Hands down, the best pumpkin cake you'll ever try! This easy recipe produces a moist, tender cake that is filled with delicious pumpkin flavor and warming spices. Topped with a tangy, luscious cream cheese frosting, this Pumpkin Cake is a crowd-pleasing dessert that is perfect for any Fall occasion.
I have been told again and again by you (and my family) that one of your favorite recipes of mine is Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. And while I myself love banana cake, we need a little variation in our lives. So why not swap out the banana cake for a pumpkin spice cake? Well, let me tell you, this recipe for Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting was a good idea. A REALLY good idea.
Made with warming spices and earthy pumpkin, this light and fluffy pumpkin cake is delightfully delicious, but when you top it with the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting, it becomes absolutely irresistible. It is super easy to make, giving you all the flavors you love in a classic Pumpkin Roll, with less effort.
Notes On Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree: This recipe calls for one can of pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. You can use homemade pumpkin puree in place of the canned pumpkin puree, but will first need to strain off the excess liquid, by straining in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl.
- Oil: I use canola oil for this recipe, but you can substitute melted and cooled butter in its place.
- Pumpkin Spice: Instead of using a pumpkin spice blend, I use a combination of ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, ground ginger, and allspice for the best ratio of spices. Feel free to substitute a pumpkin pie spice blend in place of the spices if desired.
- Cream Cheese: Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to ensure a smooth cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Pumpkin Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla together until well combined.
- Over a separate mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
- Give the dry ingredients a quick whisk to combine. I find it is best to sift the ingredients to keep the cake light and fluffy, and to prevent lumps of baking powder or baking soda in the cake itself.
- Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula to just combine, or until no flour pockets remain. Be careful to not overmix which will result in a tough cake.
- Pour the pumpkin cake mixture into a greased 9x13 pan, spreading it out evenly in the pan.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let cool completely before icing the cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting
While you can certainly serve the pumpkin spice cake without icing it, the combination of the light, tender cake with the tangy, creamy icing is perfection.
For the best cream cheese frosting, be sure to use room temperature butter, cream cheese, and sift your powdered sugar. This will allow you to produce super creamy icing without lumps.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until creamy and smooth. Add in vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk and quickly beat again to incorporate.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. If needed, add up to 1 tablespoon of additional milk and ½ cup of powdered sugar, a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. You are looking for a thick frosting that is easily spreadable.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled pumpkin cake.
- You can serve the cake immediately after cooking and frosting, but I have found that it tastes better after being refrigerated for 12 hours before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Pumpkin Cake, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below telling us how you enjoyed it!
Pumpkin Cake
This moist pumpkin cake has a delicious pumpkin flavor, is filled with warming spices, and is topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, creating a crowd-pleasing dessert that is perfect for any Fall occasion.
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Servings: 18
Calories: 459kcal
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 15 ounces 100% pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ - 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a glass 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla together until well combined.
- Over a separate mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Give the dry ingredients a quick whisk to combine.
- Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula to just combine, or until no flour pockets remain. Be careful to not overmix or your cake will be tough.
- Pour the pumpkin cake mixture into the greased baking pan and spread the cake batter out evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 28-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let cool completely before icing the cake.
For the Icing
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until creamy and smooth. Add in vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk and quickly beat again.
- Add 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- If needed, add up to 1 tablespoon of additional milk and ½ cup of powdered sugar, a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. You are looking for a thick frosting that is easily spreadable.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
- You can serve the pumpkin cake immediately once frosted OR refrigerate it for 12 hours prior to serving, which I find gives you a more flavorful result.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Baking Time: Every oven is different, hence the variance in bake time. For best results, position a rack in the middle of the oven and fully preheat before baking the cake. Check the cake after 28 minutes. If the cake jiggles in the center, set the timer for an additional 5 minutes. If the cake looks set, test with a toothpick. If the toothpick is dry remove the cake, if it is wet bake for an additional 2 minutes and recheck until fully set.
Using Homemade Pumpkin Puree: Place the pumpkin puree in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Measure out 1 ⅞ cup of the strained pumpkin puree to use in place of the 15 ounces of canned pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: In place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves, use 2-½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice blend.
Storage: Refrigerate cake iced or uniced cake covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Halving the Recipe: This cake can be halved and baked in an 8x8 cake pan for the same amount of time with great results.
Nutrition
Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 3946IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
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Journa Liz Ramirez
Cream cheese frosting topped on pumpkin cake is a hit! This is perfect for any occasion. Highly recommended!
Kristen Chidsey
So happy to hear you enjoyed!
Teresa F
My new favorite cake! I just wish my kids didn't eat it all in one day 🙂