Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake is soft, spiced, and ready in one bowl with no mixer needed. This easy cake stays moist for a full week and makes any fall gathering feel special.

Here is an incredibly easy fall cake that is moist and fluffy! This cake is filled with warm fall spices and is perfectly pumpkin. The olive oil and pumpkin puree create a tender crumb that just melts in your mouth! It’s an excellent addition to any dinner party, date night, or Thanksgiving. 

I hope this inspires you to make pumpkin everything this year! Fall baking is some of the best baking! Looking for another easy pumpkin dessert? Be sure to try this easy pumpkin dump cake recipe or pumpkin coffee cake! For a more fun and extravagant dessert, make this pumpkin spice bundt cake in your most ornate fall bundt pan! 

Ingredients & Substitutions

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• Olive Oil: Olive oil is a key ingredient in this cake’s flavor profile. Use an extra virgin olive oil that you love. If it is bitter, that flavor will be imparted on the cake. To be honest, Kosterina makes excellent everyday olive oil that is perfect in this cake or these olive oil chocolate chip cookies. 
• Eggs: The eggs help emulsify everything together in this cake, from the olive oil to the pumpkin puree. 
• Pumpkin Puree: I use Libby’s pumpkin puree because it is consistent. Use whichever brand you prefer. Just be sure to grab pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Make sure you grab a couple cans so you can make this layered pumpkin cake as well!
• Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar adds moisture and a slight molasses flavor to the cake. You can substitute dark brown sugar or use all granulated sugar. 
• Pumpkin Spice Mix: My pumpkin spice mix recipe is fine-tuned to perfectly spice this cake as well as it does in this easy pumpkin pie and this pumpkin spice oatmeal. It is made with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and I like to make large batches and put in everything in the fall.
• All-Purpose Flour: I use all-purpose flour because it has enough gluten to create a strong enough structure for all the liquids in this recipe, including the olive oil! I have also made it several times with gluten free flour. 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations for Pumpkin Spice Olive Oil Cake 

• Add a topping! Top this cake with cream cheese buttercream frosting, marshmallow frosting, or spiced homemade whipped cream. You can also top with a maple glaze from this maple pound cake! 
• Make a layer cake or cupcakes! Double the recipe and make this a two-layer cake with cream cheese frosting or caramel swiss meringue buttercream perfect for Thanksgiving or fall birthdays. This cake is also perfect for cupcakes. 
• Make it with some mix-ins! Add some chopped toasted pecans, dried cranberries, or cherries! You can also add some chocolate! Since the cake is very loose, I would sprinkle the mix-ins on top or coat them in flour to keep them from sinking. If they do sink, you can serve it upside down!  

Professional Tips

• Ensure the cake is fully baked. Whether you are baking with convection or not, the baking time will differ with this cake. Baking without a fan, even at a higher temperature, will impact the bake time. 
• The color of your cake pan will also affect the baking time, so just watch, wait, and be patient! 
• Check your olive oil. Olive oil does go bad, especially in the warmer months. It can impart an off flavor and smell that will affect your cake. Make sure you smell and taste it before use. 
• Don’t overmix. Because the cake batter is so liquid, it is best to use a whisk, which can make it easier to overmix the cake. If your dry ingredients are particularly lumpy, you can sift them into the cake and stop mixing as soon as all the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

How to Make Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

Use these instructions to make the perfectly spiced pumpkin olive oil cake! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F convection (with the fan) or 375°F conventional. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and line a 9-inch round cake pan with a parchment paper circle. 

I trace an outline of my cake pan on the parchment paper and then cut out a circle within my Sharpie or pen marks. 

Step 2: Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice mix, and all-purpose flour; set aside (photo 1).

Step 3: Whisk wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until well combined (photo 2). 

For the best emulsion, whisk the eggs together and add the olive oil slowly, then whisk in the purée and sugars (photo 3).

Step 4: Combine. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until very few lumps remain. The batter is loose, so I find a whisk to be the best tool (photo 4). 

Step 5: Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula (photo 5). Then bake in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown and the center springs back when lightly pressed (photo 6). A toothpick, bamboo skewer, or metal cake tester should come out clean.

Like my lemon olive oil cake, it is essential that it is fully baked, or it will fall in the center. This cake is so moist that it is a bit delicate before the crumb sets while baking, so I do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes. 

Step 6: Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan to cool completely on a wire rack. I just cool mine upside down, but you can flip it using a second wire cooling rack or cake board (photo 7). I do not recommend trying to move the cake while it is hot. 

Recipe FAQs 

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this fall cake recipe. Check out our other pumpkin dessert recipes like this creamy pumpkin cheesecake or these healthy pumpkin muffins!