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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!
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.
Diane says
I have made this cake a couple of times and it’s delicious! Going to make it again for Thanksgiving, but wondering if I could bake it today (Monday) and freeze it until Wednesday night or Thursday morning and then frost it after it thaws?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Diane! That should work fine! Happy THanksgiving!
A R Catrambone says
I am defintely going to try this recipe The only ingredient that I do not have is pumpkin pie spice. Can I subsitute anything in it’s place?
Karly says
Yep, you can use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. There are lots of recipes out that there will give you the correct ratio. 🙂
Stephanie says
This cake is so easy to prepare and tastes divine. Love it with and without the cream cheese icing. Has anyone tried making in a Bundt pan yet? Thanks!
Karly says
Hi Stephanie! Glad you enjoy the recipe. I haven’t tried this one in a bundt pan myself, but I think it would work fine. 🙂
Sara says
I have made this twice now this month! The second one is baking right now I added chocolate chips to it! It’s fantastic thank you for your recipe!
Karly says
Yay! So glad it’s a hit!