This Pumpkin Cake is easy to make, moist, and delicious – the perfect fall treat! Topped with the best cream cheese frosting, you won’t be able to resist this amazing pumpkin spice cake.
I just couldn’t resist giving you one last pumpkin treat!
Baking is a huge hit in my house every single time. Any time I suggest to my kids that we make muffins, cookies, or bread together, their faces light up. This is especially true if it is for a special occasion.
Baking to celebrate is like a magic wand spreading happiness.
That is, perhaps, one of the magical qualities of this great Pumpkin Pie Cake. It is an fast to make cake that tastes just like your favorite Thanksgiving pie. This is a perfect recipe to make with the kids, especially given how easily it comes together.
This is the perfect cake to make for holidays, but will bring smiles to any fall weekend baking.
This is the perfect fall treat. I am making it (due to high demand) as a birthday cake for a coworker. The frosting is amazing! Another wonderful recipe Lisa!
How to Make Pumpkin Cake
This cake comes together in about 20 minutes. Here is a brief overview so you can see what a no fuss recipe it is. Make sure to grab the full instructions and measurements in the recipe card below.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices.
- In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients – eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and vegetable oil – until smooth.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Pour into a prepared baking dish and bake.
Using Pumpkin Spice
If you would like, you can replace the spices in this recipe with Pumpkin Pie Spice. You will need 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice to replace the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
Trouble Shooting this Pumpkin Spice Cake
Measuring Flour
When you measure the flour for this cake recipe, make sure to scoop the flour from the bag into a dry measuring cup and then level it off with the flat edge of a spatula.
Scooping directly from the bag will result in the flour packing. This can lead to up to 25% more flour in your recipe and a dry cake that no one likes.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Baking Soda and Baking Powder that are still reactive are key to a making a baking recipe work. They should be replaced in your cabinet every six months.
If you are like me, you definitely don’t do that. They are easy to test to make sure that they still work for your recipes though.
- Baking Soda: To test the reactivity of your baking soda, drop a little in some vinegar. It should bubble immediately.
- Baking Powder: To test the reactivity of your baking powder, drop a little in some water. It should bubble immediately.
Sifting Dry Ingredients
I recommend sifting the dry ingredients in this recipe. It will add about 2 minutes to your cake making time, and it means that no one will get an entire bite full of cloves. Because of the number of spices in this recipe, I think sifting is a really great safeguard to make sure everything gets distributed evenly.
Pumpkin Puree vs. Pumpkin Pie Filling
Pumpkin Puree and Pumpkin Pie Filling both come in cans and are found in the baking aisle of grocery stores in the United States. They are not the same thing though.
Pumpkin puree is what we are using in this recipe. Made from baking pumpkins and containing 100% pumpkin, that is what you will want to use when making this pumpkin cake. Double check which can you pick up for ultimate success with this recipe.
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I really believe that it is the cream cheese frosting that pulls this recipe together. I’m a frosting girl through and through, and the cream cheese frosting on top of this case is one of my favorites.
Recommended Tools
Here are some of my favorite baking tools. They come in handy in this recipe.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowls: In reality, I should have two sets of these (especially the biggest one) because they are used multiple times a day in my house.
- Measuring Spoons: Perfect for a recipe that calls for lots of teaspoons and tablespoons, I love these because they are double sided.
- Strainer: This is perfect for quickly sifting your dry ingredients.
- Hand Mixer: For quick cakes like this one, I don’t like to break out my big stand mixer. This little hand mixer does the trick perfectly.
Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar scooped into the measuring cup with a spoon and leveled off
- 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. For best results, sift the dry ingredients to fully combine. Read more about sifting here.
- In a smaller bowl mix together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and sugar. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until completely smooth.
- Pour in the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool compltely before frosting.
- To make frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until full combined. Then beat in the vanilla.
- Smooth the frosting over the cake with an offset spatula. Cut and serve.
Donna L Rogers says
I am so glad that I bought more canned pumpkin today, have to make this Pumpkin cake! And then try the fudge!
Heather says
This is a hit, the recipe is Both easy to make & delicious! My bf loved it, even brought a couple plates of it up north & before he unpacked his friends had eaten most of it😂. I shared some w/ my neighbor & her daughter & an hour later they called me to get the recipie. If your not a fan of pumpkin pie, I urge you to try this recipie.
I’m so happy you and your crew loved it!
Cheryl Smith says
This is the perfect fall treat. I am making it (due to high demand) as a birthday cake for a coworker. The frosting is amazing! Another wonderful recipe Lisa!
I’m so happy to hear that, Cheryl!