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
Hi Sally! I love your blog. The nerd in me loves how you break down the science of your baking and all the explanations you give. And the videos are so helpful!
I’m looking to use your pumpkin cake recipe to make a small birthday cake. Initially, when seeing you could use two 9in round pans, I used your “Size and conversions” post and figured I could halve the recipe and use two 6in pans. But then I discovered your “6in cake recipes” post and realize I should be using 3 pans. I know you recommend using the pumpkin cupcake recipe if I do want to use 6in pans but halving the pumpkin cake recipe gives me identical measurements on nearly every ingredient. Do you advise against halving the recipe? I’m new to baking so I’m scared I might be missing something – I’m wanting to mimic the lightness of the cake recipe as closely as possible. The biggest difference I see is the cake uses brown and granulated sugar while the cupcakes just brown. And then the cupcake recipe just uses a touch more spices, pumpkin and vanilla extract.
Btw, the pumpkin spice bundt cake recipe was the first recipe of yours I tried… Spot on! I’ve already made 2 half batches and a full batch in the last 10 days for my coworkers and gearing up to make another full batch in a few days.
Hi Tram, You can certainly cut this recipe in half if you wish. Happy baking!
Fantastic! My whole family loved this pumpkin cake! I agree, the best pumpkin cake I’ve every make! We will be making it again!
My middle sunk a bit…checked with toothpick and it came out dry…any thoughts?
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Sally, I want to make this cake. I’ve make your cookies and they are excellent! I’m at an altitude of 6,600. Do I need to make any adjustments for this cake?
Hi Mary, I wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
The cake texture is very nice but I fins the flavour the cake underwhelming. Its a good base for eating cream cheese frosting if that’s what you care about, but if you want a “pumpkin ” cake look elsewhere
I halved all the measurements and used home made pumpkin puree and I’m from India so we don’t get the same sugar pumpkins; the best alternative is something called “disco pumpkin”. I was worried while making this cake because cutting down measurements by half doesn’t always work. But, MAN OH MAN, did this cake turn out amazing. I’ve never made such a moist, light, airy, spongy, but dense cake before. It’s the perfect thing! Next time I will make the cream cheese frosting too. Thank you for the recipe, Sally!
The cake was very dry.
Hello,
I’m making this cake for a wedding tomorrow. A three tiered cake;
4”, 6”, and 8”.
One batch: 2-8” cakes.
1/2 batch: 3-6” cakes.
As far as my 3 4” cakes and my one 8” that needs made, how do you recommend I do that? Cupcake recipe for the 3 4” cakes? Or one batch to do all four cakes? Thankyou so much!!
Hi Tiffany, You can use the post Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions to help you calculate how much batter you would need for different size pans. If you need to make more than one recipe of the batter we do recommend that you make it twice instead of doubling it for the best texture!
THIS CAKE IS SOOOO GOOD !! It’s literally 4 am and I just finished baking it bc I was sad and craving cake and was feeling the fall weather. It was so simple to make too. I halved the recipe and used a 7 in. round pan and it came out perfect after about 35 mins in the oven. I spread the cream cheese frosting and put a spiced stenciled pumpkin on top and set it on my new spiderweb cake stand. I also made a chai latte. I’m literally gonna cry this is what bliss feels like.
Lovely recipe, moist and delicious. One thing I do want to know is how many calories per slice?!
As long as you follow this recipe exact step by step you’ll make the perfect cake ! The best recipe ever
I made this last night for dessert and everybody seemed to like it! Not quite as pumpkin-y as a pumpkin pie, but still yummy especially with the cream cheese frosting! Our oil smelled a bit rancid so I just substituted 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce for the one cup of oil and it still was really moist and sponge like. I think I will experiment with oil next time to see if that changes the texture at all.
Do you have recommendations for what to do if the cake isn’t cooking through the middle?
Hi April, make sure you’re using a 9×13 inch pan. You can lower the oven temperature down to 325°F (163°C) and extending the bake time. Tent aluminum foil on top of the cake after about 20 minutes to help ensure it bakes more evenly, too.
So excited to make this recipe
It’s going to be a back up cake for my grandsons Birthday
This is exactly what I was looking for
I have made the icing many times. It’s my go to frosting. It never fails and I have made chocolate by adding coco. I also made it strawberry for my granddaughter whose a strawberry addict
I made this cake and it was TO DIE FOR! I’ve been wanting to make cake pops, and I was wondering if I could use this recipe. I know I need a single layer cake, with about a cup of frosting. What do you think? Could it work? Thank you!!
Hi Katie, Yes this would work for cake pops! Happy baking 🙂
How thick are the layers if you do the two 9 inch round cakes?
Thinking about making this recipe into two 8 inch round (for more height) pumpkin chocolate chip layers then doing the same with a half batch for a third layer. Is there a different recipe you’d recommend for this purpose or do you think this recipe will work well?
Kristin, Yes 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 you think I could use butternut squash instead of pumpkin for this recipe?
Absolutely! Same amount of butternut squash puree– a 1:1 substitution.
I’m excited to make thsi cake soon! Is it strong enough to be layered? I’m hoping to make a 2-3 layer cake!
Yes, this batter fits into two 9-inch round cake pans. See recipe notes for details.
Hi Sally! I’m wondering if I can make a double portion with this recipe so it’ll just be one larger thicker cake in the 9×13′ pan? In that case what’ll cooking time/ temperature have to be? (155-160 for one hour plus?)
Hi Joel! Double the amount of batter won’t fit into a 9×13 inch pan, unfortunately. You can try a bigger pan for a thinner cake, though. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, but the oven temperature remains the same no matter what size pan you use.
This cake is awesome! I didn’t have pumpkin spice powder so I just put extra cinnamon powder and it was still amazing! I will be making this again for sure!
best cake ever!!!!!!!!! highly recommend making this cake totally worth it yum!!!!!!! I baked this cake myself
I am about to make this cake for the second time. The first time, I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice so I utilized the suggested replacements, plus added a bit of cinnamon – to taste – and the cake came out TOTALLY MIND BLOWING !!! Now I will try with the pumpkin pie spice, though I may add a kick of clove spice cuz I like it. Thank you for this amazing recipe! I will not search for another, and it is seriously competing now with pumpkin pie – who ever thought that would be possible !
Forgot to give stars!
The best, most moist cake ever!! I’ve made it three times in two weeks!
Sally, I am so happy I found you. I have made about five of your cakes since being in quarantine and each one is perfection! This cake is simply *chef kiss*. This is also the best cream cheese icing I’ve ever had. It’s going in my recipe box!
I made this cake for the first time this week, it instantly became mine and my husband’s favorite cake EVER!! I will make this anytime I need a cake from now on!
Oh my goodness! This cake is fabulous!I made it fir my daughter’s birthday and she loved it. It was simple to make, and so moist and flavorful. My husband doesn’t have a sweet tooth, and he raved about it! I’ll be making it again!
Hi Sally
I did everything as per instructions and my cake turn out wet and raw inside, when the outside, bottom and top were almost burnt. Ended up in rubbish bin.
I set up correct temperature, studied the manual for my oven, put baking sheet under and greased the sides with oil and flour, covered the top of the form with tin foil to prevent burn.
For second time I baked it on the lowest temperature possible with the same results. I don’t understand 🙁
The only thing I changed was replacing canned pumpkin for fresh pumpkin puree which I did by myself correctly.
Do you think that could be the mistake?
Thank you
Sash
Hi Sash, thank you so much for trying this pumpkin cake recipe. Fresh pumpkin puree has a different texture than canned. It’s much thinner and quite liquid-y. Though you can use it here, it’s best to stick with canned. If using fresh in baking, I always recommend blotting some excess liquid out of it with a clean towel. The less moisture, the better.
Hi Sally
Thank you so much for your advice.
I must have missed this important note in your recipe and of course i haven’t dried the pumpkin puree at all.
I was also baking with whole wheat flour (instead of normal white), because that was the only one I had home that time..
And I exchanged white sugar for dark brown sugar which seems to be way more sticky.
Do you think the flour and sugar were mistakes too or should I just try again with properly dried pumpkin puree?
Thank you <3
Thank you for posting this delicious recipe. It came out excellent! Done at exactly 30 minutes. The one change I made is regarding the pumpkin pie spice. I made my own from 3/4 tsp ginger, 3/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp each of cloves and green cardamom. I crushed my own whole cloves and seeds from green cardamom pods. Nice subtle spice level.
I love pumpkin but skeptical about using it to make a cake. Decided to give it a try as I’d extra pumpkin lying around. I was blown away by the result. I kept leftover in fridge and reheated it the next day and still tasted delicious. My partner couldn’t stop commenting how spongy the texture was. I think the cake would also be nice with some raisins and walnut. Move over carrot cake, pumpkin cake will be our new favourite.
This turned out super! My sweetie is no fan of cream cheese so I substituted vanilla buttercream on half and Hershey’s light chocolate frosting on the other half. Rave reviews 😉
This is the first time I tried this recipe, and definitely it won’t be the last. It came soooo yummy. Am very pleased. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
PS. I used olive oil instead of canola or vegetable oil. As for the topping, I spread some Velvety Vanilla Icing by Betty Crocker.
Hello!
How dense is this cake? I would like to make this into a 3 tier wedding cake but other pumpkin recipes I have tried have come out very dense, more like a bread than a cake. Do you have any suggestions as to how to lighten a recipe up?
Thank you!
I’d say it’s medium dense– definitely cake-like. Not quite as soft and fluffy as a vanilla cake, but you know you’re eating cake… not bread. If that make sense?
Yes, this recipe rocked. I wear my apron often, but am an amateur baker and cook – but these were a complete hit in my kitchen. With four kids…I made cupcakes, and I iced them as we ate them, instead of all at once. Fantastic!
I made this recipe fully gluten free and dairy free and it turned out amazing! Followed your recipe exactly just substituted flour and cream cheese. Whole family enjoyed it including our gluten free hating teenage son.