Is pumpkin chocolate cake healthy?
It’s still cake, but a more filling one than most. An honest look at a slice:
- Protein: about 19g a slice by Charlotte’s figures, mostly from the protein powder, plus tofu, soy milk, oats and yogurt. See how much protein you need.
- No butter or eggs: pumpkin and tofu keep it moist; pumpkin and oats add some fibre.
- Sugar: from maple syrup, the coconut sugar in Reishi Cacao, chocolate and decorations. Less than a classic frosted cake, but not none.
- Caffeine: cacao, cocoa and dark chocolate contain a little natural caffeine. Each slice holds about 9g of Reishi Cacao, a little more than a generous mug of our hot chocolate (4 to 8g). If you’re sensitive to caffeine, enjoy it earlier in the day.
- Reishi: it’s here for a rich, not-too-sweet chocolate base, not as a health claim. See what the research on reishi cacao says.
Choose a calcium-fortified soy milk: the NHS lists fortified, unsweetened soya drinks as a calcium source on a vegan diet. More on dark chocolate benefits.
What’s in our Reishi Cacao?
Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is our reishi hot chocolate powder: organic cacao powder, reishi mushroom extract, maca root extract, coconut milk powder and organic coconut sugar. It’s vegan, UK-made and contains a little natural caffeine. Stir 1 to 2 teaspoons into warm plant milk, or see our hot chocolate recipes, healthy hot chocolate guide and reishi tea guide for more ideas.
Use Charlotte’s code CHARLOTTE20 for 20% off (one use per customer), or shop via Charlotte’s link.
- Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex: a berry-flavoured drink powder with 148mg of magnesium per serving (bisglycinate and citrate), plus glycine, L-theanine and oat straw, hops, chamomile and passionflower extracts. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Flow CBD Oil: broad spectrum CBD (0% THC) with ashwagandha and maca in MCT oil.
The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
All Evopure products are for adults (18+) only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
More ideas: a self-care hamper for a chocolate lover, ceremonial cacao and alcohol-free nightcaps.
FAQs
Can I make this cake without protein powder?
Yes, though we haven’t tested it. Replace the protein powder with the same weight of oat flour. The cake will be less sweet and much lower in protein, so add a little extra maple syrup to the frosting if needed.
Is this pumpkin chocolate cake vegan?
Yes, as long as your protein powder, dark chocolate and yogurt are plant-based. Check those labels. Evopure Reishi Cacao is vegan.
Can I freeze pumpkin chocolate cake?
Yes. Freeze the cake unfrosted, well wrapped. Defrost it in the fridge, eat within 24 hours of fully defrosting, and add the yogurt frosting fresh.
How much protein is in a slice?
About 19g a slice when the cake is cut into 10, by Charlotte’s figures. It depends on the protein powder and yogurt you use, so check their labels.
Can I use regular cocoa instead of Reishi Cacao?
Yes. Unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder works, but Reishi Cacao also contains coconut milk powder and coconut sugar, so plain cocoa gives a darker, less sweet cake. You may want a little more maple syrup.
Sources
- Charlotte (@charlottesplantkitchen). Fudgy Pumpkin Chocolate Protein Cake, Instagram collab reel with @myevopure (recipe and protein figure).
- Food Standards Agency, GOV.UK. How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely.
- Food Standards Agency, GOV.UK. Food allergy and intolerance advice for consumers.
- NHS. The vegan diet.
- Food Standards Agency, GOV.UK. Cannabidiol (CBD) guidance.
General information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex, Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex and Flow CBD Oil. Always check labels for allergens.
