You’ll love the simplicity of this easy pumpkin cake recipe. A moist, tender cake topped with a spiced cream cheese frosting doesn’t get much easier or perfect for fall!
Table of Contents
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I’m all about pumpkin pie spice this time of year, and creating new and simple pumpkin recipes for your family to enjoy is what I love most! This pumpkin cake is one of my most recent, and it is moist, tender, and perfectly spiced.
Some might say it’s the pumpkin version of my carrot cake with cream cheese frosting or an unfrosted version of my pumpkin bread, but really, they’re most similar to pumpkin spice cupcakes. Either way, this simple pumpkin spice cake recipe is the epitome of fall desserts!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe
- The pumpkin flavors shine through in each bite. The layer of tangy cream cheese frosting is such a great pairing.
- It is an easy dessert for the holidays, potlucks, and dinners at home with the family.
Pumpkin Cake Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Pantry staples: Vegetable oil, large eggs, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Learn how to measure flour to prevent a dense cake.
- Canned pumpkin: You’ll need a can of pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling which comes with its own sugar and spices.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. I have a homemade blend of pumpkin pie spice you can use too, which includes allspice.
- For the cream cheese frosting: A block of softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon.
- Optional topping: You can also add chopped walnuts and pecans on top, if you’d like.
Pumpkin Puree Options
Canned pumpkin: This is a time-saving, cost-effective, and great-tasting option. Canned pumpkins aren’t made from traditional pumpkins; they’re from a pumpkin, sometimes referred to as a squash. So, the flavor is a bit more pronounced than fresh pumpkins you’d pick up at the store. Canned pumpkin is thicker and contains less water, so it’s heftier. Plus, you can stock up on cans, and they’ve got a long shelf life, which is very convenient.
Fresh pumpkin: This is a fun option if you prefer using a homemade pumpkin puree recipe. It will be lighter in color and contain more water, so if you are using it, you may want to drain it in cheesecloth first. This may be the way to go if you’ve got some sugar pumpkins that need using up.
How to Make Pumpkin Cake
First, mix the wet ingredients together, including oil, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla. Set aside until you’ve got your dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Then, you’ll add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir using a wooden spoon.
Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Let the cake cool before frosting.
Tips for Making Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are brought to room temperature early enough so that they are soft enough to cream easily.
- If you prefer a cream cheese frosting without pumpkin pie spice added, you can make that simple swap.
- Wait until your cake is completely cooled before frosting; otherwise, the frosting will melt and won’t set.
- Chill the cake for an hour in the fridge before serving, if you have the extra time. It helps it to set nicely.
Serving Suggestions
- Drizzle: Homemade caramel sauce, salted caramel if you like, or maple syrup.
- Spice: Cinnamon sugar or pumpkin spiced sugar would be a great way to garnish each piece.
- Crunch: Sprinkle chopped pecans and walnuts over the frosting. Toasting them beforehand is even better!
- Decoration: When serving this cake on special occasions, I like to add a little pumpkin candy on top of each slice.
More pumpkin recipes to make this season include pumpkin cheesecake bars, pumpkin bars and mini pumpkin pies.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups light brown sugar , packed
- 15 counces canned pumpkin puree (1 can)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional:
- 1/4-1/2 cup walnuts or pecans for topping the cake
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs, 1 3/4 cups brown sugar, 1 can pumpkin puree, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: To a medium bowl add 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Use a whisk or fork to combine the dry ingredients.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir until fully incorporated.
- Pour into pan: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove cake from the oven and allow to fully cool before frosting the cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the ingredients: In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter with a hand-held mixer. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Continue beating until smooth and fluffy.
- Frost cake: Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and enjoy, or you can cover and refrigerate your cake prior to serving. We prefer to refrigerate for an hour prior to serving, allowing the frosting to set.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, keep your leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can freeze the cake both frosted and unfrosted for up to 3 months.
I suggest thawing it in the fridge overnight, and then just before serving, bring it to room temperature to remove the chill.
Categorized as: American, Cake + Cupcakes, Desserts, Nut-Free, Reader Favorites, Thanksgiving
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This is the best dessert ever! I make it for my whole family, and it is gone in like 2 minutes! This dessert makes the fall season even better!
So glad you enjoy it!
I love it!
Thanks for the review!