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
I have made this previously in an oblong pan. Loved it! However, I want to make it as a 2 layer cake. However, I don’t have 9 inch pans as per your recommendations. Do you think this could be made with two 8 inch pans? Or would it overflow? If so, what would you recommend as the baking time?
Hi Aisling, you can use 8-inch pans, filling half way. Bake time should be similar, maybe just a minute or so shorter. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Made this the other day. I got rave reviews from my family and coworkers! My husband does not like cake. He thinks it is boring. My son is hit or miss on sweets. Both LOVED this cake and frosting! They have been eating it for 3 days.
Absolutely delicious!! Want to make a pumpkin spice cake for my best friend’s wedding this fall! And we really loved this recipe!!
I had some troubleshooting with the icing though. I used a swiss meringue buttercream to fill and cover the cake (naked cake), and the next day the icing had yellow “spots” as if the puré die had leaked out and was sucked by the buttercream.. has anyone had this trouble before? Any ideas how to prevent it as she wants a naked cake? I didn’t test yet with a full covered cake, hoping to find a solution soon.. thank you in advance!!
Can you make this with gluten free flour?
Hi Dorothy, we haven’t tested this cake with gluten free flour, but let us know if you do!
I wanted to make this cake or the spice cake, however I don’t use vegetable oil or canola oil anymore. What can I use instead ?
Hi Vicki, melted coconut oil is a wonderful replacement for the vegetable oil here. Enjoy!
I just made the pumpkin cake and wow, it is the best cake ever! Soft, moist and delicious
I paired it with a meringue frosting, so I used four egg yolks and eight tablespoons of aquafaba (about one can’s worth). Turned out fantastic.
Can I use any substitute for eggs for this recipe? What would you recommend? Thanks
Hi Tanaya, we haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you try anything.
Always tastes fabulous, especially as I am using pumpkin I’ve grown. Only problem I find each time is that I don’t get much depth in the cake when cooked, comes out more of a slice than a cake.
I want to use a meringue frosting. Can I make the cake with just egg yolks?
Hi Katy, you can use Swiss meringue frosting here if you prefer, or even this marshmallow meringue frosting. We don’t recommend making the cake with just egg yolks—it will be much too heavy.
Well, dang. Makes sense though. The frosting recipe I found uses 5 whites, could I use four of the leftover yolks and supplement with aquafaba, maybe? I just don’t want to use 8-9 eggs for one recipe if I can reasonably avoid it…
Hi. I’m not a huge fan of the pumpkin pie spice (cloves, allspice, et.) Can I use just the Cinnamon and nutmeg? Or do I need a little bit of the other spices? If I can use just the nutmeg with cinnamon, how much nutmeg should I add?
You can omit the other spices if you don’t like the taste of them, and just use cinnamon and nutmeg. Because it’s a matter of personal taste preference, I can’t tell you exactly how much nutmeg to add in place of the pie spice mix, but I think I would start with 3 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and adjust from there.
Absolutely DELICIOUS and SO EASY!!! Brought it to my book group meeting and the members swooned over it! 5 asked for the recipe, one exclaiming it was the best cake she’d ever eaten—and we’re all seniors, so that must have been years of cake!!!
Love it, perfectly with doves gluten free plain white flour. I usually add extra spice and a touch of lemon zest too
Best ever. I make cupcakes and they do not last. These are the favourites at my daughters place. I use fresh pumpkin purée that I make.
This is my absolute favourite recipe. It has never failed me. Everyone loves it. I’d love to make it for my son’s first bday but I don’t want to use sugar. So, I was wondering if you think I could substitute the sugar with banana?
Hi Chook, so glad you love this recipe! We haven’t tested this cake with banana, so are unsure of the results, but it would likely be a very wet cake. You could try reducing the sugar some, or adding more flour if using banana, but again, we haven’t tested it so can’t guarantee how it would turn out. I hope you find something that works!
Easy recipe and so delicious!
This recipe is amazing. I could have sworn it was made with butter before instead of oil. Was this changed?
Hi AK, no, this recipe hasn’t changed. I make this with oil for extra moisture.
This was a huge hit for Christmas dessert! I only had a small group so I cut the recipe in half and baked it in an 8”x8” pan. Perfect! So moist and delicious!!!!
This is a delicious pumpkin cake. I planned to make a cinnamon cake when I found this recipe so I did double the cinnamon I used. I didn’t add it to the icing but plan to next time. I also think it is amenable to several additions if you like other things such as perhaps rum soaked raisins and/or nuts. I will try those next time.
Delicious. I did add more spice – freshly ground nutmeg, more cinnamon in the batter and frosting and I think it needs walnuts in the cake. Since it’s a 9×13 pan I frosted the whole cake (I added cinnamon and lemon zest to frosting) then on top of the frosting for a 1/2 of the cake I added shredded coconut and the other side I added lemon zest. Both are really good. I like a lot of spice and this didn’t disappoint. The pumpkin taste is subtle when you add the extra spice so it’s more like a spice cake. Very yummy! Thanks Sally.
Hi, Sally, would this work with raisins and walnuts added in? If so what amount would you recommend? And do you have a “second best” recommendation for a non-cream cheese icing? (More generally, could you make your comments searchable? I bet someone has asked this before but I don’t have the patience to go through 16 pages of comments–it would save you time responding!)
Hi Lin, Yes! You can add chopped walnuts and raisins to the batter. We recommend keeping the combined amount of add-ins to between 1 and 1.5 cups. You could definitely try the The brown butter cream cheese frosting from this Banana Layer Cake.
I’ve baked this cake three times now and it is superb. The recipe is also very simple.
You can mess around with the spices in the pumpkin pie spice based on your flavor preferences. Also, I don’t bother using a mixer for the batter. A whisk works just fine. Thanks Sally!
I love all your recipes! Just stumbled on this pumpkin cake recipe and am wondering if it can be baked in a loaf pan?
We’d recommend our pumpkin bread recipe instead. Same great taste!
Best pumpkin cake I’ve ever had! We’ve made it multiple times and it’s so delicious!
I’ve made this 4 times in the past month and everyone loves it! It is on my forever fall baking list. I was wondering, if anyone has tried using sweet potato purée instead of the pumpkin purée? Because it’s almost Thanksgiving and there will be many pumpkin desserts, I’m wondering if Sweet potato would be a nice twist. Any thoughts appreciated! Regardless, this recipe is perfection as is!
This is such a reliable recipe that we‘ve gone back to a few times this Fall. Doubling the batch made four 6” layers and a dozen cupcakes, which is perfect for a moderately sized crowd or event.
I have made this recipe multiple times with gluten free flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 baking flour) with fantastic results! Delicious every time!!
Need to make in a 13x18x1 sheet pan…will 1 1/2 times the recipe be enough to fill the pan?
Hi Tami, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Thank you!
I love your recipes! Can I make this with gluten free flour? If not would you recommend another fall recipe I could make gluten free? Thank you!
Hi Julia! We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. This cranberry frangipane tart is a wonderful fall recipe that also happens to be gluten free! Or, here are all of our gluten free recipes for browsing.
Very disappointing. Been baking for over 50 years. Followed the recipe as written. Very bland, not spiced or pumpkin-y.
This looks so good! I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie. Can I really swap applesauce for half of the oil and it doesn’t taste any different??
Hi Beech! We find that to be true, yes. But you can certainly stick with all oil.