Pumpkin desserts are a must in September, October, and November, but can absolutely be delicious any time of year. Need more pumpkin spiced goodies? Make a Pumpkin Cheesecake or a batch of Pumpkin Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Don’t want to make a whole cake today? Try my Pumpkin Cupcakes recipe instead!
Ingredients Needed
A moist, delicious pumpkin cake starts out with a simple recipe. Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Flour, Salt, Baking Soda: Every good cake recipe starts here. These are your dry ingredients, and make up the bulk of the batter. Sugar: Plain white granulated sugar gives the right amount of sweetness to really bring out the flavor of the pumpkin. Unsalted Butter: Always choose unsalted butter when baking, you want to be able to control the amount of salt in your recipe. Pumpkin Puree: Use canned pumpkin, or make your own pumpkin puree. Avoid buying anything labeled “pumpkin pie filling” as that product has added flavors and sweeteners that we don’t need here. Eggs: Here’s a tip: Let your eggs come to room temperature before mixing them into cake batter. Cold eggs don’t incorporate as well. Vanilla Extract and Ground Cinnamon: The flavor stars of this recipe enhance the warm, earthiness of the pumpkin puree. Buttermilk: Adding buttermilk to cake batter rather than plain milk makes your cake extra tender.
The cinnamon frosting for this cake only needs 5 ingredients
Cream Cheese and Butter: Both at room temperature please! This frosting is mostly cream cheese, but a bit of butter adds a decadent touch. Vanilla and Cinnamon: These flavorings mimic the flavor of the cake, while continuing to enhance the pumpkin flavor. Powdered Sugar: Confectioner’s sugar is a must for any cake frosting.
How to Make Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Expert Cake Tips
Use the Freezer: The step of this recipe where we wrap the cakes with plastic wrap and put them in the freezer is key to keeping the cakes extra moist and tender. The plastic wrap and cold temperature keeps all of the moisture from evaporating into the air, and keeps it in the cake instead. Avoid Overmixing: An overmixed cake can become tough after baking. Mix ingredients until just combined. The Best Pans: For beautiful layer cakes, straight sided cake pans will give you the best results. I use these 9-inch nonstick pans and get amazing results every time. Love layer cakes? Try making this amazing (and gluten free!) Carrot Cake, an Easy Banana Cake, Strawberry Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, or a Funfetti Layer Cake that’s perfect for the Holidays.
What To Serve with Pumpkin Cake
With a Feast. Pumpkin Cake is a perfect Thanksgiving dessert! Check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes, and plan your best Thanksgiving dinner spread yet. Take it to a Party. Fall is football season, and there will be parties and get-togethers coming up that require you to bring a dish to pass. Bring this cake along with a shareable appetizer, like Cheesy Hot Crab Dip or Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. With Other Desserts. Your family will be really impressed when you present this cake along with a slew of other dessert options. Bake up some adorable Turkey Cupcakes and a batch of Puppy Chow for snacking. This delicious pumpkin cake will be the star of your Thanksgiving dessert table, or a delicious treat for any time this fall. Don’t forget to pin it to make later! © Little Sunny Kitchen
