This moist pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting is a simple but delicious cake, perfect for fall and pumpkin season.
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👩🏻🍳 About This Recipe
I tend to spend a few select months every year consuming pumpkin spice everything, and so, naturally, I had to try to make a cake with pumpkin spice eventually.
Cake ingredients are combined with canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to make what I now deem to be one of my favorite cakes ever. The cake is topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting, which is undoubtedly the best type of frosting!
If you're looking for more autumnal cake recipes, you should check out Crock Pot Pumpkin Cake, Norwegian Apple Cake or Apple Butter Gingerbread Loaf with Apple Butter Cream Cheese Spread.
Or make this elegant and delicious Bundt Spice Cake, with an amazing brown butter cream cheese icing.
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- All purpose flour - White flour serves as the base of the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda - These rising agents work together to ensure that the cake has the perfect rise.
- Pumpkin pie spice - You can use a store bought version or my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Vegetable oil - Adding oil to cake makes it super moist!
- Eggs - The eggs binds the other ingredients together, and improve the texture of the cake.
- Sugar - Because cakes should be sweet.
- Pumpkin puree - I use canned pumpkin puree for the sake of convenience, but you can make your own if you prefer!
- Butter - Butter makes the BEST frosting. Use real butter, rather than alternative spreads for the best results.
- Cream cheese - Full fat cream cheese is an essential part of a cream cheese frosting (it's kinda in the name!).
- Powdered sugar - Gives the frosting the right texture and sweetness.
🔪 Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F / 180 °C, and cover a square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
- In a second bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin puree. Whisk until the ingredients are just combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and use a whisk or spatula to gently blend the ingredients together.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan, and transfer it to an oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to rest for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack and allow it to cool down completely.
- Make the frosting by combining slightly softened butter with cream cheese and powdered sugar. I recommend using an electric whisk to make the frosting completely smooth.
- Spread the frosting across the cake, and cut it into 20 small squares. Store the cake in a refrigerator until it's ready to serve.
👪 FAQs
Yes. You can use store bought pumpkin puree, or make homemade pureed pumpkin or butternut squash.
Absolutely. You can freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Defrost it in a refrigerator overnight before serving.
Yes. This cake tastes just as good without any frosting.
If you love this cake, you'll also love this pumpkin bread with vanilla pudding. It's so delicious, even people who generally don't like pumpkin bread will devour this version!
📖 Variations
- Add extra add-ins such as chocolate chips or raisins to the cake batter before you cook the cake if you want. They add that little something extra to the pumpkin dessert!
- You can add a few drops of a flavor essence of your choice to the frosting to give it a little flavor, or use a different frosting if you wish. Caramel, toffee, chocolate or coffee frosting would suit this cake particularly well.
- If you don't have any pumpkin pie spice, you can use cinnamon or gingerbread spice instead.
- Want to decorate the cakes? Scatter small pieces of Oven Dried Blueberries or Microwave Pumpkin Fudge for an impressive look and fantastic flavor.
🍫 Suggested Serving Companions
What do you serve with this cake? More cake! Hot chocolate! This dish makes for an excellent dessert, but I like to serve a slice or two with a cup of coffee as a late night treat.
I also like to serve it with a small jug of Chocolate Sauce on the side. This simple sauce is perfect to serve over the cake if you have a sweet tooth.
🍶 More Dessert Recipes
Here are some other delicious dessert recipes worth checking out:
If you like baking with pumpkin spice, you'll love this delicious vegan pumpkin bread recipe! It's delicious and the texture is tender and moist. You'll love it!
Or check out this German hazelnut pound cake for a quick and easy dessert that will stay fresh for a long time! No frosting needed. (But if you love frosting, it is even more delicious when frosted!)
And here's an amazing pumpkin dessert that is perfect for fall, or even for Thanksgiving as an alternative to pumpkin pie! Check out this delicious pumpkin bread pudding, complete with a scrumptious brown sugar sauce!
If you loved this recipe, make sure to let me know by commenting below and giving it 5 stars!
📋 Recipe Card
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Cake
Equipment
- Whisk
- Bowl
- Cake pan
Ingredients
Pumpkin spice cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream cheese frosting
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese (at room temperature)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar (or until desired consistency)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F / 180 °C and cover a 9x13 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- In a second bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin puree. Whisk until the ingredients are just combined.1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and use a whisk or spatula to gently blend the ingredients together.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan, and transfer it to an oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to rest for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack and allow it to cool down completely.
- Make the frosting by combining slightly softened butter with cream cheese and powdered sugar. I recommend using an electric whisk to make the frosting completely smooth.1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, ½ cup unsalted butter, 2 ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread the frosting across the top of the cake, and cut it into 20 small squares. Store the cake in a refrigerator until it's ready to serve.
Notes
- You can mix in chocolate chips or raisins to the cake batter before you cook the cake.
- Add a few drops of a flavor essence of your choice to the frosting or use a different frosting, such as caramel, toffee, chocolate, or coffee frosting.
- You can substitute cinnamon or gingerbread spice for the pumpkin pie spice.
- If desired, garnish with small pieces of Oven Dried Blueberries or Microwave Pumpkin Fudge.
- This is a moist, dense pumpkin cake, and pan size will affect both bake time and thickness.
- 8x8-inch pan: Produces a thicker cake. Fill pan no more than about ¾ full and bake 35-45 minutes, checking the center with a toothpick. If the top is browning before the center is set, loosely tent with foil and continue baking until done.
- 9x9-inch pan: Produces a slightly thicker cake. Bake 30-35 minutes and test the center for doneness.
- 9x13-inch pan: Produces a thinner cake that bakes more evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Oven temperatures and pan materials can vary, so always rely on visual cues and doneness tests rather than time alone.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Tonje is the owner of Hintofhealthy.com, where she shares easy and healthy everyday recipes. Follow her on Facebook or Instagram for more family friendly meal inspiration.
DebraC says
This cake will not be cooked through if you use a 8 x 8 pan (8 cups) and bake for 35 minutes. I haven't tried it in a 9 x 9 ( 8 to 10 cups) but it has a greater chance of success because it has 2 more cups capacity than the 8 x 8. I believe though, if you look at the photographs they've used a 9 x 13 pan. A 9 x 13 will hold 14 to 16 cups. When you consider they're saying it serves 20 in a 9 x 13 pan which would give you twenty 2" x 3.25" pieces of cake. To get 20 serving out of an 8 x 8 pan (if it indeed did cook completely) 20 serving would be 1.5" x 2". Again reference the photographs to see what the serving size reflects. The cake is tasty, just use the correct pan size for a successful outcome. I rated the recipe as one star because the directions aren't correct. Not everyone reads the comments. I'd be happy to change my rating if they correct the recipe.
Kristin King says
Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback. Pumpkin cakes are naturally dense and moist, and pan size does make a big difference in how evenly they bake. I’ve updated the recipe to specify a 9x13 pan and also to include clearer guidance for 8x8, 9x9, and 9x13 pans, along with adjusted bake times and doneness tips, so readers can choose the option that works best for them. I appreciate you flagging this, and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor of the cake.
Sylvia J. Smith says
Very good!
Kristin King says
Yay! So glad to hear it! We love this one too. 🙂
Debra W. says
So moist and delicious, substituted applesauce for vegetable oil!
Kristin King says
Yum! I love the applesauce substitution. Thanks for the great idea!
Geri Gresl says
Is it possible, this is to be a 9x13 pan?? I used the 8x8 as listed, but it took forever to bake, and the center puffed up really high,, and I'm not even sure it ever baked all the way through (in the center area). I've seen similar recipes, using a 9x13. Thanks!
Kristin King says
Hi! Yes, I imagine you can make it in a 9x13 pan. I haven't done it myself so I don't have a recommendation on how to adjust the bake time, but keep and eye on it so it doesn't get overdone. Enjoy!
Linda says
What size pan do you use.
Kristin says
Hi Linda! Sorry about that, it's an 8x8 pan. I will fix it in the recipe. Thanks so much for bringing it to our attention! 🙂
Emily Liao says
This pumpkin spice cake was so easy! Loved the texture and flavor.
Cindy says
This was so delicious. I made it today! It was approved by my entire family! I am adding it to the dessert rotation! YUMMMM
Kristin says
Yay! So glad to hear it! Thanks, Cindy!
Tara says
Such a wonderful cake for the season! I love that color and it looks amazing paired with the cream cheese frosting. Yum!
Kristin says
This is even great for Thanksgiving dessert. I am going to make this plus a pumpkin pie so my cake-lover guests are just as happy as my pie-lover guests!
Alison says
This pumpkin cake looks so light and fluffy. Paired with cream cheese frosting, it's absolutely devine!
Kristin says
Thanks! They really are perfect together. I could honestly eat the whole cake myself! 🙂
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
This cake looks perfect - a rich slab with a good portion of frosting on top!
Kristin says
Thanks, Amanda! (For me, the frosting is kind of the best part! LOL)