This simple and straightforward pumpkin cake recipe is for those of us who want pure pumpkin and spice flavors with nothing else in the way. Brown sugar and 2 cups of pumpkin puree promise big flavor and an extra moist texture. It’s certainly wonderful on its own, but you’ll love the smooth and tangy cream cheese frosting on top!
One reader, Gracie, says: “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!”
Details About this Pumpkin Cake
- Flavor: Like I mention above, this cake is loaded with flavor thanks to a whopping 2 cups of pumpkin puree. We add cinnamon and there’s plenty of pumpkin pie spice, too. Like in my pumpkin scones recipe, you can use store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice mix or each of those spices individually—see our recipe note below. Tangy cream cheese frosting is always a lovely pairing with pumpkin and spice flavors. Each bite truly has it all!
- Texture: Like it does in this chocolate cake recipe, oil keeps the cake’s crumb soft and moist. In fact, we like to describe it as “stick-to-your-fork moist.” Our pumpkin cupcakes is essentially the same recipe, but yields a reduced quantity of batter.
- Ease: This is a single layer cake, so it’s pretty easy to prepare since there’s really no assembly required. Prepping the cake batter is similar to our spice cake, apple cake, and zucchini cake—make sure you have 2 mixing bowls and a 9×13 inch pan. The quarter sheet size is also convenient for transporting, storing, and serving. You’ll appreciate this recipe as an easy addition to your holiday dessert menu alongside all those delicious Thanksgiving pies!
How to Make Pumpkin Cake + Video
The full printable recipe is below, but here’s a brief description and a video tutorial.
Grease your 9×13-inch pan. You can use a metal baking pan or a glass baking pan. Use 1 mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and another mixing bowl for the wet ingredients. Combine both, then spread the batter into your pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then make and decorate with the frosting. To make serving easier, refrigerate the frosted cake before slicing.
Overview of Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Cake
- Flour: Because of the thick and wet batter, use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour. Cake flour is usually more ideal for butter-based cakes such as vanilla cake or white cake.
- Pumpkin: Use an entire standard can of pumpkin, which is roughly 2 cups. Readers have found this helpful because nothing from the can goes to waste. (You’ll appreciate that with our pumpkin pie and pumpkin cream cheese Bundt cake recipes too!) You can use fresh pumpkin in a pinch, but we prefer the flavor and texture of the cake when using canned.
- Cinnamon + Pumpkin Pie Spice: These spices are essential for most pumpkin desserts. Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use a blend of ground nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger (see notes), or go ahead and prepare a batch of homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Oil + Eggs: Oil and eggs provide moisture and structure. We use both in these pumpkin bars, but reduce the eggs so the bars aren’t quite as cakey.
- Sugar: This pumpkin cake is sweetened with brown sugar and granulated sugar, but mostly brown because that’s where the best flavor lies!
How to Decorate The Best Pumpkin Cake I’ve Ever Had
Cakes with a similar spice flavor and texture profile like hummingbird cake, carrot cake, and banana cake taste unbelievable with fan-favorite cream cheese frosting.
If you’re looking for other frosting options, try any one of these:
- The brown butter cream cheese frosting from this Banana Layer Cake
- Traditional Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream
- The whipped buttercream frosting from Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Chai spice buttercream from these Chai Latte Cupcakes
- The pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting from these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
PS: For decoration/garnish, we love using these little pumpkins. Or you can try these festive fall sprinkles.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie
- White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes and 30+ fall cake ideas.
Print
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 is the BEST pumpkin cake I’ve ever had and I know you’ll feel the same way! It’s supremely moist, soft, rich, and spiced with pumpkin spice flavor.
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 (240ml) canola or vegetable oil*
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 (15 ounce) 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 9×13-inch baking pan. I always use this glass pan.
- 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. 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 it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the entire pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place the cake in the refrigerator to speed things up.
- 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 3 cups 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 (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Cover the cake 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!
- 2 Layer Cake: Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide batter between the two cake pans. Same oven temperature, bake for 25 minutes or until baked through. This frosting is enough for a 2 layer cake.
- 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 (120ml) cup 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.
Here are my pumpkin cupcakes! Same recipe, just reduced down.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Fantastic recipe and very flexible! I didn’t have canned pumpkin, so I used cooked butternut and kabocha squash- about 3:1. I used half oil and half unsweetened applesauce, about 1.5 T maple syrup and just over 1/2 cup brown sugar bc butternut is so much sweeter than pumpkin. Perfect,spicy and the house smelled amazing! I baked them in silicone molds of pumpkins and ghosts.
Can I use melted coconut oil?
Hi Tina, yes, that will work in place of the vegetable/canola oil.
I’ve made this recipe several times (sheet cake and cupcakes), and it’s great! Could I make them in mini muffin tins to make smaller cupcake versions? If so, any idea if I’d bake at the same temperature?
Thank you!
Hi Kari, for mini cupcakes, bake at 350F for about 12-13 minutes. Glad you enjoy this recipe!
Can I use butter or another healthier option instead of canola/veg oil?
Hi Lisa, 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.
I can’t wait to make this recipe but I will be using melted butter in place of oil. Do you have any experience with that and should I make any adjustments. Will the cake come out differently?
Hi Vanessa, 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.
Would this recipe mix 3X or 4X well and bake in a full sheet pan? I am trying to make this for a crowd. Wondering if I have to make it in a 9×13 4 different times or if there is a way to scale the recipe for a group.
Thanks!
Hi Lauren, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Rather than multiplying, we recommend making separate batches and them combining. Hope this helps!
This was absolutely fabbbbulous
I did a buttercream frosting only cuz I didn’t have cream cheese
Work ya know nutrition value ?
Yall all need to try this
So much like ginger bread yumm
Hi Deb, we’re so glad you love this cake! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Hi, Is this a good toddler recipe? Also, if making mini Bundt cakes what temp and time would be best?
Hi Lisa, we’re unsure of the exact time for mini Bundt cakes, but you can use the baking times and directions from these mini vanilla pound cakes as a guide. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This recipe is perfect! We love the cake!! Thank you!
This is a great recipe.
This is still my go to recipe for autumn after many years. Absolutely delicious
Gluten free flour b used?
Hi Jan, we haven’t tested this cake with gluten-free flour, but let us know if you do!
Can I frost this completely and refrigerate for about 24 hours?
Hi Colleen, yes, absolutely. Enjoy!
We brought this to a block party and everybody loved it
Made this per the directions without any changes, except I added a bit of black pepper to some store-bought pumpkin pie spice instead of making Sally’s homemade version. Everyone adored it! I will definitely make this cake again. I can’t bueve how easy it was!
I made this for my husband’s birthday in February and then again this weekend for another family event and it was absolutely a hit!! For my fellow high altitude bakers (I’m at ~5000 feet) – I added about 10 g of flour and decreased the granulated sugar by about a heaping tablespoon with good results. I had a tiny bit of sinking in the middle because the cake rose so high, so I might go a smidge lighter on one of the leaveners next time.
Also, I added a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon to the frosting which was DIVINE
Hello-I thought I saw a recipe on one of your emails for a chili with a corn bread topping but I cannot seem to find it. Could you please advise. Thank you so much. I look forward to trying some of the pumkin and apple cake recipes!!
Hi Susan, here is our chili cornbread casserole. We hope you enjoy it!
I made this for my son’s 13th birthday, my family all said it was the best cake I ever made and my mom said she was proud of me! IT WAS SO EASY! Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I had recently run out of vanilla extract but I had the Princess Emulsion from LorAnn so I went for it. I also added 1tsp of pumpkin pie spice—the homemade one from Sally, and my son sprinkled cinnamon on top. It was a bigger hit than I could have imagined. I baked it in two 8 inch rounds for 30 minutes and it was perfect. Seriously like magic. This recipe is on the same level as Cinderella’s Magical Pumpkin Ride so if you’re reading this and you haven’t made it yet I highly suggest you go do it now before the clock strikes twelve!!! Thank you so much Sally and team.
Loved this! Except it definitely took longer to bake than 30-36 minutes. For me it was about 40 to 50 minutes, as it kept coming out wet in the middle until around then. Just thought I’d let y’all know 🙂
Hi Aurora, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! Every oven can be a bit different, so extending the bake time a bit is no problem. Thanks for giving this one a try!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s so delicious! I had to improvise because I couldn’t find canned pumpkin puree because I live in France and we can find this only in Specialized American shop but I used frozen organic pumpkin puree instead and it worked perfectly! I just had to add more flour cause it was more liquid than with the canned one. My colleagues tomorrow will be so happy when I will bring this to them! Thank you so much!
This pumpkin cake is very moist and has a bit more spice in it than my other recipes! I took it to a potluck, and they loved it!
Can you make this into cake balls?
Hi Mary, You sure can! If you have made the chocolate and vanilla cake pops before you should be a pro at adding the correct amount of frosting to get the right consistency to form the cake balls. Just remember that if you use cream cheese frosting they should be stored in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Hi I love this recipe so much and am making it for a birthday party. How many cups of batter does one recipe make?
Hi Josephine, this recipe yields about 6 to 7 cups of batter. I hope this helps.
Thank you for such a great recipe! My daughter wanted a pumpkin cake for her birthday. I used two rounds to stack, so thanks for including those additional instructions! I appreciate the help and the delicious recipe.
I absolutely loved this recipe. I followed the reduced oil alternative, and used brown coconut sugar and agave to help keep from sugar spike effect. DE-lish. Thank you so much!!
Amazing recipe! I’m trying to find gluten free recipes for my family so I substituted with bob’s red mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour. It was so good, my family agreed it’s a keeper.
If freezing a frosted cake, what do you wrap it in?
Hi Meg, we’d recommend leaving the frosted cake in your 9×13 pan and covering tightly with plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature or serve cold. Hope you enjoy the cake!
For this cake, can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hi Meg, that should work. The cake will have a lighter, softer crumb than it would with all-purpose flour. Let us know if you give it a try!
How would I make those little pumpkin decorations? They are adorable and I would live to do that on mine!
Hi Gail, we actually purchased those! If you’re interested, you can also purchase them here: https://rstyle.me/+Bj95-l3FeS5s0ZEoOPJeAw
Fabulous! Easy to put together and delicious. Even my teenage boys couldn’t get enough. ◡̈ I’ve just added this one to my permanent recipe collection.
I love this recipe! Is there any way that I can make it low sugar and baby friendly? Maybe using apple puree or sauce? I know my 1 year old would love it too! Thank you!
Hi Jen, that would take some testing, but let us know what you try!