This pumpkin cake is soft, extra moist, and full of pumpkin and a generous dose of spice flavor. Smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch. Bake the batter as an easy 9×13-inch sheet cake or divide it among round pans for a pumpkin layer cake.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since updated it with new photos and additional success tips.
This is the pumpkin cake I come back to every fall. The batter is easy to mix, the cake stays wonderfully moist, and you can dress it up or keep it simple depending on the occasion. For an easy dessert to transport and serve, bake it in a 9×13-inch pan and spread the frosting right on top. For a birthday or holiday celebration, use the same batter to make a towering layer cake.
Always love options!
Either way, you get plenty of pumpkin, cinnamon, and brown sugar flavor in every bite. And while the cake is delicious on its own, I always look forward to the cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin Cake Details
Here’s what to expect from today’s recipe.
- Flavor: Pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice give this cake its familiar fall flavor. The cream cheese frosting balances the sweetness and complements the spices.
- Texture: This cake is soft and “stick-to-your-fork moist,” thanks to the pumpkin and oil in the batter. If you’ve made these pumpkin cupcakes, you can expect a similar texture… they’re essentially the same recipe with a smaller yield!
- Ease: You need just 2 mixing bowls to prepare the batter, and no mixer until it’s time to make the frosting. The sheet cake is especially simple because there’s no stacking or assembly. The layer cake takes a little more time to frost, but starts with the very same batter.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives this moist cake enough structure without making the crumb heavy. Stick with all-purpose flour rather than swapping in cake flour; cake flour is simply too light to support the pumpkin and oil.
- Pumpkin: You’ll use an entire 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree, so there’s no partial can left over. Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices. You can use homemade puree, but I prefer the consistent flavor and texture of canned pumpkin in this cake.
- Cinnamon + pumpkin pie spice: A combination of both gives the cake plenty of spice flavor. Use store-bought or a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend, or substitute the individual spices listed in the recipe notes below.
- Oil + eggs: Oil keeps the crumb soft and moist, while eggs help give the cake structure. I use both in these pumpkin bars, too, but with fewer eggs for a less cakey texture.
- Brown sugar + granulated sugar: Both sweeten the cake, but most of the sugar is brown sugar for its light molasses flavor.
You’ll also need to grab baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla.
Prep Your Cake Pans
For the quarter sheet cake, grease a 9×13-inch metal or glass baking pan. For the layer cake, grease three 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment. You could also make this a 2-layer 9-inch cake. Lots of options for this versatile batter!
Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Combine the two, mixing just until the batter comes together. Spread it into the 9×13-inch pan or divide it evenly among the round pans, then bake as directed below.
Here is the 3-layer cake version:
Let the cake cool completely before frosting. This is especially important with cream cheese frosting, which softens quickly on a warm cake. After frosting, a little time in the refrigerator helps the cake slice neatly.
Same Pumpkin Cake Batter, 2 Ways
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can choose the cake’s shape without changing the batter.
9×13-inch sheet cake: Bake the batter in one pan, let the cake cool, and spread the frosting on top. This is my go-to option for an easy fall dessert, potluck, or Thanksgiving gathering.
Layer cake: Divide the batter among three 8-inch round cake pans or two 9-inch round cake pans. Once the layers have cooled, stack them with cream cheese frosting between each layer, then frost the top and sides of the cake. If you need help with this part, see my post (with video tutorial!) on How to Assemble a Layer Cake.
A 2-layer and 3-layer cake require different frosting amounts, so see the recipe Notes below for details.
Cream Cheese Frosting & Decorating Options
Cream cheese frosting is my first choice for this cake, just as it is for carrot cake, hummingbird cake, and banana cake. It’s smooth and creamy, with just enough tang to balance the sweet, spiced cake.
If you’d like to try a different topping, here are a few options:
- Brown butter cream cheese frosting from spice cake
- Chocolate cream cheese frosting from zebra cake
- Classic vanilla buttercream or chocolate buttercream
- Brown sugar cinnamon buttercream from snickerdoodle cake
You can leave the frosted cake as is, or add little candy pumpkins or fall sprinkles before serving. I got the pictured candy pumpkins from Etsy, and on the layer cake, I added some Biscoff cookie crumbs around the base and on top.
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 pumpkin cake is soft, extra moist, and full of pumpkin and a generous dose of spice flavor. Smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch. Bake the batter as an easy 9×13-inch sheet cake or divide it among round pans for a pumpkin layer cake.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (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 (226g/240ml) vegetable oil (or avocado oil)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) 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 350°F (177°C) and grease a metal or glass 9×13-inch baking pan. (For a layer cake, see instructions below.)
- 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. The 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 cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the entire pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
- 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 the 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. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to help set the frosting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 5. After the cake cools, cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 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!
- Layer Cake: You can make this as either a 2-layer or 3-layer cake. For a 2-layer cake, divide the batter evenly between two greased and lined 9-inch round pans and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a 3-layer cake, divide the batter evenly among three 8-inch round pans and bake for 22–26 minutes. To make enough frosting for a 3-layer cake, scale the frosting above by 1.5x. So you’ll need 12 oz (340g) cream cheese, 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) butter, 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar, 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a scant 1/4 tsp salt. Before assembling the layer cake, refrigerate the prepared frosting for at least 30 minutes so it’s sturdier and can hold up the layers. I decorated the pictured layer cake with icing pumpkins and Biscoff cookie crumbs.
- 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 don’t 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 cinnamon—you will still add that to the batter.
- Oil: Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 cup (113g/120ml) 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
followed recipe, delicious, but inside of the cake is still too gooey. Was disappointing because I was hoping for a cake. This is more a pudding than a cake. Proceed with caution. Will defiantly be cutting back on the oil and sugar next time I make it to prevent this.
It sounds like the cake wasn’t finished baking. If you try the recipe again, I would try baking it for longer or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
So i want to make two pumpkin Bundt cakes. i was wondering if this recipe would fit in my Bundt pan. I measured its volume by pouring 1 cup of water at a time and ended up with 9 1/2 cups. Which pumpkin cake recipe would fit my Bundt pan without doubling the recipe? thanks!
Hi Bjorgen, this batter will fit into a 9.5- or 10-inch Bundt pan. Same oven temperature. But for ease, we suggest using this pumpkin Bundt cake recipe. Same great flavor and texture as this cake! You can leave out the chocolate chips. But you will need to double or make it twice to make two cakes. Enjoy!
Great flavor, but I followed the baking instructions and the middle of the cake was still too gooey. Disappointing 🙁
can I make two of these in metal 9X13 pans and stack them to make a 2 layer 9X13 frosted cake for a crowd, or will that be too heavy or cause some other problem I am thinking about making it for Thanks giving dinner. P.S. Love your blog
Hi Jackie, you could, but the cake will be quite heavy and very tall/thick. These are thick cakes to begin with. You could try baking just one of the cakes and slicing the cooled cake horizontally to make 2 layers. Line the pan with parchment paper so the cake can easily be removed as a whole after cooling.
Thoughts on doubling and making it a three layer cake?
Thanks!
Hi Mary, this batter as written will make 2, 9 inch round layers, so you could 1.5x the recipe for 3 layers. Or make two batches, fill your three pans half way, and use any leftover batter for a few cupcakes!
I loved this cake! Baked it as a 2 layer cake and paired with the cream cheese frosting. It was so good! Very moist and not dry at all. My dad had seconds; he really liked it. I’m definitely making this again soon! Thanks for all your awesome recipes, Sally!
I have made a few of your recipes and have always been pleased with the results. They are well written and come out perfect. Thanks
Anyway… Grew assorted squash last year, roasted, in freezer. Found them almost a year later and used this recipe. Doubled it, had loads of squash, made one Bundt, and 12 large cup cakes. Added raisins, craisins, sultana mix I had in pantry. This cake is divine, especially the next day. It has a lovely moist crumb. Glazed it with a lemon/powder sugar drip.
this is the best cake I ever made. the texture was just perfect. it was way softer than the cakes I used to make. I accidentally ruined the cream cheese by adding too much salt but the cake itself was delicious
I made your best ever banana cake this week…. the BEST!!!! The banana cake uses butter in the cake, the pumpkin cake uses oil. Can butter be swapped for the oil in this recipe????
Hi Kris, so glad you enjoyed the banana cake! We recommend sticking with oil in this pumpkin cake recipe for the best texture – using butter would result in a more dry cake.
I added a cup of cinnamon applesauce to the mix (I mixed it in my vitamix blender) after everything else was added and I also added 1 extra teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, everything was amazing! This is the second time I’ve made this recipe and I like it so much I wrote it in my cook book!!! Thank you so much for this easy to follow recipe!!!
This looks delicious! I need a frosting that can sit out all day once the cake is decorated. Which would you recommend?
Hi Joy, vanilla buttercream would be a bit more stable and hold up better throughout the day. If you can, try to keep the frosted cake out of direct sunlight and in a cooler spot. Hope it’s a hit!
Delicious recipe! We recently had a cat pass away and we had been using pumpkin puree in her diet to help her for many years. So, leftover pumpkin puree what to do? Found this delicious recipe and so thankful I did. Our household our not huge pumpkin lovers, but with only a slight modification of mayo substituted for eggs and a reduction of oil to 1/4th and it came out so moist and delicious. Also, threw in dried cranberries and walnuts for added taste and texture. Perfection!
I absolutely loved this recipe and it was a big hit for Father´s Day. I wonder if there is a way to reduce the amount of sugar. For this and other recipes I have used Splenda (half the amount of the sugar recommended in the recipe) but I would like to know if you have any tips on this. Perhaps a better conversion, some other low-calorie sweetener, or some kind of diabetes friendly option. Thank you!
Hi Sandra, we’re so glad this cake was a success for you! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Keep in mind, too, that simply reducing the amount of sugar is possible, but it will change the overall taste and texture of the cake, too. Thanks again!
Hello, can this be made without using eggs?
Hi Jess, we haven’t tried this recipe with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you do. If you’re interested, here are all of our naturally egg-free recipes.
Can I use peanut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Hi Trish, that should work, but the taste will be slightly different than using vegetable oil.
This is a great recipe. I love pumpkin anything year round! I did use home canned Hubbard squash (better flavor and consistency) but I have found if I take ¼ more and I put it in 2 layers of cheese cloth and let it hang over a bowl overnight it gives me the same density as store canned pumpkin.
I love all if your recipes that I have used which is a lot if them! My 10 year old granddaughter is now using them ad I teach her to bake. Thanks!
Can raisins be added to the cake? If so, any recommendations for how to incorporate them? Thank you!
Hi Audrey, Absolutely. We recommend around 1 cup.
I made these as muffins. Moist (just shy of too-moist) with a decent crumb but they just tasted too pumpkin-y for me. Sort of a vegetable taste.
Hi I was wondering if maybe there was a frosting recipe without the cream cheese? Becouse im really a picky eater and I dont really like it.
Hi Olga! You can use our favorite vanilla buttercream frosting instead 🙂
Hey, followed the recipe but instead, I replaced the chocolate chips with shaved dark baking chocolate, the cloves with 2tsp cardamom, and baked in 2 9 by 12 pans. The time taken was 35 minutes at 350F. Then let them sit in there for 5 minutes before placing them on the rack to cool. Flipped after an hour and I enjoyed about half the cake by myself at midnight. Blissful success. The rest was gobbled up by my family for breakfast.
As promised, moist and full of flavor! Much love from Nairobi, Kenya
Am going to prepare it right now..excited.
Pumpkin is one of my favorites, so I can be judgmental but, this is indeed the best pumpkin cake ever. Thanks again for another winner!!!
OMG this is the best pumpkin cake recipe that I ever tried! But I made few changes on the recipe. I add 80 gram of butter and reduce the oil into 160 ml. I also add minced ginger to enhanced all flavor and it turns out amazing! The crumble not just soft but also melt in mouth. This definetely gonna be my ultimate pumpkin cake recipe. Thankyou!
Absolutely delicious and very easy to make. Doubled recipe and made cake and cupcakes. Baked cupcakes at 375F for 15 minutes. Cake at 350F for 40 min. Ny oven runs a tad slow.
Freezing half the cake and will frost later.
My in-laws were bringing dessert for Thanksgiving but had to cancel at the last minute. With a full day of cooking planned, a short window of time when the oven was free, and company on the way, my husband found this recipe and proudly proclaimed that we have all the ingredients on hand! So, with no time to spare, we whipped up this cake and WOW, it did not disappoint. Step over pies, Thanksgiving has a new winner for a delicious and crowd pleasing dessert! The cake was so flavorful and had the texture of fresh pumpkin bread and the frosting was light and creamy, but not over sweet. This suggestion to put in the fridge to help with cooling was spot on and it sliced like a dream!
Thank you for coming to our rescue! This will now be on regular rotation and absolutely be part of future Thanksgivings! Thank you!
We’re SO thrilled to hear that this pumpkin cake was a hit for you Thanksgiving meal, Molly – thank you so much for giving it a try!
Absolutely delicious!
I made it several times now.
My friends ask me about the recipient.
Thank you soooo much
So delicious and moist! I put my homemade buttercream frosting on only because we don’t like cream cheese! Definitely a keeper!
Happy Thanksgiving and Thank You! I baked the pumpkin cupcakes and they were a huge hit. They were packed with the perfect balance of spices and the texture was light and airy. I bought white chocolate (fall colors) nonpareils and plopped one on top of the icing. Sweet! I love your baking site and I will be back again and again for more delicious recipes.
Yum! The best pumpkin cake recipe & my new go to for the Holidays! So easy & so moist & delicious!
I didn’t feel like making pie crust this morning, so I took a chance on this…
Saving it, as it is delicious! Cream cheese frosting is always wonderful, and I used individual spices in place of “pumpkin sppice” which I don’t buy. Glad I took a chance – it’s delicious!
I enjoy making this cake every year, pretty much since I’ve found Sally’s blog. It’s super delicious! If I wanted to make a 3- layer cake, what size of cake pan should I use? Do I need to double the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Leila, You can use 8 inch round pans and this recipe will work well! Your layers may take an extra minute to bake since they will be slightly thicker. 1.5 times the recipe will definitely work for a 3 layer cake. Happy baking!
do eggs need to be room temp?
Hi Lisa! It’s ok if they’re cold for this recipe. But room temperature won’t hurt!
Can I use brown sugar and leave out the white sugar?