This pumpkin cake recipe delivers all the cozy fall flavors you crave in the simplest possible way—no stand mixer, no fussy steps, and definitely no boxed mix. Just whisk your dry and wet ingredients separately, combine, and bake. The result is a tender, amber-hued cake that’s rich with pumpkin flavor and the warmth of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.
Canned pumpkin purée keeps things easy (no need to roast and mash a pumpkin yourself), and Libby’s is our go-to—it’s thick enough to create a plush crumb without weighing the batter down. The tangy cream cheese frosting balances the sweetness beautifully, and a drizzle of maple syrup or sprinkle of toasted pecans on top takes it from simple to special.
Tips for perfect pumpkin cake
- Use canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin purée gives you pure pumpkin flavor without added sugar or spices.
- Two flours are better than one. Using a small amount of whole wheat flour in this pumpkin cake recipe gives it a hearty, robust autumnal flavor. If you prefer, you can swap it for more all-purpose flour—or go the other route and use rye, barley, or spelt flour for even more distinct flavors.
- Don’t skip cooling. Let the cake cool fully before frosting so the cream cheese layer stays smooth and fluffy.
- Use full-fat cream cheese. Lower-fat versions use gums and stabilizers that can give off flavors and textures. They also don’t whip as well. Also, make sure to use brick-style (we like Philadelphia cream cheese). Pre-whipped cream cheese (a.k.a. spreadable cream cheese) often has added oils to help it maintain that spreadable texture.
- Make it ahead. The cake can be baked 3 days in advance and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature. Frost just before serving.
- Optional upgrades: Garnish with chopped toasted pecans or a maple drizzle for texture and shine.
- Variations: Swap that square pan for a cupcake tin. This recipe will make about 12 pumpkin cupcakes; fill each well about ¾ full with batter and bake at the same temperature. Start checking for doneness at about 18 minutes. You can also use a 9” round cake pan.
What you’ll need
USA Pan 8 Inch Square Baking Pan
$27 At Amazon
Ateco Small Offset Spatula
$7 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
9 servings
Ingredients
Cake
1¼
½
2
1
1
1
¼
2
1¼
1
½
Frosting
4
2
⅔
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Cake
Step 1
Position a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly coat an 8x8" square metal baking pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang on all sides. Whisk 1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (63 g) whole wheat flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground ginger, ¼ tsp. ground allspice, a pinch of ground cloves, and a pinch of ground nutmeg in a large bowl.
Step 2
Whisk 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1¼ cups (packed; 250 g) dark brown sugar, 1 cup pure pumpkin purée, and ½ cup (1 stick ) unsalted butter, melted, in a second large bowl until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Step 3
Bake cake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 20 minutes. Using parchment, lift cake and transfer to a cutting board. Let cool completely.
Frosting and assembly
Step 4
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, in a medium bowl just to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in ⅔ cup (73 g) powdered sugar, sifted, then a pinch of kosher salt until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.
Editor’s note: This pumpkin cake recipe was first printed online in October 2014 as “Pumpkin Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.” It has been updated to adjust the spicing and sugar level, and to remove the maple syrup from the frosting—if you’re missing the maple flavor, serve slices with a drizzle of maple syrup to finish. Head this way for more of our favorite recipes with pumpkin purée →