My tender Pumpkin Spice Cake is SO easy, moist, full of rich autumn flavor and is topped with thick, fluffy swirls of cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin spice cake is a delightful, moist dessert perfect for any fall occasion.It’s got a lot going for it:
- It’s uses an easy pumpkin bread method (so no creaming).
- Incredible with or without cream cheese frosting!
Here’s What You Need
It’s a pretty low-maintenance recipe. There’s not a boatload of ingredients, which I love. For an even simpler recipe, try my Pumpkin Dump Cake (with yellow cake mix)!
Pumpkin Spice Cake Ingredients
Full recipe quantities listed in the recipe card.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
- Vegetable oil
- Packed brown sugar
- Eggs
Variations and Substitutions
- Stir in ½ cup nuts or chocolate chips
- Use pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices, or add some nutmeg and/or allspice if you want a stronger spice profile.
- Swap cream cheese icing with my easy vanilla frosting, or just dust the cake with powdered sugar.
- Vegan: Try one of my egg substitutes.
- Want a layer cake? Double the recipe to make 2 layers. Double the cream cheese frosting, too.
Grab These Tools
- 9×2″ round cake pan
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk and spatula
- Cooling rack
- Stand mixer (optional)
Have you tried my philadelphia cream cheese pumpkin cheesecake bars yet?
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cake
Preheat and Prepare
Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×2″ round pan.
Combine Dry
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Mix Wet Ingredients
Whisk pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
Bring Together
Fold wet into dry with a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.
Bake
Spread in pan. Bake 35–45 minutes, until top springs back and a tester shows a few moist crumbs.
Cool
Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out to a rack. Cool completely before frosting or slicing.
If you love pumpkin cakes, try my pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin bread with buttermilk and my pumpkin roll cake, too.
4 Common Mistakes When Making Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipes
- Overmixing the batter: this can make a rubbery or dense cake.
- Skipping pan prep: as a moist cake, use parchment paper or cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Opening the oven repeatedly: this can make the cake fall.
- Frosting before the cake is cool: the butter melts and the icing slides right off.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Bake up to 2 days ahead; wrap tightly when cool.
- Room temp: Unfrosted keeps up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Frosted keeps up to 5 days.
Freezing
Wrap cooled cake in plastic and foil; freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature.
FAQs About Pumpkin Spice Cake
Overmixing develops gluten and reduces lift. Also check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and measured correctly. Mix just until combined.
Yes. Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend in place of all-purpose flour and bake to the same doneness cues.
The top should spring back lightly when pressed, and a toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs—not wet batter.
You can reduce by about ¼ cup without big texture changes. Remember sugar also adds moisture and tenderness, so avoid larger cuts.
Other Cozy Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- My caramel apple cake is pretty dreamy.
- Here’s a delicious pumpkin banana bread that’ll be your new obsession.
- Make sweet potato cupcakes with toasted marshmallow frosting.
- This is the best recipe for soft carrot cake with a classic cream cheese frosting.
- Nothing beats the taste of perfect moist chocolate cake or moist vanilla cake recipe!!
Pumpkin Spice Cake (with Cream Cheese Frosting)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 batch cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×2″ round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and eggs.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, then add pumpkin mixture and gently fold together with a flexible spatula until just combined. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until top springs back when gently pressed and tester inserted in the centre comes out nearly clean (a few moist crumbs are ok).
- Cool for 10 minutes in pan before inverting on a wire rack to finish cooling completely prior to frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
