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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a simple favorite that we have to make at least once every Fall. This simple, moist cake is a classic that turns out perfect every time and the cream cheese frosting tops it off perfectly!
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We love a simple pumpkin cake and this one bakes in a 9×13 dish for an easy Fall treat!
It’s The Cream Cheese Frosting For Me!
Pumpkin cake? Sign me up.
Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting? Sign me up and take your own name off the list, because I will not be sharing.
We just recently added new photos to our Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze, which made me think about this little pumpkin cake recipe and so I had to update these photos too. A perfect excuse to bake and eat cake, if you ask me. Food blogging has it’s perks.
We often start our cake recipes with a cake mix to keep things simple (like our pumpkin crunch cake!), but this one is strictly made from scratch.
Not to worry though – the cake batter whips up in one bowl with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
♥ What We Love About This Pumpkin Cake Recipe:
- Seasonal: This recipe is perfect for the fall season! We throw in our homemade pumpkin pie spice for loads of that cozy flavor.
- Frosting: The cream cheese frosting is so simple to prepare but really takes this cake to the next level! It’s a perfectly sweet combination with the spiced pumpkin cake and you’ll definitely love it.
- Simple: Rather than a layer cake or piping fancy designs onto a cupcake, we’re keeping it very simple and baking this in a 9×13 and just spreading the frosting over the top. Love the simplicity here.
Ingredient Notes:
For the cake:
Dry Ingredients – You’ll need some standard cake ingredients including sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Wet Ingredients – To mix with the dry ingredients you’ll also need eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
Pumpkin – You’ll want to use canned 100% pure pumpkin puree to make this cake. Don’t use canned pumpkin pie filling as it already contains spices and other liquids.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – I’d recommend trying my own homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe! You can adjust the spices to get it just the way you like.
For the cream cheese frosting:
Cream Cheese – You’ll need to start with softened cream cheese for easy mixing. This simple cream cheese frosting can be used for topping other desserts too like carrot cake!
Butter – As with the cream cheese start with softened butter for easy mixing.
Powdered Sugar – For sweetening up the frosting!
Vanilla Extract
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
My Favorite Vanilla!
This is my all time favorite brand of vanilla extract! It just seems to have the best flavor of any that I’ve used and I always recommend it. Try it out!
Step by Step Photos:
Beat together the wet ingredients, stir in the pumpkin, and then stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until the cake batter is nice and smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 pan and then bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
While the cake is cooling, beat together the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Spread your frosting over the cake. You can sprinkle on some chopped nuts or dust it with a bit of ground cinnamon too!
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You can keep this pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It does need to be refrigerated due to the frosting.
This pumpkin cake can also be frozen! Place the cake uncovered in the freezer for about an hour to harden the frosting and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and a double layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs:
The pure pumpkin puree is just pumpkin with no other ingredients added. The pumpkin pie mix is pumpkin that has been mixed with spices and liquids to help make a pie quickly and easily. Be sure to use plain pureed pumpkin in this recipe.
Yes, you could prepare your own pumpkin puree by roasting fresh pumpkin and pureeing it in a food processer or blender. Be sure to drain it very well, as fresh pumpkin tends to have a lot of liquid compared to canned.
More Cake recipes To Try!
- Eclair Cake: This is a no bake recipe that has been a favorite of mine for years!
- Better than Sex Cake: Honestly, the name says it all. 😉
- Peanut Butter Sheet Cake: If you love peanut butter, I insist you make this immediately!
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake: One of the more popular recipes on my site – get a load of all that streusel.
- Banana Coffee Cake: I could eat this one for breakfast every morning and never tire of it.
- Apple Dump Cake: Just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep!
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil or other neutral flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and beat together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in the pumpkin.
- Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and beat together until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely before frosting.
For the frosting
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Spread frosting over cake.
- Cut into 12 slices and serve.
Linda Johanson says
Could this recipe be used in a 15X10 sheet pan?
Karly says
Hi Linda! I’m really not sure…I’ve only baked in a 9×13. Not sure if there would be too much batter or not.
Shelle Be says
I couldn’t find an icon to click in order to skip the intro and all the pictures and just get to the recipe, but I still can’t wait to try this one. Sounds delicious!
Lisa A Langston says
Gotta make this! Should this cake be stored in fridge? Thank you!
Karly says
Yep!
Barbara Campos says
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Karly says
I’ve only made this as directed.
Kathy says
Could another flour be substituted and the amount of sugar be lowered?
Karly says
I’ve only made the recipe as directed.
carol hawley says
This cake looks delicious, would you have a recipe for pumpkin muffins? I live alone ? the cake would be to big for me to. Please e-mail me if you have a recipe for the muffins. Thankyou so much.Carol Hawley
Karly says
Hi Carol! You can find my pumpkin muffins here: https://www.bunsinmyoven.com/?s=pumpkin+muffin&submit=%EF%80%82 I ran a search so it’ll pull in other recipes, but the first few are pumpkin muffins. 🙂
Dawn Waters says
Is this 2/3 cup of sugar or 1 and 2/3 cups?
Karly says
1 and 2/3 cup sugar. 🙂
James says
These look awesome Karly. I think I will make them with my kids next week.
Chels R. says
I love a good pumpkin cake. Looks beautiful and sounds even better.
Eric says
Can pumpkin pie filling be used if I leave out the pumpkin pie spice?
Karly says
No, pumpkin pie filling has other things added like eggs and dairy, so I’m afraid it won’t work for this one.
Leilani says
So i have to use cooked pumpkin correct?
Karly says
You would just use the canned pure pumpkin.
Kelly | Foodtasia says
Perfect! Looks so moist and delicious. Love the cream cheese frosting! I’m not a fan of buttercream either 🙂
Donna Howard says
Hi – sounds yum!!
Will make tomorrow. But please clarify the sugar? Recipe says ‘1 ? cup sugar’ – is it 1 cup or more? Thanks so much!!
Karly says
Sorry about that – it should be 1 2/3 cup. 🙂
Donna Howard says
oh great, I’m glad I asked!! I was just assuming 1 cup!! I love all that you do, your blog is awesome and your recipes are so yum!
!! I make them almost every week for the missionary sisters in our ward!! Can’t tell you how much they look forward to these treatrs!!
Karly says
Oh, that’s so great to hear! Thanks Donna!! Appreciate you stopping by and making the recipes! 🙂
Rosey says
It seems unclear how much pumking goes into the cake. The directions don’t even mention it with the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Ingredients lists ’15 oz.’ but the written description only says “some pumpkin.” Could you clarify?
Karly says
Hi Rosey, the full 15 ounces of pumpkin goes into the cake batter. Stir it in after mixing together the eggs, sugar, etc. and before adding the flour.
Vicki says
All sounds good! Just curious about what type of flour to use? Thanks,.
Karly says
All-purpose flour.
Bill says
I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone who didn’t like buttercream frosting before. Hmm. I love oil (vs. butter) based cakes, have to try this one. It’s about pumpkin time. (BTW, 1 ? cup sugar typo :)).
Karly says
Most of his family doesn’t like it either!! So strange to me. 🙂
Sorry about the typo. That’s 1 2/3 cup sugar.