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 made the cupcakes and loved them but now want to make as a cake for Thanksgiving! My question is – should the cake be cooled in the pan (instructions said to put the whole pan on a rack), or should the cake be removed from the pan after it’s cooled a bit?
Hi Judy, you can cool this cake in the pan completely, and frost it and slice it right in the pan. Enjoy!
Yummy! I made this as directed using 8 inch rounds. I made cream cheese and whipped cream frosting because it’s my favorite. The cake is dense and moist and very flavorful. Will make again for sure!
I’ve used this recipe for awhile now . My boys say it’s it the best and of course I added my own extra love of spices
Can I freeze this cake in a metal cake pan? The same pan that I baked the cake in. Is it safe for a week or so?
Hi Maggie! Yes, that should be fine here. Here’s our guide to freezing cakes if you’re interested.
I have made this cake twice this week. Once for a casual dinner party. It was such a hit that I baked it two days later for a friend’s birthday. Everyone loved it. And no one really brings home bakes to parties anymore (unless they are asked) so I really appreciate getting to share this with everyone. Thank you Sally
Question: will this recipe work for a pumpkin roll cake? If I bake it in a large jelly roll pan so it’s a thin cake, and turn it out of the pan while warm and roll it in parchment , then add the thick layer of cream cheese frosting and roll into a log. Most of the pumpkin roll recipes start with a half can of pumpkin but I would prefer to use the whole can! And I love an extra moist cake
Hi Ericka, We suggest using this recipe for Pumpkin Roll.
Can you make this double layer?
You bet! See recipe notes for layer cake instructions.
I personally didn’t love the texture of this cake. I found it a little dense and spongy (I used scales to measure ingredients and didn’t over-mix or over-bake). My family enjoyed this cake, however, and of course the frosting was delicious.
This recipe is so good! I live at 6,000ft elevation and the only change I made was adding an extra egg, and it turned out perfectly.
This recipe is trully the best! The result is brilliant. Thank you very much!!
Has anyone tried making it with butter or coconut oil?
Hi Oana, for the best results and texture we recommend sticking with oil, but the same amount of melted butter should be fine in a pinch. The cake may be slightly drier.
Good morning. I am making this for my sweet little nieces and wondering if I could substitute the oil with applesauce? Hoping the answer is yes! Thank you kindly.
Hi Kym, You can substitute up to half of the oil! Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The cake will still be just as moist.
I never leave reviews, but I made this cake for my daughter’s Halloween birthday and it was perfect! The cake was moist and flavorful, and the frosting was delicious and easy to spread. Thank you!
Moist, delicious cake! I wanted a smaller cake so I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8×8 glass pan. The cake wasn’t as tall as Sally’s, but it was just right for us! This recipe is a keeper
Just made this cake using fresh pumpkin that I had grated, salted and left to stand in a strainer (and squeezed all excess water). I also used half cup butter and half olive oil and added a handful of raisins. It turned out amazing! Thank you so much!
Always love when I’m looking for a recipe and Sally’s pops up. I can always count on it to be delicious; this cake was just what I was looking for!
Can I halve the recipe and put it in an 8×8 pan? I’m the only one in my family who likes pumpkin cake and I don’t need a whole 9×13 cake.
Hi Amanda! You could halve the recipe for an 8×8 pan.
This is a fool-proof ABSOLUTELY PERFECT recipe that is so well loved. I’m just curious. I like to use a whisk to combine wet and dry… is it at all possible to overmix this? It always looks like there are some flour lumps in the batter. Would sifting the flour be necessary?
Hi Christina, over mixing is possible and can lead to an overly dense cake. If you find there are still lumps, sifting the flour can definitely help. We’re so glad this cake is a favorite for you!
If I were to replace the oil by (melted?) butter, how much would you recommend. Or would it be a possibility to use half oil, half butter?
Hi Lilian, for the best results and texture we recommend sticking with oil, but the same amount of melted butter should be fine in a pinch. The cake may be slightly drier.
Okay thanks! Maybe I’ll risk trying it. The original recipe turned out amazing and me and my colleagues enjoyed it very much!
Hello, if you were to make a layered cake would you multiply the proportions by 2 or would that be enough for multiple layers?
See recipe notes for 2 layer cake instructions!
Just made this in a round two layers! Worked perfectly as is. Frosting is enough to fill and cover the outside. I only filled the middle and could’ve cut recipe in half.
Hi, I’d like to make this cake for my vegan friend. What’s the best way to substitute the eggs? I have ‘egg replacer’ powder but unsure about it. I could also use aquafaba instead.
Hi Lily, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this cake, so we’re unsure what might work best. Let us know if you try anything!
I tried replacing the eggs with applesauce for a friend with an egg allergy. I used the standard recommended 1/4 cup applesauce per egg. This resulted in a VERY moist cake (which this friend happened to absolutely love and requested that I continue making it that way), but next time I think I can easily halve the amount of applesauce. I haven’t used a standard egg replacer powder, but would recommend supplementing with a little more moisture if using the egg replacement powder as it tends to dry things out quite a bit! The applesauce/oil/pumpkin mixture was just absolutely divine and this cake is a huge hit both times I’ve made it (with and without eggs)
I’ve made with whipped aquafaba, and it works a treat. 3 T per egg.
I made this cake but as a layer cake. My husband loved it and I definitely will be making it again!
This turned out great. Very soft and moist. I had not quite enough pumpkin due to previously trying another pumpkin cake recipe, so I subbed a bit of applesauce. I had part with cream cheese frosting, but part with a caramel buttercream, which I thought really elevated the flavor. Bookmarking this recipe!
For Thanksgiving, we also celebrated three family birthdays with this cake, my daughter’s choice. It was a last minute whim when I found an inexpensive cute pumpkin cake pan, and I already had plenty of desserts lined up for the weekend. However, nobody was sorry I added this to the mix: wow, what a delicious cake! The taste and the texture is amazing. I will be keeping it in my family favourites recipe collection! Can’t wait to try it with different icings, like chai buttercream or cream cheese. Highly recommended, especially for autumn months!
Oh My Goodness! This is the best cake I’ve ever tasted. I’m not a pumpkin spice lover but my daughter wanted me to bake this for Thanksgiving. I didn’t have any Pumpkin Pie Spice on hand and used Sally’s recipe. Again, another keeper recipe. I cannot believe how good this cake tastes. I love baking but don’t usually eat anything as I don’t like sweets. I gobbled up 2 portions and was a rock star with my family and friends who raved about it for the longest time. They all said it was the best pumpkin spice cake they had ever had. So glad I came across this recipe…thanks Sally!
Hi Sally and team. Thanks for all your amazing recipes! Was wondering if you think this would hold up structurally for a pumpkin shaped piñata cake?
Hi Alex, we haven’t tested it, but that shouldn’t be an issue here. We’ve also seen bakers successfully use pumpkin Bundt Cake (make it twice and place one on top of the other) to make a pumpkin shaped cake. You could fill the center for a piñata cake – just a thought!
Thank you!
This recipe has become a much looked forward to October tradition in this little kitchen in a Northern Ireland! I’ve been making it for years now and it is always amazing.
This cake is so good – moist and not too sweet. I did not make the icing, the cake stands on its own but I’m also not big on icing, I generally like cakes without it. This cake is incredibly light and fluffy. I used half of a 796ml can of pumpkin (I made a pumpkin pie with the other half). 1/2 a can of pumpkin weighs 412g and that is what I put in this cake. Also I used an aluminum 9 x 13″ pan and baked the cake at 350F for about 33 minutes. It was just pulling away from the edges and the cake was light brown on top. Thank you so much for this recipe Sally and the Team! 🙂
I’m a fairly experienced amateur, home baker and this recipe after a year of treating my colleagues, has been by far their favorites. I play with it now and pour it into fun cake pans + bundt pans and it does exceedingly well. I’ll make two batches and top one with cream cheese icing and the other with powdered sugar ; both are great hits.
10/10 recipe – a print and pass it down in your family kind of recipe.
Hi. Will this work in a half sheet pan? If so should I modify the bake time?
Hi Shaun, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Made this cake with fresh pumpkin as we dont have canned in The Netherlands. I reduced 800 grams of pumpkin down to 220 grams which made me decide to convert the other ingrediënts by dividing everything by 2. I just took it out of the oven, it looked great. But after 5 minutes it kind of collapsed a few centimeters. Any idea what could have happened?
Hi Rosanne, the conversion of ingredients could be the culprit here. Sinking cakes also typically mean that the batter was slightly undercooked, and a few extra minutes of bake time should help. Thank you for giving this one a try!
I put the entire large tin of pumpkin puree & the cake was firm & wet with moisture the 2nd day, Was that too much pumpkin? I threw it out.
Hi Marilyn, this recipe needs 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree. Was your can larger than that? If so, that will be too much moisture for the cake.