This simple pumpkin spice cake is moist, loaded with warm spices, and pumpkin flavor and topped with the best cream cheese frosting. Join the hundreds of families that have made and love this easy pumpkin cake!
Mar Says “Made this cake twice already and it’s a hit! Everyone loves it, even the ones who aren’t pumpkin lovers! It’s so good, it is worthy of making it a two layer round cake. Excellent recipe.”.
As the crisp autumn sets in, the smell of warm pumpkin spice wafting through the kitchen is so comforting. This pumpkin spice cake is a huge win, and you’ll have a delicious dessert to take to your next Thanksgiving dinner, fall party, or anytime you need a sweet, easy, fall dessert!
Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe Ingredients
- eggs – these make the cake fluffy
- sugar
- vegetable oil – this keeps the cake nice and moist
- pumpkin puree
- flour
- cinnamon and other seasonings
- baking powder and baking soda – this gives the cake lift, and makes it fluffy
- butter
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
Can I use pumpkin spice in this Pumpkin Spice Cake?
If you’d like to use pumpkin pie spice instead of the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves you can. I would add about 2.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Or if you like the stronger cinnamon flavor like I do you can add 1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp of cinnamon.
The flavor may be slightly different, but it should be close enough to the same if you don’t already have all the individual spices and don’t want to buy each of them just to make this recipe.
How to make Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix the wet ingredients. You’ll mix everything together for the cake. You’ll start with mixing together the sugar, oil, and pumpkin puree in a large bowl till nice and smooth. Stir in the eggs.
- Mix the dry ingredients. You’ll mix all your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. That means your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients you’ve already combined until everything is mixed together.
- You’ll pour the cake batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Test the crumb with a toothpick to make sure it is done.
- After the cake is baked you’ll want to let it cool completely before frosting it. Otherwise the frosting will melt and will not spread nicely. Whip up your best cream cheese frosting ever and spread it all over the top of the cooled cake.
The cream cheese frosting is super easy to make and is only 4 ingredients. The tangy sweet frosting is the perfect contrast to the sweet moist pumpkin cake.
Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe Tips
- Use Pumpkin Puree. Use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has other ingredients in it and the cake won’t turn out. The only ingredient on the can should be pumpkin. You can also make your own pumpkin puree with a fresh pumpkin.
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Room temperature ingredients. Let the eggs, butter, and cream cheese sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking. This will ensure better mixing in both the cake, and cream cheese frosting.
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Don’t over mix. Mix the batter of the cake until just combined. Over mixing the batter will lead to a dense cake.
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Add texture. Add about 1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips to the cake batter before filling the pan for a nice texture and flavor burst.
- Try a cinnamon cream cheese frosting instead of a regular cream cheese frosting, by adding 1 to 1.5 TBS of ground cinnamon to the frosting.
How to serve Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese?
The cake is delicious topped with the smooth cream cheese frosting, but if you want to skip the frosting you can also dust the cake lightly with powdered sugar.
If you’d like to garnish the cake, here are some of my favorites:
- chopped nuts
- caramel sauce or chocolate sauce drizzle
- cinnamon sprinkle
- fresh berries
- candied ginger
- mini chocolate chips
Moist Pumpkin Cake Recipe storage
Because of the cream cheese frosting this cake needs to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, or by wrapping the pan in plastic wrap. It can be stored for up to 5 days.
You can also make it an unfrosted cake, it’s delicious without the creamy frosting. Powdered sugar sprinkled on top would also be delicious. If the cake is unfrosted it can be stored at room temperature.
I love pumpkin desserts like pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin ice cream but this delicious pumpkin cake might be one of my new all time favorites. The cinnamon and seasonings pair perfectly with the pumpkin puree to give this cake the perfect fall flavor.
The cream cheese frosting on top of the moist spiced pumpkin cake, is amazing. It all comes together as the perfect combination and when you take a bite full of cake that you won’t be able to stop at one bite.
More favorite pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- The Best Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Bars
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The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (about 15 oz)
- 4 eggs (large)
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick, room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together your sugar and oil and pumpkin until well combined.
- Add in the eggs and stir till smooth.
- Combine your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Slowly add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing.
- Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 32) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cake cool completely before spreading the frosting over the top.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat your cream cheese in a large bowl over medium speed until smooth.
- Add in the butter and continue mixing till well blended.
- Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to mix until the frosting is completely smooth.
Video
Nutrition
Nonna Monica Amedia Wertzler says
Excellent cake! Passed the test with my husband and grandson, both picky eaters. It is so easy to make with basic ingredients on hand! I love that 4 eggs are included. Protein! And oil! (I used olive oil. This is a wonderful moist cake. It did not get frosted … no time! It was eaten as soon as it got out of the oven! Love it! This is a new staple in our home. We are sticking to basics. I love that only 2 cups of flour are used.
Ellen says
Wow, what a beautiful review. Thank you! I love that it was eaten so fast there was no time to frost, it must have smelled heavenly. Thanks for your support.
Leanne George says
Can I substitute egg whites for any of the eggs to lower the amount of cholesterol?
Aimee says
I’m not sure, I believe you can sub egg whites with a regular cake mix, so I think it should work, but haven’t tried. It should be 2 egg whites to every egg. I’d probably only cut out a couple of the eggs since I read this:
“Eggs are essential in most baked goods. Both the whites and yolks perform important functions. Egg whites add volume and act as a drying and leavening agent. Egg yolks provide fat, which adds flavor and tenderness, and protein, which helps thicken custards. The yolk also acts as an emulsifier, helping to blend liquids, like oil and water, that are hard to combine. To get the best results from low-fat baked recipes, home economists prefer to combine whole eggs with egg whites or fat-free egg substitute instead of eliminating all the yolks.”
I hope that helps.
Laura says
This was very easy and delicious. I made it to take to a Thanksgiving potluck and since there were so many other desserts, it only got half-eaten and I brought the rest home. Over the next several days my husband and I continued to enjoy it and it never lost its moisture. I’ll definitely be making this again and knowing how well it keeps, you can make make it two or three days in advance of your holiday meal without freezing it. I made the cake one day and the frosting the next. I think the pumpkin puree keeps it moist.
Aimee says
So glad you liked it Laura! It’s one of my favorites!
Denise S says
Delicious!
Ellen says
Thanks! So glad you like it.
Marie Coyle says
Made this tonight for my son and his family. It was great! Moist, full of flavor.
Ellen says
Thank you for letting us know. We are always so happy to know when others find our recipes delicious.
Hannah B says
Can the sugar be reduced without affecting the way the cake bakes up?
Aimee says
I haven’t tried it with less sugar, so I can’t say. Let me know if you try it
Laura says
I only have 2 8x 1 1/2 inch rounds could that work? I know you said you could do 2 9inch rounds.
Aimee says
You may just have extra batter, so to be safe I’d make sure to only fill the pan 2/3 fill, and hopefully that will keep it from spilling over the sides.
Joan says
Can input nuts and raisins in
Aimee says
I haven’t tried, but it should work just fine! It may affect the cooking time a little, so just watch it 🙂
Kim asprinio says
Can I make the cake and freeze it without the frosting? I was thinking of making it for thanksgiving but I want to do my baking beforehand
Aimee says
Yes, it should freeze fine! I’d probably try taking it out of the cake pan and wrapping first in plastic wrap then in foil to freeze. Let me know how it goes!
Lilly says
Your pumpkin cake recipe. I had to tweak by adding an extra cup of flour or else it would’ve been a pie with no crust. Believe me I bake cakes from scratch. See
Aimee says
Our several 5 star reviews on the recipe, as well as I’ve made it multiple times myself as is would disagree with you… but I’m glad you made it work for you 😉
Denise says
can I make two 8 inch pans instead? I want to stack them.
Aimee says
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say if it would hold itself well. But if you do try it you would want to do 2 9inch round pans, not 8inch
Wade says
This would also taste AMAZING with a browned buttercream frosting!
Aimee says
That would be amazing!
DG Light says
Can I use almond or coconut flour instead?
Aimee says
Almond and coconut flour both bake up a bit more densely than regular flour, so you’re welcome to try, but the cake might not be as good that way. Let me know if you try it though!
Roxanne H Gervais says
Cab you use a regular can of pumpkin? It is not a puree? Thank you
Aimee says
A can of “100% pumpkin at the store” will be pureed even if the outside of the can doesn’t say so. That should work great!
Sara says
Does it have to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese in the frosting?
Aimee says
Yes I’d store it before hand, or any leftovers in the fridge!
Nalini Rhea says
Oh my goodness! This is the best recipe ever! I made it for a ladies group on Friday, and they ate every bit of it and said it’s the best pumpkin cake they have eaten. And they want me to make it again. These ladies are all highly experienced cooks and bakers, so their seal of approval is coveted by me. The cake is moist and light and so flavorful. And the icing is the best I have ever tasted. I’ve shared with them the recipe along with your website address. A total home run, and this will be my go-to recipe whenever I need to bake for an event. Thank you so much!
Diane says
Can pumpkin pie mix be used instead of pumpkin purée
This could eliminate having to buy all the
different spices or would it change the flavor?
Aimee says
I’m not sure, I’ve never used those cans of pumpkin pie mix, do they have other ingredients added, or just the spices? The other ingredients may throw the texture off, but let me know if you try it?
TW says
I tried your recipe yesterday. It was delicious. The cake was moist. The frosting was on point. Thank you.
Aimee says
Thanks so much for telling me. I’m so glad you liked it <3
Patricia says
Could you use pumpkin pie spice instead of all the seperate spices in this recipe?
Aimee says
Definitely, the flavor may be slightly different, but should still be delicious! I’d use 2.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice!!
Paula says
Very very nice! Great recipe!!!!
Karen says
Made this pumpkin cake for our craft club. It was delicious. Super moist and flavourful. Will definitely make it again. It’s a keeper!
Laura says
Would like to have recipe updates I enjoy trying something new more so around the holidays
Renee says
I made this one last week and now I’m making this one for my dads birthday tomorrow. It was an amazing recipe. Moist and flavorful. Thanks!!!
Aimee says
Yay! That’s so great to hear Renee! Hope your dad loved it!
L says
Wow! I had a large can of pumpkin so I doubled the recipe. Came out moist and yummy! Left half of the cake unfrosted because my kids don’t like cream cheese (they don’t get that from me). This is a recipe I will save and use a ton!
Aimee says
I’m so glad you liked it! You have better taste than your kids since you like cream cheese too 😉
Allison Miller says
This is a perfect non-pie option for Thanksgiving! I love pumpkin cakes and this one looks so good.
Dana DeVolk says
YES – to everything about this! Making for Thanksgiving, yay!