Pumpkin Cake with Frosting
An easy pumpkin cake made with a soft, fluffy pumpkin sheet cake, topped with a creamy pumpkin frosting. This is the perfect last-minute dessert: it comes together easily, with little effort, and packs warm fall flavors into every bite. Bring fall flavors into your home and enjoy the perfect pumpkin cake from scratch.
Ingredients
cake batter -
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup oil canola, light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
cream cheese frosting -
- 8 oz cream cheese room temp
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter room temp
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
- caramel to drizzle, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugars until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla, milk, and oil. On low speed, beat until combined.
- Sprinkle the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the egg mixture. Gently stir in the dry ingredients, then beat on low speed until combined.
- Transfer to the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven once slightly cooled, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spice until creamy.
- Pour in the heavy cream and beat on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate until the cake cools.
- Spread the frosting over the pumpkin cake. If desired, top with chopped nuts and drizzle with caramel.
Notes
- Choose the right pumpkin. Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling contains added sugar and spices that can affect the cake's flavor and texture.
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Let your refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature before mixing. This helps everything blend together evenly and creates a smoother, more consistent batter.
- Don’t overmix. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until combined. Overmixing can develop too much gluten and leave you with a dense cake instead of a light and fluffy one.
- Check for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake toward the end of the baking time. The cake is ready when the toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
- Store properly. Keep the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving for the best texture.
- Freeze for later. For best results, freeze the cake without frosting. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost before serving.