This simple and straightforward pumpkin cake recipe is for those of us who want pure pumpkin and spice flavors with nothing else in the way. Brown sugar and 2 cups of pumpkin puree promise big flavor and an extra moist texture. Itโs certainly wonderful on its own, but youโll love the smooth and tangy cream cheese frosting on top!
One reader, Gracie, says: โThis truly is the best pumpkin cake I have ever had. I made it exactly as the recipe called for and it was so moist and delicious!โ
Details About this Pumpkin Cake
- Flavor: Like I mention above, this cake is loaded with flavor thanks to a whopping 2 cups of pumpkin puree. We add cinnamon and thereโs plenty of pumpkin pie spice, too. Like in my pumpkin scones recipe, you can use store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice mix or each of those spices individuallyโsee our recipe note below. Tangy cream cheese frosting is always a lovely pairing with pumpkin and spice flavors. Each bite truly has it all!
- Texture: Like it does in this chocolate cake recipe, oil keeps the cakeโs crumb soft and moist. In fact, we like to describe it as โstick-to-your-fork moist.โ Our pumpkin cupcakes is essentially the same recipe, but yields a reduced quantity of batter.
- Ease: This is a single layer cake, so itโs pretty easy to prepare since thereโs really no assembly required. Prepping the cake batter is similar to our spice cake, apple cake, and zucchini cakeโmake sure you have 2 mixing bowls and a 9×13 inch pan. The quarter sheet size is also convenient for transporting, storing, and serving. You’ll appreciate this recipe as an easy addition to your holiday dessert menu alongside all those delicious Thanksgiving pies!
How to Make Pumpkin Cake + Video
The full printable recipe is below, but hereโs a brief description and a video tutorial.
Grease your 9×13-inch pan. You can use a metal baking pan or a glass baking pan. Use 1 mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and another mixing bowl for the wet ingredients. Combine both, then spread the batter into your pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then make and decorate with the frosting. To make serving easier, refrigerate the frosted cake before slicing.
Overview of Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Cake
- Flour: Because of the thick and wet batter, use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour. Cake flour is usually more ideal for butter-based cakes such as vanilla cake or white cake.
- Pumpkin: Use an entire standard can of pumpkin, which is roughly 2 cups. Readers have found this helpful because nothing from the can goes to waste. (Youโll appreciate that with our pumpkin pie and pumpkin cream cheese Bundt cake recipes too!) You can use fresh pumpkin in a pinch, but we prefer the flavor and texture of the cake when using canned.
- Cinnamon + Pumpkin Pie Spice: These spices are essential for most pumpkin desserts. Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use a blend of ground nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger (see notes), or go ahead and prepare a batch of homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Oil + Eggs: Oil and eggs provide moisture and structure. We use both in these pumpkin bars, but reduce the eggs so the bars arenโt quite as cakey.
- Sugar: This pumpkin cake is sweetened with brown sugar and granulated sugar, but mostly brown because thatโs where the best flavor lies!
How to Decorate The Best Pumpkin Cake I’ve Ever Had
Cakes with a similar spice flavor and texture profile like hummingbird cake, carrot cake, and banana cake taste unbelievable with fan-favorite cream cheese frosting.
If youโre looking for other frosting options, try any one of these:
- The brown butter cream cheese frosting from this Banana Layer Cake
- Traditional Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream
- The whipped buttercream frosting from Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Chai spice buttercream from these Chai Latte Cupcakes
- The pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting from these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
PS: For decoration/garnish, we love using these little pumpkins. Or you can try these festive fall sprinkles.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie
- White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes and 30+ fall cake ideas.
Print
Pumpkin Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the BEST pumpkin cake I’ve ever had and I know you’ll feel the same way! It’s supremely moist, soft, rich, and spiced with pumpkin spice flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 cup (240ml) canola or vegetable oil*
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. I always use this glass pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be thick.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-36 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakeย is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cakeย is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the entire pan on a wire rack.ย Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place the cake in the refrigerator to speed things up.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
- Cover leftover cakeย tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3ย months. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature or serve cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or Metal Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Cupcakes: This batter yields about 24-28 cupcakes. Same oven temperature, fill the cupcake wrappers 2/3 full, and bake 18-21 minutes or until baked through. For 1 dozen cupcakes, use my pumpkin cupcakes recipe.
- Bundt Cake: This batter will fit into a 9.5- or 10-inch Bundt pan. Same oven temperature. But for ease, I suggest using my pumpkin Bundt cake recipe. Same great flavor and texture as this cake!
- 2 Layer Cake: Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.ย ย Divide batter between the two cake pans. Same oven temperature, bake for 25 minutes or until baked through. This frosting is enough for a 2 layer cake.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you donโt have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. This is in addition to the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamonโyou will still add that to the batter.
- Oil: Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The cake is just as moist.
- Pumpkin: I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree over homemade in this recipe, though 2 cups of homemade would work just fine in a pinch. If using fresh, blot out as much excess moisture as you can using a clean towel. Overall, I found the flavor better with canned. I prefer Libby’s brand for this cake.
Here are my pumpkin cupcakes! Same recipe, just reduced down.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made two 9×13 one for my coworkers the other for my husband’s co workers, they were a hit and it was the easiest baking! I added lemon to the cream cheese frosting and got a compliment.
Excellent cake and frosting was creamy and delicious. Only problem I had was I used a glass pan with its plastic lid. I used all the frosting it made and I should not have. After chilling, when removing the lid, the frosting lifted in the center and stuck to the lid. I was able to repair it but I should have used less. I did not decorate it which might have prevented the problem.
I’ve made this twice so far and it is AMAZING! Everyone loved it and it will be a go-to in my baking list. Easy, delicious and so moist.
This cake is a problem, I can’t stop eating it. You know when you go in with a fork taking a bite and feeling better about yourself for not taking a whole piece. 47 bites later…. I added a tsp of nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of cloves for a little more spice. I also added another 1/2 brick of cream cheese to the icing. Less sweet but more icing! And, just because I had some, I crumbled up some Biscoff cookies for the top. But the cake was the star of this dessert – soooooo good!
I wanted to try something new, and Iโm glad I chose this recipe! Made it in two 9โ and did a layer cake. Tried cardamom for the first time recently. So now Iโve been adding it to everything. I added 1 tsp here, and it worked very well. Great recipe. Still really moist with the applesauce sub you suggested.
I love to experiment and donโt typically make the same thing more than a couple times. But I made this cake a few years ago and saved the recipe on my phone because itโs THAT GOOD and Iโve made it each year since (perhaps a couple times a year). I made it to take to my parentsโ house to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, but made an extra one so we could enjoy today as well.
This is absolutely delicious! My family LOVES it! Iโve had an issue with my cakes sinking in the middle though. What could be causing this?
Hi Suzanne, sinking is usually the result of under baking or over mixing the batter, which can lead to a squat and dense cake. Also, be sure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. We find they start to lose their effectiveness after about 3 months of opening.
Thank you!
Lately I find myself inching toward burnout in my career and those around me have been forced to endure my daily negativity. I hear myself and I’m not proud. In an effort to do something positive and show my colleagues how much I appreciate them, I decided to bake them a cake. This pumpkin cake is what I landed on. It was a huge hit and people were even coming up to me throughout the day to tell me.
Not only is this cake fantastic and straight forward, but also, it bakes and serves in big pan, making it easy to transport and feed a crowd, and as it turns out, it can renew your purpose in life.
Today is the true test: I’m bringing it to Thanksgiving at my partner’s family dinner. And I’m not even nervous.
This is a great recipe! My family looks forward to it every year. I highly recommend adding 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the frosting, and if you really want to go the extra mile, drizzle Sallyโs homemade salted caramel over the cake before frosting. Absolutely incredible!
I know this is a late comment but how would the cake be affected if I subbed some of the brown sugar with more white sugar? I had JUST enough brown sugar on hand for this cake, but got a last minute request to make the acorn squash that butter-and-brown sugar-in-a-half-squash way. So, I will be low on brown sugar by a few tablespoons!
Hi Viola, you can sub in a dew tablespoons of white sugar here without issue. Happy baking!
Iโd love to try this recipe, but Iโm gluten free. Can I substitute gluten free flour or almond flour?
Hi Evey, we havenโt tested it with gluten-free flour, but some readers have reported success with using a 1:1 GF flour blend, such as Bobโs Red Mill or King Arthur. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
I made this cake last night and it turned out delicious, very moist, excellent not over swery. I refrigerated it overnight and getting ready to make the cream cheese icing. This will now be a regular quick easy cake in my home, thank you.
This pumpkin cake is absolutely delicious!! I made it for my birthday and everyone loved it. The cake is soft and moist, excellent pumpkin flavor, and perfectly spiced! It was my first time making cream cheese frosting and it was super easy, though a little sweet for me. Overall, I’m so pleased! Thank you, Sally.
This is hands down the best pumpkin cake! Iโve only used the 1 cup of oil but Iโm wondering if it would work to use 1/2 cup apple butter in place of the applesauce with 1/2 cup of oil?
Would it be ok to put some pumpkin pie spice on top? To decorate. Or would it change the flavor?
Hi Nina, of course! A light sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice would be delicious on top of the frosting (or you could mix it directly into the frostingโyour choice).
Sally,
Have you tried half butter & half oil in the batter? Richie
Hi Richie, for the best results and texture we recommend sticking with oil, but a combination of melted butter and oil should be fine in a pinch. The cake may be slightly drier.
Sally, I made this into cupcakes and they were scrumptious! Iโd like to try using this recipe and adding some cocoa to part of the batter to make a pumpkin marble cake. Do you think it would work? Thank you for your fabulous recipes!
Hi Kathleen, we donโt have a pumpkin chocolate cupcake recipe at this time, but the pumpkin cake is great with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips! Adding cocoa powder would take some testing, as it can be a bit finicky and isn’t always a 1:1 swap with flour.
Would I need to do anything different when substituting pumpkin for sweet potato?
I did attempt to answer my question by reviewing the comments, but there are just so many comments for me to sort through.
Hi Michelle! Sweet potato should work well here. Use as a 1:1 substitute for the pumpkin.
I love all your recipes!! !!!
Good but needs more spices, the pumpkin flavor is very, very mild
I recently made your Pumpkin muffins and added chocolate chips and a handful of chopped walnuts. They were so delicious! I am thinking of making the pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving and just saved the recipe.
Sally is my go-to dessert recipe blogger, and I would never purport to know better than her, but… I did manage to successfully use canned pumpkin pie filling in this recipe with a few tweaks! To substitute pumpkin pie filling for the canned pumpkin puree, use 15oz of pie filling, reduce the brown sugar to ยฝ to ยพ cups (100 to 150g), eliminate the white sugar, and eliminate the pumpkin pie spice. My experimental cake still turned out excellent!
A very easy and delicious cake to make. The cake was fluffy, and moist . My family loved it! Thank you
I can’t find pumpkin puree. Can I substitute canned pumpkins? Thanks!
Hi Susan, youโll want canned pumpkin that is 100% pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling has other added ingredients that change the taste and texture of the mixture.
Hi! I’m going to try your recipe for cake balls (my first time making them), but want a pumpkin spice cake. Would this recipe be ok? Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Crystal! We haven’t tested it but can’t see why not. Let us know how it goes!