Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin cake is the recipe I turn to every fall when I want something that delivers real depth of spice without fuss. Two layers, one bowl for the batter, and a cinnamon cream cheese buttercream frosting that comes together in minutes.

Let’s make an easy pumpkin cake to celebrate the beginning of Fall. Yes, a whole cake to do the season justice! With its perfectly spiced, silky, and tangy cream cheese frosting layered around a soft, moist, tender cake, it is easily the best pumpkin cake ever.

A slice of this cake is a slice of all the cozy flavors of fall! Be sure to keep the autumnal charm going with my pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin olive oil cake, and Granny Kat’s pumpkin roll recipe!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Canola Oil: Oil keeps this cake tender at room temperature in a way that melted butter cannot, because it stays liquid once the cake cools. You can substitute any neutral oil or even coconut oil with minimal impact on flavor. You can also use melted butter but it will make the cake slightly less tender.
• Pumpkin Puree: This is the most critical ingredient in the cake, so it is worth being precise. Use canned pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix, which contains added sugar and spices that will throw off the balance. Homemade pumpkin puree varies too much in moisture content to be reliable here.
• Cream Cheese: Room temperature cream cheese is essential for a smooth, lump-free buttercream. Pull it out at least an hour before you start, because cold cream cheese will not fully incorporate no matter how long you beat it.
• Unsalted Butter: Room-temperature butter whips into the cream cheese, giving the frosting body and stability. Using unsalted butter lets you control the salt level in the finished frosting.
• Vanilla Extract: A small amount of vanilla rounds out the buttercream’s flavor without competing with the spiced cake underneath.

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

Variations on This Pumpkin Cake

• Change your frosting! You can top this cake with my caramel Swiss meringue buttercream, add cinnamon to my American buttercream, or use my Italian meringue buttercream.
• Make cupcakes or a three-layered cake. You can make these into 24 cupcakes or into a three-layered cake.
• Add a layer to the cake! Use the buttercream as a dam and add some salted maple caramel sauce, pumpkin butter, or cranberry sauce in between the layers!
• Soak the cake in flavored simple syrup. Make an easy, flavored simple syrup by bringing 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil. Allow this to infuse with whole spices or citrus rinds as it cools. Or add a splash of your favorite alcohol.

Professional Tips

• Do not open the oven early. This cake bakes at 350°F, and the center is delicate. Opening the oven before the 16-minute mark can cause the center to sink before it sets.
• Spread the batter level before baking. An offset spatula takes thirty seconds and makes a real difference in how evenly the layers bake, which is what I always do before anything goes in the oven.
• Let the cakes cool fully before frosting. Even slightly warm layers will melt the cream cheese buttercream, causing it to slide. I tested this at every stage of warmth, and the answer is always the same: fully cool, no shortcuts.

How to Make Pumpkin Cake

Use these instructions to make the perfect pumpkin cake every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prep your pans and preheat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (conventional). Line two 9-inch round pans with parchment paper and spray or lightly butter them.

Make the Batter

Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and flour until evenly combined. (photos 1 & 2)

Step 3: Build the wet mixture. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs first, then stream in the oil and keep whisking until the mixture looks emulsified and slightly thickened. Add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar, whisking until smooth. (photos 3-5)

Step 4: Add the pumpkin puree, then gradually fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients with a whisk or rubber spatula until very few lumps remain. Do not overmix once the flour goes in: you want everything just incorporated. A few small lumps are completely fine and will bake out. (photos 6-9)

Step 5: Divide the batter and level the tops. Pour the batter evenly between your two prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to spread each top level, which I always do to encourage even baking and flat layers that are easier to frost. (photo 10)

The batter is fairly fluid and levels itself reasonably well, but a quick pass with the offset takes ten seconds and saves you from a domed layer.

Bake the Cakes

Step 6: Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, start checking at 16. The cakes are done when they are golden brown and the centers spring back when pressed lightly. You will also notice the sides pulling away slightly from the pans and showing a little cracking at the edges, which is completely normal for an oil-based cake and not a sign that anything went wrong. (photo 11)

These layers bake quickly because they are thin and oil-based. Do not walk away at the 15-minute mark. An overbaked pumpkin cake goes from moist and tender to dry very fast, and there is no recovering it once it is out of the oven.

Step 7: Cool the cakes completely. Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks set over a baking sheet. Handle them gently: oil-based cakes are soft and tender straight from the oven, softer than a butter cake, and they can compress if you press down on them. While the cakes cool, make the buttercream.

Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream

Step 8: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together until smooth and lump-free. Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix to combine. The buttercream should look silky and hold its shape when you lift the paddle. If it looks loose, the butter or cream cheese may have been too warm: refrigerate the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes and beat again. (photos 12 & 13)

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. If they aren’t, you can cream each separately, then combine; otherwise, you can get lumps of butter in your frosting that won’t ever come out.

Assemble the Cake

Step 9: Once the cakes are completely cool, tuck strips of parchment paper under the edges of the first layer on your cake stand to keep the stand clean while you frost. Place the first layer top-side up, add a generous amount of buttercream, and spread it to the edges with an offset spatula. Set the second layer on top, then apply the remaining buttercream over the top and sides. The buttercream is soft and spreadable, so it goes on easily, but make sure your layers are fully cool before you start: warm cake will melt the cream cheese buttercream and it will slide right off. (photos 14-16)

If your buttercream softens too much while you are working, slide the whole cake into the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm everything up before finishing. This is especially useful in a warm kitchen. Once the parchment strips are in place, simply pull them out from under the cake after frosting is complete and the stand will be clean.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

This spiced pumpkin cake with its cloud-like cream cheese frosting is one of those recipes I come back to every fall without hesitation. If you want to keep baking, browse all my Cake Recipes or make this easy pumpkin pie next!