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
Could this be made as a round multilayer cake?
Yes, a 2 layer cake is best. See recipe note.
I’m going to try to make a jelly cake roll with this recipe and have the cream cheese icing in the middle and on the top. I’ve made jelly rolls before, so I know how to roll it without it cracking… but do YOU think it will work?
Hi Joanne, We suggest using this recipe for Pumpkin Roll. Enjoy!
I’ve made this cake 2 times now. It’s very tasty, but I had to bake it a lot longer than listed. Also, the second time I made it, the middle fell into BAD. Any suggestions on what I might do? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, A cake that sinks in the middle is often under-baked. If it still seems a bit raw in the center next time bake it for a minute or two longer. All ovens are slightly different so don’t be alarmed if yours takes longer. You can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to keep the tops from browning if you need to bake it longer. We always recommend using an inexpensive oven thermometer. You can see #7 in these Top 10 Baking Tips for details.
Made this using homemade pumpkin puree and it tasted amazing – so much flavour and so moist. Another perfect recipe nothing needed tweaking (except I always use less sugar for frosting). Thank you!
This cake is so good; i’ve made it three times for scientific purposes; you know, repeatability and all ahahahahaha! My family and I can’t stop eating it! Delicious every time – thank you.
I am going to make this but make it low carb using Almond/coconut flour and Truvia brown sugar. My granddaughter made it for her boyfriend tonight and it smelled delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
12/11/2020
Had a pumpkin laying around going to waste so I made your cake, made my puree by baking the pumpkin flesh in cubes then passing through a sieve and then into a jelly bag overnight to get rid of the excess liquid. Worked a treat, yes a bit of a phaf but worth it ! Got a beautiful smooth spiced cake !! Perfect thanks x
Tasted good. Able to make vegan with 2 flaxseed egg replacers and used applesauce for half the oil. I also reduced sugar amount. The cake was moist and flavorful and healthier. Added walnuts too.
so moist never had pumpkin cake before had to buy puree in uk i forgot to add ginger, but it was really nice subtle flavours will try with ginger next time
I tried this recipe, and it came out great, not perfect, but worth it; it was very moist, but the crust was a little dry, but that could be due to my pumpkin puree having been homemade. It didn’t rise much tho, which was a little disappointing. Will definitely make another one next year.
Perfection! I just love this cake. I prepared it for my family two weeks ago and it received tons of compliments. Now I am craving for more, so I am preparing another round of cakes this evening. Love you recipes and how you write them up with such a light and enthusiastic mood. So many thanks for sharing!
I used this recipe to make cupcakes last month, and distributed them to family and friends. They were an instant hit! In my household, they quickly became a favorite, and that’s saying a lot for a family that mostly prefers chocolate. I made a double batch, it made 50 cupcakes, and they went so fast! I ended up making another single batch towards the end of the month and they went just as quickly. This month I’m planning on making a two-layer birthday cake with it… I can’t wait! It was specifically requested, and it’s going to be the first non-chocolate birthday cake our house has done in probably… ever. Thank you for the spectacular recipe, I have a feeling it’s going to become a staple at my house!
Just tried this recipe for a friends birthday cake and it was great. Followed recipe to a tee, did not change anything. Thanks for such a yummy recipe
Made this with homemade pureed pumpkin and it has so much favour and incredibly moist. Used two 9 inch pans to make a beautiful layer cake. Everything I’ve tried from here is a keeper!
I’ve made this three Autumns in a row. Stunning and so moist.
This 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! When I was putting on the frosting, I thought I had made too much frosting and didn’t use it all. After I put the cake in the fridge though, I realized I could have used all of it–and should have, the frosting is THE best. Definitely recommend!
This recipe is very good! I did take out a little more than 1/4c of Brown sugar and it was the perfect sweetness level for us and still very moist. Will definitely keep this recipe to make yearly!
This is the best cake! How would it work in an acorn cakelette pan. Would it be too moist?
Hi Susan, It really depends on your exact pan, but I can tell you that I have baked this in a speciality shaped pan with excellent results 🙂 Bake time will depends on the capacity of your pan.
This cake was PERFECT! It was so easy to make and the results were amazing. Because I was making this to follow up a pretty heavy BBQ meal, I opted to top the slices with barely-sweetened homemade whipped cream instead of the cream cheese frosting…everyone in the family loved it.
Hi Sally, made this cake tonight for my son’s 9th birthday. It was a hit! He loves pumpkin pie so this was perfect. I actually made your Salted Caramel Sauce and drizzled a little of that over the cream cheese frosting. Also a big hit. I have leftover cream cheese frosting. How long will it keep in the refrigerator? Or, can I freeze it? Thank you!
Hi Natalia, We are so happy this cake was a hit! You can cover and store leftover frosting for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.
My family had been craving pumpkin. Pumpkin like real pumpkin not artificial flavoring. Man did this top the charts! I made this cake and OMG!! Amazing!!! The cream cheese frosting, not to sweet pairs perfectly with the super moist cake. Thank you so much for sharing.
This cake was very, very good. I am not a big fan of pumpkin, but this cake sold me. I am a visually impaired novice baker. Thank you, Sally, for making your recipes easy to follow for someone like me. Keep it up!
My husband and I agree – this is the best pumpkin cake we have ever eaten. So moist and flavorful!! It’s a keeper!
Can I add walnuts and raisins to this cake, Sally?
Hi Padma, Yes! You can add chopped walnuts and raisins to the batter. I recommend keeping the combined amount of add-ins to between 1 and 1.5 cups.
Do you think this recipe would work with three 8 inch circle pans, I think I will be making this cake for my sisters birthday, thanks Sally!
Hi Marcela, This batter will work in two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. Same oven temperature, bake for 25 minutes or until baked through. If you wish to make three layers you can but they would be thinner layers and the bake time would be shorter.
Hey! Is it okay to use a 10*10 inch or a 16*13 inch pan for this recipe?
Hi Jess, We haven’t tested those sizes but for alternate pan sizes you can visit the post Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions to help you calculate how much batter you would need.
Hi! I’m looking for the perfect pumpkin spice cake recipe for cake pops, next week and I have seen everyone using boxed but I’m not big on using boxed, I’d rather make from scratch, your recipe looks amazing! Would I be able to use this recipe and turn into cake pops? Also if I cut the recipe in half would it at all change the outcome of how moist it is, or the flavor? This is my first time working with pumpkin cake so sorry if the questions are odd lol
Hi Lisa, You can cut this recipe in half and bake in one 9-inch round cake pan. Same oven temperature, bake for 25 minutes or until baked through.
You can read this post on Cake Pops for instructions on assembly, but since half of this pumpkin cake is smaller than the cake pop recipe you will need less frosting. Remember when making cake pops– you need less frosting than you think to get that cake pop consistency! Let us know if you try it!
I made this cake exactly as per the recipe with the cream cheese frosting for Thanksgiving this weekend. My family (14 of us kids included) is raving about it! They’ve said it’s better than pumpkin pie, and was the highlight of their Thanksgiving meal. Blown away!
I made this cake, it rose beautifully and tested done both with a tester and with a temperature probe. However as it cooled, it fell. When I cut into it, it had a soggy bottom. Many of my carrot, or pumpkin cakes do. Just wondering if you had any suggestions. One suggestion was that it rested too long in the pan and steam caused it, but I never have taken a cake out of the pan to cool.
Let me know what you think. It was lovely despite this issue, my favourite recipe so far.
Hi Karen, Thank you for trying this recipe, we are so happy you still enjoyed it! An easy fix if you try it again is to add a few extra minutes to the bake time. You can cover the top with aluminum foil if the top is browning before the bottom is finished. Some additional tips are to be sure to use the correct size pan, don’t over grease the bottom of the pan, and if you happen to be using convection settings on your oven lower your oven temperature by 25 degrees F. I hope this helps!
I made this cake this weekend for our Canadian Thanksgiving ! It was absolutely Devine! I used home made apple sauce and the 1/2 cup oil and it was still SUPER moist! We absolutely loved it as did my in-laws (who asked to take some home) and we even shared w our neighbours. I topped the cake with your cream cheese frosting recipe and toasted pecans! What a hit! Our neighbours texted me the next day to ask for more. Lol. This recipe was ALSO shared and will be kept in my go to FALL repertoire. And It was so good We didn’t even miss the pumpkin pie this year! Thank you Sally! Love your fool proof recipes
So delicious and moist! We don’t like things too sweet so I reduced the sugar in the cream cheese frosting by about half and it was still out of this world!