Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The best ever Pumpkin Cake is tender, moist, wonderfully delicious and fall-spiced! Topped with cream cheese frosting, this cake is a crowd favorite!

this recipe

Welcome to the BEST ever Pumpkin Cake! Truly, in our household, this pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting has been in our dreams, at the top of everyone’s fall desserts’ list, and requested to be made over and over.

IT’S THAT GOOD.

Tender ‘n moist, this Pumpkin Cake is a decadent fall dessert packed with pumpkin spice flavor, topped with velvety cream cheese frosting.

Learn how to make a pumpkin cake with me in simple, easy steps with photos (woohoo!). This fall dessert recipe is one of my family’s very favorites and one you’ll be making time and time again!

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Why is this the best pumpkin cake recipe ever? Allow me to sing its well-earned praises! 😉

• Wonderfully moist: the best ever pumpkin cake is supremely moist, yet cooked precisely–a combo that’s hard to find. You won’t be finding any dry crumbs here, but actually deliciously moist cake that’s still airy.
• Fluffy, tender crumb: This springy pumpkin cake bounces back at your touch, so it’s fluffy and tender while still have that satisfying weight and texture of pumpkin
• Perfectly spiced: Having made pumpkin desserts for over a decade, I’m a spice expert in all things pumpkin. You won’t find my spices overwhelming, but rather, enhancing one of the best ingredients of all time: pumpkin.
• Topped with the best ever frosting: this pumpkin cake is taken to the next level with velvety creamy cheese frosting that’s just the right amount of sweet and tangy for the perfect pairing with spiced pumpkin cake

Pumpkin Cake Ingredients

• Pumpkin: We’ll use the entire 15-oz can of pumpkin puree to make things easy. Skip using pumpkin pie filling or fresh pumpkin puree, which tends to be overly moist.
• Sugar: with granulated sugar and light brown sugar, we’ll achieve a warm, molasses-tinted flavor that’s not too heavy
• Oil
• Eggs: No need to worry about making these eggs room temperature, they’re fine to use straight out of the fridge
• Flour: basic all purpose flour is all we need for this cake recipe
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Spices: by using both ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, we’ll have the best balance of flavors to enhance this pumpkin cake
• Salt

How to Make a Pumpkin Cake

First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly greased foil.

Add all wet ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together: pumpkin, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, oil, and eggs.

Next, add the dry ingredients into a separate, large bowl: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well mixed.

Transfer the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl, scraping clean the bowl. Stir until well combined.

Now, pour the pumpkin cake batter into the lined baking pan. Spread batter into an even layer.

Bake for around 32 minutes, until the pumpkin cake is springy in the center and a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

Transfer the cake in the pan onto a cooling rack. Cool about 2 hours or until completely cool.

In the last 20-30 minutes of cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. Frost the cooled cake. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, then slice into 9-16 squares.

Does Pumpkin Cake Need To Be Refrigerated?

Yes, since we are making our pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, it is required to store this cake in the refrigerator. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

For room temperature, you can keep the pumpkin cake at room temp for up to 2 hours.

What Frosting to Use on Pumpkin Cake?

I love making this incredible pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting! My cream cheese frosting recipe is made with just 3 ingredients and yields silky, creamy, and thick frosting that complements this pumpkin spice cake so well.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cake

• Don’t overwork the batter: When combining wet and dry ingredients, simply stir together until combined and no flour clumps remain. Overworking the cake batter will yield tough, gummy cake.
• Go easy on yourself: baking can be pretty intimidating at first, but the more you do it, it more natural it’ll get. It’s not meant to be perfect; it’s meant to be tasty (and fun)!
• Cool the cake completely before frosting. This will ensure that the cake doesn’t crumble under the pressure of spreading frosting and that the frosting doesn’t melt! Test for coolness by lifting the cake carefully out of the pan and holding a hand to the bottom center of the cake. If it’s cool there, you’re good to go.
• Tip! To cool the cake quickly, allow to first cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Then, place in the refrigerator until chilled throughout.
• For cleaner slicing, cool the pumpkin cake completely, frost, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Slice with a clean knife with a serrated edge, then wipe off on a kitchen towel completely before each slice.

Tools You Need

• Hand mixer
• Whisk attachment
• Mixing bowls

Want More?

For more delicious recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it!

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

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