Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Making this cake might be the best decision you make this fall. My easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is soft, moist and perfectly spiced with a silky homemade cream cheese frosting. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving, holiday gatherings or cozy baking. This cake is a delicious mouthful.
Why you'll love this recipe
Moist and tender
Pumpkin puree adds natural moisture, making the cake soft and fluffy
Easy to make
No fancy techniques – just mix, bake and frost.
Warm and cozy
Warm fall spices infused in every bite.
Feeds a crowd
This sheet cake recipe is perfect for the holidays when you’re surrounded by those you love.
Ingredients and substitutions
All-purpose flour: I use all-purpose flour in most of my recipes. I highly recommend using a digital scale to measure flour as it is so often over measured. This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free flour.
Pumpkin puree: This recipes uses an entire can of pumpkin puree, which is about 2 cups.
Eggs: I use room temperature eggs because they combine better with the ingredients when mixed.
Sugar: We use a combination of light brown sugar and white sugar.
Baking soda and baking powder: We use both baking soda and baking powder because in recipes with heavy ingredients like bananas and pumpkin, it requires a little extra leavening to rise.
Spices: Pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon are classic spices.
Neutral oil: Butter firms up at room temperature whereas oil does not. This is why we use oil and why the cake stays so moist.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
What type of pan should I use?
I suggest an aluminum, non-stick pan. Glass is a very poor conductor of heat. Linked below is the exact baking pan I use for all my cake and focaccia recipes. Shop my exact 9″x13″ Baking Pan here (Affiliate link)
How to make cream cheese frosting
The section below is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. For full details, see recipe index card below!
Step 1
In a medium bowl, add softened butter and cream cheese. Mix on high speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth.
Step 2
Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
How to make my Pumpkin Cake
The section below is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. For full details, see recipe index card below!
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9″x13″ pan with parchment paper. Let the excess parchment paper fall over the sides.
Make the batter
To a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat until frothy and smooth. Add oil and pumpkin puree. Whisk until combined. Gently whisk in the dry ingredients until no more flour is visible. Do not over mix.
Bake
Bake for 37-40 minutes until the exterior is caramelized and when you insert a toothpick in the center, it comes out clean.
Expert tips from my test kitchen
Don’t reduce the sugar
Sugar plays an important role in the rise, structure and texture. The overall recipe is not very sweet.
Measure flour the right way
Use a scale to weigh the flour so you don’t end up with an overly dry cake. If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour with a fork in its container, and then spoon it into the measuring cup before leveling off with a knife.
Do not over mix the batter
The more you stir, the more gluten you form and it results in a tough, rubbery crumb. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet until the flour is no longer visible.
How to store leftover cake
Store at room temperature
If you make pumpkin cake without the cream cheese frosting, it stores well on the counter, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for 3 days.
Store in the fridge
If you make pumpkin cake with the cream cheese frosting, then follow these next steps: when the cake is cooled, cut into slices or leave whole, wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent from drying out or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving so the frosting and cake soften.
Store in the freezer
Once the cake is fully cooled, slice and place cake in freezer safe airtight container or Ziploc bag. Store up to one month in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Your feedback is valuable to us. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. If you love my easy Pumpkin Cake recipe, please take a moment to leave a five star review. If you’re a cake lover like us, make sure to check out our Éclair Cake and my Tres Leches Cake. Thank you for being part of the Bake Cook Repeat community! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Subscribe on YouTube.
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 15 ounces / 1 can pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Before you start
- Before you start, take out the cream cheese and butter. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour until softened. If both ingredients are not equally soft, your frosting will form clumps from the uneven temperature distribution.
Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper. Let the excess parchment paper fall over the sides.
Mix the wet ingredients
- To a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes until frothy and lighter in color. Then, add the oil and pumpkin puree. Whisk until combined.15 ounces / 1 can pumpkin puree, 3 large eggs, room temperature, 1/2 cup neutral oil, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar
Mix the dry ingredients
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon and salt. Whisk until no more flour is visible. Do not over mix.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of salt
Bake
- Bake for 37-40 minutes until the exterior is caramelized and when you insert a toothpick in the center, it comes out clean.
Make the cream cheese frosting
- While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, add softened butter and softened cream cheese. Mix on high speed for at least 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth.Note: If the cream cheese and butter are not softened, it will result in a clumpy frosting.8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and smooth. Once the cake has completely cooled (this will take a few hours), use an off-set spatula to spread over the cake. Warm cake = melted frosting!3 Tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Notes
- I suggest an aluminum, non-stick pan. Glass is a very poor conductor of heat. Linked below is the exact baking pan I use for all my cake and focaccia recipes. Shop my exact 9"x13" Baking Pan here
Nutrition
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
24 Responses
This is the best pumpkin sheet cake recipe. It is so SOFT and FLUFFY! I didn’t think a cake could be this soft. I have tried other pumpkin cake recipes and this is my top favorite one. My kids loved it and asked for seconds.
Thank you for the lovely review, Jennifer!
First time I tried this I was hooked. 10/10!
Thank you! It’s our favorite recipe in the fall time. 🙂
One of our favorites – we make it every fall! Easy and delicious.
You can never go wrong with a classic! Thank you!
This recipe is cozy and flavorful! Definitely a must-try for your next house party or just to treat yourself!
Yay! We agree with you. 🙂
My kids literally double fisted this cake!! A slice in both hands! It was quite a site to see! Thank you sharing such a wonderful recipe that I can pass down in the family because it’s that good.
Thank you for such a lovely review!
The best pumpkin cake I ever had. It was so moist and soft!
We’re so happy you enjoyed our recipe, Flo!
It’s delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness and perfect for Fall!
Thanks, Eunnycce! 🙂
This is my second time making this pumpkin cake and it’s my favorite!! It’s not too sweet and the cake is insanely moist. The cream cheese frosting is so good — it’s superior to any other frosting I’ve tried! I’m definitely going to be using it for other baked goods in the future. Brought it to a dinner with some friends and they all fell in love with it, it was gone within minutes. If you’re thinking about what dessert to make next, stop right now and make this one asap, you won’t regret it.
Thank you for the kind review, Naomi! We’re so happy you (and your friends) enjoyed our recipe. 🙂
Wowzers. This cake is out of this world. My husband Earl calls it his favorite dessert now. It is so easy to make- probably because of the easy to follow photos and steps. Either way, if you’re thinking to try this, just do it.
Yay! Thank you so much for the lovely review! 🙂
This Pumpkin Cake is absolutely amazing and super easy to make! Our kids usually love the classic gingerbread cake, but once I baked this pumpkin one, they fell in love with it even more – I’ve already made it three times this week! It’s so delicious, the method is simple, and I always have all the ingredients at home. Thank you so much for this recipe, I’m definitely checking out more of your creations!
Wow! Such a lovely review! Thanks so much, Monika! 🙂
This is my favorite pumpkin cake recipe! It is SO soft and SO delicious!
Yay! We love to hear reviews like this. 🙂
This is so yummy! The perfect dessert for the fall season!
Thank you, Alina!