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
Can I use my kitchen aid stand mixer to whip ingredients?
Hi Melody! We find it’s easy to over-mix this batter if using a mixer. If you do, be very careful to just mix until combined.
Can I use butter instead of oil??
Hi Maria, We recommend sticking with oil in this recipe for the best texture – using butter would result in a more dry cake.
I’m curious if I’m going to make a three tiered cake using this recipe. Is it too moist for that? Obviously will be putting support rods. Or would you say your cupcake recipe is better for stacking?
Hi Mike, This should work great for a tiered cake. Let us know how it turns out!
Can I add chocolate chips to this
Hi Terri, Yes you can! We suggest between 1 and 1.5 cups of chocolate chips with no other changes to the recipe.
Thanks!! Your recipes are always the best!
OMG best pumpkin cake ever…thank you
Hi Sally,
I plan to make 3 cakes in total to drop off at my clinic sites, what adjustments would you make if I were to use a throw-away foil pan?
Hi Helen, you can adjust the baking time for smaller pans. We’re not sure of the exact baking time, as it will depend on the size, but it will be shorter. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Otherwise, no other adjustments are needed.
OMG this was the best pumpkin cake hands down..I made it during the week just craving something pumpkin, my niece came over and couldnt stay out of it…the cake was gone in two days..she had me make another to take in to work.l did use store icing but jazzed it up..overall amazing!!!
I can’t wait to make this recipe. Do you happen to know if it will work with 1 to 1 all purpose gluten free flour? Thank you.
Hi Bernadette, we haven’t tried it ourselves, so we’re unsure of the outcome using a 1:1 gluten-free flour. If you give us a try, we’d love to know how it goes!
this cake was really, REALLY good but mine just turned into… pie? the toothpick came out clean even tho it seemed super soft and i did a cream cheese frosting and it has the texture of pie.
How can I convert the baking time and temperature for 6in round pans? Thanks
Hi Tess, our pumpkin cupcakes recipe makes the perfect amount for a three layer 6 inch cake. You can use our 6 inch cakes post as a guide for baking times. Enjoy!
Looks like a great recipe! Do you find that the cake is as moist when baked in 2 layers rather than 1 layer? Thanks in advance!
Hi Laura, absolutely — equally as moist and delicious!
Made this cake followed the recipe exactly,baked for 30mins but was not real real moist ,where did I fail,should I have added the pumpkin spice to this , next time maybe bake for 28 mins.
Hi Mary! The most common culprit for dry cakes is simple over-baking. All ovens are different so make sure to check on your cake to ensure it isn’t baking too quickly. Also always be careful to spoon and level your flour when measuring to avoid packing too much in – this can also lead to a dry cake. Hope this helps!
Love your recipes! Can I use this cake recipe to make a 4 layer cake? Is it dense enough to hold up?
Hi Ella! This cake would work best as a two layer cake – see recipe note for details, we’re unsure about 4 layers but let us know if you try it!
Hello.. This recipe looks wonderful .. I see you made adjustment to make for cupcakes .. any way you could increase to make for 12×18 pan? I think the pan holds 16 cups of batter. Making for church event.
Hi Sarah! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. Hope it’s a hit!
Hi Sally,
I have several frozen bags of pumpkin purée in my freezer from last year. Will they still be good to use or should I use canned pumpkin purée?
Hi Nancy, Pumpkin puree is usually best in the freezer for up to 3 months. You may wish to start with a fresh can.
Hi Nancy,
I just used 5 year old pumpkin puree from my freezer and it was great! (One year I went a little pumpkin crazy…) I just make sure all the air is out the bag when freezing. It’s one of the few things that doesn’t seem to get freezer bunt for me.
I love this recipe so much, as do my coworkers and my boyfriend! This year I subbed out half of the allspice for 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, it was subtle but delicious. I, also, made a brown butter butter cream (with a touch of cardamom as well) and toasted pistachios it was mind blowing!
The brown butter added a really nice contrast to the cake and took away the issue I have with most frostings being overly sweet. This cake remains my favorite cake to both eat and make 🙂
Having never made a cake from scratch before, I tried this one and it came out perfectly!
I am 5843ft above sea level, I did not change a thing and it was perfect.
My roommate who is extremely picky and brutally honest said this one was a huge win, and ate almost the whole thing over the past few days!
Can I use olive oil instead of canola?
Hi Mary, you can in a pinch, but since it’s not as neutral as canola oil it may leave a slightly different taste in the cake.
Thank You for this explanation
Can I make these into cupcakes? Thank you!
This pumpkin cake was excellent. Easy to make I followed the recipe exactly as written. My husband could not stop raving about it. Very moist and delicious.
Okay, so my crazy question. Can you make this without cinnamon and spices? I would love to use pumpkin to make the cake moist, but I don’t want a spice cake, I want a vanilla cake. Thoughts?
Hi Jenn, you can omit the spices if you’d like, but the cake will still have a prominent pumpkin flavor. For a moist vanilla cake, we’d recommend our best vanilla cake instead. Hope this helps!
Thank you for the quick reply! I actually like the sweet pumpkin flavor!
I love all your pumpkin recipes, but was curious if I can substitute coconut oil for the vegetable oil?
Hi Natasha, sure can! Melted coconut oil is a wonderful replacement for the vegetable oil here.
I recently made this cake and it turned out awesome! Everyone loved it. So easy and it looks lovely too. 🙂
This cake is super yummy. It is moist, tasty, and fairly easy to make. I made it recently and caught my husband in the kitchen eating it directly from the pan, after he’d scarfed down about a third of the entire cake. LOL
I made this for a small dinner party this weekend and it was a delicious hit! I used two round cake pans. 25 minutes in the oven was perfect. After frosting the cake, I decorated it with several marigolds and a squash flower from my garden. I find with cream cheese frosting the secret is to beat the heck out of it until it’s light and fluffy. I’ll definitely make this cake again!
Will canned pumpkin work verses canned pumpkin puree?
Hi Debbie, you’ll want canned pumpkin puree here that is 100% pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling has other added ingredients that change the taste and texture of the mixture.
Can I use this recipe to make pumpkin donuts?
Hi Debbie, we have a great recipe for pumpkin donuts.
Thank you kindly. Can’t wait to try. My grandchildren love pumpkin donuts.
Hi, can you explain why there is so much leavening in the recipe? (Seems like a lot of baking soda?)
Absolutely! Pumpkin is a very heavy ingredient and this is a very thick batter. To lift the dense batter into a cake-like texture, you need enough leavening. I wouldn’t reduce the baking soda but if you’re concerned about the amount of leavener, feel free to slightly reduce the baking powder.
Such a great recipe. The cake came out so moist. I halved the recipe and I used an 8 in cake pan. My total cook time was 37 minutes. I also used my own pumpkin purée, and it was incredible.
Hi Yvonne, We are so glad you loved this!
Any change in the recipe for high altitude (4,500’)?
Cindy
Hi Cindy, We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. We know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I followed it exactly other than cutting the sugar in the cake down by 1/3, I always do that, we are at 7800’ and it came out perfect. Literally everyone was asking for the recipe.