Moist Pumpkin Cake Recipe - Like Mother Like Daughter (2024)

Created On: September 27, 2017&nbsp|Updated: December 13, 2023| 110 Comments | Jump to Recipe

This simple pumpkin spice cake is moist, loaded with warm spices, and pumpkin flavor and topped with the best cream cheese frosting. Join the hundreds of families that have made and love this easy pumpkin cake!

Mar Says “Made this cake twice already and it’s a hit! Everyone loves it, even the ones who aren’t pumpkin lovers! It’s so good, it is worthy of making it a two layer round cake. Excellent recipe.”.

As the crisp autumn sets in, the smell of warm pumpkin spice wafting through the kitchen is so comforting. This pumpkin spice cake is a huge win, and you’ll have a delicious dessert to take to your next Thanksgiving dinner, fall party, or anytime you need a sweet, easy, fall dessert!

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe Ingredients

• eggs – these make the cake fluffy
• sugar
• vegetable oil – this keeps the cake nice and moist
• pumpkin puree
• flour
• cinnamon and other seasonings
• baking powder and baking soda – this gives the cake lift, and makes it fluffy
• butter
• cream cheese
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract

Can I use pumpkin spice in this Pumpkin Spice Cake?

If you’d like to use pumpkin pie spice instead of the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves you can. I would add about 2.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Or if you like the stronger cinnamon flavor like I do you can add 1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp of cinnamon.

The flavor may be slightly different, but it should be close enough to the same if you don’t already have all the individual spices and don’t want to buy each of them just to make this recipe.

How to make Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Mix the wet ingredients. You’ll mix everything together for the cake. You’ll start with mixing together the sugar, oil, and pumpkin puree in a large bowl till nice and smooth. Stir in the eggs.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. You’ll mix all your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. That means your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients you’ve already combined until everything is mixed together.
3. You’ll pour the cake batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Test the crumb with a toothpick to make sure it is done.
4. After the cake is baked you’ll want to let it cool completely before frosting it. Otherwise the frosting will melt and will not spread nicely. Whip up your best cream cheese frosting ever and spread it all over the top of the cooled cake.

The cream cheese frosting is super easy to make and is only 4 ingredients. The tangy sweet frosting is the perfect contrast to the sweet moist pumpkin cake.

Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe Tips

• Use Pumpkin Puree. Use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has other ingredients in it and the cake won’t turn out. The only ingredient on the can should be pumpkin. You can also make your own pumpkin puree with a fresh pumpkin.

• Room temperature ingredients. Let the eggs, butter, and cream cheese sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking. This will ensure better mixing in both the cake, and cream cheese frosting.

• Don’t over mix. Mix the batter of the cake until just combined. Over mixing the batter will lead to a dense cake.

• Add texture. Add about 1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips to the cake batter before filling the pan for a nice texture and flavor burst.

• Try a cinnamon cream cheese frosting instead of a regular cream cheese frosting, by adding 1 to 1.5 TBS of ground cinnamon to the frosting.

How to serve Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese?

The cake is delicious topped with the smooth cream cheese frosting, but if you want to skip the frosting you can also dust the cake lightly with powdered sugar.

If you’d like to garnish the cake, here are some of my favorites:

• chopped nuts
• caramel sauce or chocolate sauce drizzle
• cinnamon sprinkle
• fresh berries
• candied ginger
• mini chocolate chips

Moist Pumpkin Cake Recipe storage

Because of the cream cheese frosting this cake needs to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, or by wrapping the pan in plastic wrap. It can be stored for up to 5 days.

You can also make it an unfrosted cake, it’s delicious without the creamy frosting. Powdered sugar sprinkled on top would also be delicious. If the cake is unfrosted it can be stored at room temperature.

I love pumpkin desserts like pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin ice cream but this delicious pumpkin cake might be one of my new all time favorites. The cinnamon and seasonings pair perfectly with the pumpkin puree to give this cake the perfect fall flavor.

The cream cheese frosting on top of the moist spiced pumpkin cake, is amazing. It all comes together as the perfect combination and when you take a bite full of cake that you won’t be able to stop at one bite.

More favorite pumpkin recipes

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
• The Best Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Bars

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