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Easy pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, made with pumpkin purée and warm fall spices in a moist 9 x 13-inch cake.

Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This easy pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting is a rich, moist fall dessert filled with pumpkin, brown sugar and warm autumn spices. The cake stays wonderfully soft thanks to pumpkin purée, oil and a little melted butter, while cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and optional cardamom give every bite plenty of cozy flavour. A generous layer of less-sweet cream cheese frosting makes this simple 9 x 13 pumpkin cake especially good for Thanksgiving, fall parties or an easy family dessert.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 424 kcal

Equipment

  • 9 × 13-inch baking pan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Electric mixer
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Offset spatula
  • wire cooling rack

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Spice Cake

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
  • 4 eggs large, room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 15 oz pure pumpkin purée
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 12 oz cream cheese full-fat brick-style, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 1/4 cups icing sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
  • Ground cinnamon optional for garnish

Instructions
 

Make the Pumpkin Cake

  • Heat the oven.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper for easier removal.

Mix the dry ingredients.

  • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and optional cardamom to a medium bowl. Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed through the flour.

Whisk the eggs and sugars.

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture looks smooth and well blended.

Add the pumpkin and fats.

  • Pour in the oil and melted butter, then add the pumpkin purée and vanilla. Whisk until everything is evenly combined and the batter has a rich orange colour.

Finish the batter.

  • Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry patches of flour remain.
  • Try not to keep stirring once the batter comes together. Overmixing can make a pumpkin cake heavier instead of soft and tender.

Bake.

  • Spread the pumpkin cake batter evenly in the prepared pan.
  • Place the pan in the oven and immediately lower the temperature from 400°F to 350°F.
  • Bake for approximately 32–38 minutes, or until the centre of the cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few soft crumbs attached.

Cool completely.

  • Set the pan on a wire rack and let the pumpkin cake cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until creamy.
  • Add the softened cream cheese and mix just until smooth.
  • Gradually beat in the icing sugar.
  • Add the vanilla and a small pinch of salt. Mix until the frosting is thick, smooth and easy to spread.
  • If the frosting seems unusually firm, add up to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Add it slowly—you may not need it.
  • Spread the cream cheese frosting generously over the cooled pumpkin cake.
  • Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to make soft swirls across the top. Finish with a light sprinkle of cinnamon if you like.

    • Best Tip for a Moist Pumpkin Cake

    For the best moist pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, do not overbake it. Start checking the centre a few minutes early and remove the cake when a toothpick comes out with a few soft crumbs rather than wet batter. Pumpkin cakes continue to set as they cool, and this helps keep the crumb soft, tender and moist instead of dry.

Notes

  • Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, for the best moist pumpkin cake texture and flavour.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F, then lower it to 350°F when the pumpkin cake goes in.
  • Do not overmix the batter once the flour is added. Mix just until combined for a softer pumpkin spice cake.
  • Use room-temperature eggs so the batter blends more evenly.
  • The optional cardamom adds a subtle warm spice that pairs really well with pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for a thick, creamy frosting that holds its shape.
  • The extra cream cheese makes this cream cheese frosting less sweet while still giving you plenty to spread over the cake.
  • Let the cake cool completely before frosting or the cream cheese topping may soften too much.
  • For clean slices, chill the frosted 9 x 13 pumpkin cake for about 20–30 minutes before cutting.
  • Store leftover pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 6gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 411mgPotassium: 134mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 1232IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cream cheese frosted pumpkin cake, easy pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, homemade pumpkin cake, moist pumpkin cake, pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin spice cake with cardamom, recipe
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