Best Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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This is the best pumpkin cake recipe I’ve ever eaten. It’s moist with a beautiful crumb, an amazing texture, and the perfect amount of fall spices. This pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting is easy to make with simple ingredients, and will become your favorite fall dessert!ย 

front photo of a piece of Pumpkin Spice Cake on a plate with a bite taken out of it

This Pumpkin Cake recipe is seriously the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. Even the hesitant pumpkin eaters in my family devour this cake, exclaiming with every bite how incredibly delicious it is. 

This pumpkin spice cake is moist with a beautiful crumb, an amazing texture, and the perfect amount of fall spices. It’s topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting, which takes it over the top to make it completely irresistible.

Plus, this pumpkin cake is easy to make with simple ingredients and no mixer required. It’s my favorite recipe creation to come out of my kitchen this year, and it’s certain to become your favorite fall dessert!ย 

Overhead view of a Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese frosting cut into 12 pieces

Pumpkin Cake Recipe: Ingredients

I wanted to create a pumpkin cake with simple ingredients (i.e. no buttermilk because I never have it in my fridge) that tasted out of this world delicious, and I totally hit it out of the park with this one. I worked hard on this recipe, so I recommend making it exactly as written, however we’ll talk about the ingredients and possible substitutions.

overhead view of the labeled ingredients in this Pumpkin Cake recipe
  • Pumpkin Puree.ย canned or fresh both work welll.
  • Salted Butter. unsalted butter, coconut oil or ghee are all good substitutes.
  • Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the richest taste and best texture, however low fat can be used, or plain Greek yogurt. 
  • Whole milk.ย half and half or 2% milk are acceptable substitutions.
  • Granulated sugar.ย Organic cane sugar and white sugar both work well.
  • Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
  • All-purpose flour.ย I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make this pumpkin spice cake.ย 
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you’d like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, follow this recipe: homemade pumpkin pie spice. Then, use 2 tsp of the mixture (and use the rest in some of our other pumpkin recipes like pumpkin pie, Pumpkin baked oatmeal, pumpkin bread, etc.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the best cream cheese frosting ever. I don’t recommend making any substitutions, except you can use unsalted butter in place of salted butter.

overhead view of a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting with one piece turned so you can see the texture inside

How to Make Pumpkin Cake from Scratch

This pumpkin cake recipe is easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’ forget to watch the video! 

Being by mixing together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

two overhead photos showing how to make Pumpkin Cake

Then, in a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, sour cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla until mixture is smooth.

two overhead photos showing how to make Pumpkin Cake from scratch

Once the mixture is smooth, add granulated sugar and brown sugar and whisk until dissolved and there are no lumps. 

two overhead photos showing how to make Pumpkin Cake from scratch

Next, add dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps. 

two overhead photos showing how to make this Pumpkin Cake recipe

Bake and Cool

Pour pumpkin cake batter into a prepare pan. Bake in preheated oven until the top is lightly browned and puffed and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few wet crumbs. 

Transfer the cake pan to a wire cooling rack and let the pumpkin cake cool to room temperature.

two overhead photos showing how to make Pumpkin Cake

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.

Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat (starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high) until smooth.

Add remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until mixture is smooth and spreadable. You may need to pause and scrape down the sides and beat it again to incorporate all the powdered sugar.  

two overhead photos showing how to make cream cheese frosting for this Pumpkin Cake recipe

Frost & Chill

When the cake is cooled, spread frosting evenly over the top. Then, chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight. 

overhead photo of a Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese frosting

Serve

This pumpkin cake is best when serve cold or just below room temperature.

front photo of a piece of Pumpkin Cake being lifted out of the baking pan

Store

Store any leftover pumpkin cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Freeze

If you’d like to freeze this pumpkin cake, I recommend flash-freezing it so the frosting is hard before you try to put a lid over it or cover it with plastic wrap and tin foil. You can freeze a whole, baked cake or in individual slices for up to 2 months.

a piece of pumpkin cake on it's side with cream cheese frosting

Pumpkin Cake Recipe FAQs

Can I double this recipe or cut it in half?

Yes, you can double this recipe and bake it in two, 9×13″ pans. You can also cut it in half and bake it in a 9×9″ or 8×8″ pan.

Can I freeze pumpkin cake?

Yes! This cake freezes beautifully. Either freeze it whole or in pieces, just make sure to flash-freeze it before you cover it tightly with plastic wrap so the frosting doesn’t stick.

How do I substitute cake flour for all-purpose?

You can use cake flour in this recipe for an even more tender crumb. You will need to add an additional 2 TBS of cake flour for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

Can I make this recipe into cupcakes?

If you’re looking to make cupcakes, I suggest this Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe.

front view of a piece of Pumpkin Cake on a plate with cream cheese frosting

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Best Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Laura
This is the absolute best pumpkin cake recipe I’ve ever eaten. It’s moist with a beautiful crumb, amazing texture, and the perfect amount of fall spices. This pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting is easy to make with simple ingredients, and will become your favorite fall dessert!ย 
5 from 5 votes
Course cake, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 Servings
Calories 271
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chilling Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions 

Make the Pumpkin Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  • Grease a 9×13โ€ pan, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, sour cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla until mixture is smooth.
  • Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and whisk until dissolved and there are no lumps.
  • Add dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and puffed and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool to room temperature.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.
  • Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat (starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high) until smooth.
  • Add remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until mixture is smooth and spreadable. You may need to pause and scrape down the sides and beat it again to incorporate all the powdered sugar.

Assemble, Chill & Serve

  • When the cake is cooled, spread frosting evenly over the top.
  • Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Then serve cold or at room temperature.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Pumpkin Puree.ย I use canned pumpkin puree, but homemade puree works great.
  • Salted Butter. unsalted butter can be used.ย 
  • Sour cream.ย I recommend full-fat sour cream for the richest taste and best texture, however low fat can be used, or plain Greek yogurt.ย 
  • Whole milk.ย  You can substitute half and half if necessary, and you couldย use 2% milk, but nothing lower in fat content.ย 
  • Egg.ย ย I have not made this recipe with an egg substitute, so if you do let me know in the comments below!
  • Granulated sugar.ย I usually use organic cane sugar, but regular granulated sugar works great.
  • Brown Sugar.ย If you like a little bolder, molasses taste then you can use dark brown sugar.
  • All-purpose flour.ย I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make this pumpkin spice cake.ย 
  • Cinnamon.ย Choose your favorite ground cinnamon. The higher the quality, the better it will taste!
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice.ย Use store bought or make your own with this recipe:ย 
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Use this recipe to make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice!ย 
Or, to make only 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice combine:ย 
  • 1 ยฝ tsp cinnamon
  • ยฝ tsp nutmeg
  • ยฝ tsp cloves
  • ยฝ tsp allspice
Store
Store any leftover pumpkin cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.ย 
To Freeze
If you’d like to freeze this pumpkin cake, I recommend flash-freezing it so the frosting is hard before you try to put a lid over it or cover it with plastic wrap and tin foil. You can freeze a whole, baked cake or in individual slices for up to 2 months.
To make Cupcakes use this Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 3172IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This looks fabulous! Forgive me if you mentioned it somewhere, but what did you use to lightly dust the top of the frosting? Is that just cinnamon or is it pumpkin spice mix? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely perfect cake! I made mine with freshly roasted pumpkin that I had purรฉed, and it was just divine. The cake is not too sweet, and so moist! The cream cheese frosting was the perfect compliment, Iโ€™ve added this to my recipe box โ€” to be made again in the near future!