Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Topped with swirls of cream cheese icing, this pumpkin cake is easy to make and 100% kid-approved — the perfect fall treat for potlucks, bake sales, and holiday parties.
Topped with swirls of tangy cream cheese frosting, this pumpkin cake recipe is a dessert version of my grandmother’s now-internet-famous pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. Just like the originals, it’s packed with warm spices and comforting flavors that scream fall. Not only does the cake keep beautifully for days, but it’s also simple to make, easy to transport, and 100% kid-approved—the perfect treat for potlucks, bake sales, and holiday parties.
Table of Contents
“Get ready for constant compliments if you make this for a pot-lock! Truly the most delicious and moist cake you could make!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the cake, giving it the right texture and support. To ensure accuracy, measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Work together to help the cake rise, resulting in a light, airy texture.
- Cloves, Cinnamon & Nutmeg: These warm spices infuse the cake with classic autumnal flavors, complementing the pumpkin. While I prefer using the individual spices, you can substitute them with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice (1 tablespoon).
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the cake, making it tender, and also contributes creaminess and smoothness to the frosting.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and contributes to its soft crumb.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and provide structure, helping the cake to rise and hold its shape.
- 100% Pure Pumpkin: The star ingredient; adds moisture, flavor, and a dense, rich texture to the cake. I use canned pumpkin, but if you’d prefer to use fresh pumpkin, opt for smaller varieties like sugar, cooking, or pie pumpkins. For guidance on making pumpkin purée, check out this detailed piece from King Arthur Flour. Avoid pumpkin pie filling which is already pre-sweetened and spiced.
- Cream Cheese: Provides a tangy flavor and creamy texture to the cake’s frosting, balancing the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the frosting with its aromatic richness.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting, creating a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
Whisk well to combine.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the melted butter and sugar.
Beat on medium speed until just combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the pumpkin puree.
Beat until combined.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed until well combined.
Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Combine the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.
Beat on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, then beat in the salt and vanilla. 
Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
Switch to high speed and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. I really like using an offset spatula to frost cakes, particularly cakes that are served right from the baking dish like this one. These angled spatulas make easy work of spreading frosting onto the corners of the cake.
Create swirls in any pattern you like.
Cut into squares and serve. Cover any leftover cake tightly with aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks), melted
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 15-oz (425-g) can 100% pure pumpkin
For the Frosting
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3¼ cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9x13-inch (22x33-cm) baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the melted butter and sugar on medium speed until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Cut into squares and serve. Cover any leftover cake tightly with aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days (bring to room temperature before serving) or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Made this for two dinner parties and both times I was asked for the recipe. I have made many of Jenn’s pumpkin recipes because I love her spice combinations. Just when I thought she couldn’t top herself she does with a pumpkin cake topped with cream cheese frosting.
Hi!
I have a question about your pumpkin Bundt cake in your amazing cook book. I used whole milk in the frosting. Is it still ok to leave out at room temperature? Thank you!
Hi Samantha, Yes that should be fine. Enjoy!
Get ready for constant compliments if you make this for a pot-lock! Truly the most delicious and moist cake you could make! Thanks Jenn for the amazing recipe and making me look like a real chef time and time again! 😘
Can you freeze this cake with the icing?
You can freeze the cake but not the icing — sorry!
Could this be made in a bundt pan and if so, what would the cooking time be?
Hi R, If you want to make a pumpkin bundt, I’d recommend this one (it’s from my first cookbook). Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Disappointed. The texture is a bit coarse and dry.
Cake turned out perfect… the house smells so “fallish”! Changed up the icing to a maple cream cheese icing with butter vanilla and a small amount of icing sugar… perfect for this cake!
My mother and I made the cake as recommended during our Christmas vacation to my grandmother’s. We all loved it and found ourselves fighting over the last slice.
We did however, tweak the recipe a smidge during our second bake. We added an extra 1/2 tsp of each of the spices as we all like a spicier cake. We also tweaked the frosting. Everyone is saying that it was too sweet. We found it to be way too buttery. We did 1 & 1/2 cup extra confectioner’s sugar and 6oz cream cheese instead of the recommended 4. We ended up with a lot of extra frosting though.
However, we are planning a third bake with less butter in the frosting and the reccomended amounts of sugar and cream cheese. So we will see how that goes. We also added orange zest to the frosting during our second bake and all agreed that it suited the cake quite nicely. My mother sprinkled some ground up pecans on top of her slices and said that it was good but she would prefer adding it to the cake mix itself. So if you like nuts, that might be a nice addition for you.
I forgot to rate the cake! It was delicious! I’m going 4 stars because of the frosting.
Made the cake following directions precisely. The texture was lovely, but it lacked so much flavor. I don’t like things too sweet, and yet it seemed as if the cake itself lacked sugar AND salt. Then I made the frosting; I started with HALF the sugar and it was already SO sweet, I can’t imagine how overwhelmingly sweet it must be with the full amount! It just goes to show that just because someone is a professional chef, doesn’t mean they always know what they’re doing.
Wow. Not only did you “diss” the recipe but you were rude to the chef, a chef whom so many of us know from the experience of using her recipes knows exactly what she is doing AND she is courteous, kind and helpful to her readers. Try it yourself, eh?
OMG!!! The best cake I’ve made in a long time!! I made it for a friendsgiving and had at least 4 people ask for the recipe! It was so moist and fluffy! I’ve never had pumpkin turn out fluffy before! (I add a teaspoon of ginger and doubled the cinnamon because I love spice in cakes)
Thank you!
Delicious !!!!!