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 cream cheese icing, this pumpkin cake is a dessert version of my grandmother’s now-Internet-famous pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. Not only does the cake keep well, but it’s also easy to make, easy to transport, and 100% kid-approved — making it the perfect fall treat for potlucks, bake sales, and holiday parties.
What you’ll need to make pumpkin cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
If canned pumpkin isn’t available where you live, or you’d just prefer to use fresh, that’s not a problem. For baking, the most flavorful pumpkins are smaller than those typically associated with Jack-O-Lanterns. They’re usually in the 4 to 8-pound range and are referred to as sugar, cooking, or pie pumpkins. This detailed piece from King Arthur Flour provides guidance on how to convert a whole pumpkin into purée that can be used in this cake (or any of my other pumpkin recipes).
While my preference in this recipe is to use cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg to spice the cake, many readers have asked if these three spices can be replaced with pumpkin pie spice. Although the mixture of spices in pumpkin pie spice is not an exact match (pumpkin pie spice often includes ginger and/or allspice), it’s fine to use it here. Just replace the individual spices with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice (1 tablespoon).
How to Make Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese Frosting
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.
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.
If you’d prefer a cake that you can remove from the baking dish, feel free to give my Glazed Pumpkin Pound Cake a try (it’s made in a Bundt pan).
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.
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.
You may also like
- Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Pumpkin Glaze
- Perfect Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Torte
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust & Caramel Sauce
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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.
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
- 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 (15-oz) 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 and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-x-13-inch 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.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The cake can be made and frosted up to two days ahead of time. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator; allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Freeze the unfrosted cake, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost the cake to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Calories: 417
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Sugar: 44 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 229 mg
- Cholesterol: 96 mg
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 !!!!!
Great recipe. A couple of tweaks: I used 2/3 brown sugar to 1/3 white and then added 1/2 tsp each of ginger and allspice. That added some warmth to the flavor. I agree the icing sweetness can be reduced to taste, but overall a great base recipe that resulted in a moist and tasty dessert.
Two enthusiastic thumbs up! Directions were clear and easy to follow, and the cake is beautifully light and moist and tastes absolutely delicious. I found my cake was done around 32 minutes but I think that’s just my aluminium pans, I always start checking for doneness early with them. I also used waaaaay less sugar in the frosting because I don’t like my frosting too sweet (only ~200g), but that’s just personal preference. Very happy with how it all turned out and I’ll definitely make this again! Thanks, Jenn!
Delicious, moist and super easy! Best Pumkin Cake I’ve ever eaten or made. I made two loaf pans and the rest I made cupcakes. My 1 year old twin great nephews are them up! (No icing in theirs of course.)
The cake itself turned out perfectly, I should have used whip cream instead I used the icing recipe and even cut out 1/2 cup of sugar but it’s overwhelmingly sweet it ruins the cake to me.
Easy to make and very delicious! Will be pulling this recipe out annually in October.
Hello
I love the pics because I am not the best and creating things I haven’t cooked before. I want to make this tomorrow and the recipe states a mixer. I can’t find mine, will it turn out horrible if I don’t have a mixer? If so, I’ll just wait. Thank you so much 😊
Hi Rebecca, I’m obviously weighing in too late to help – I’m sorry! For future reference, I haven’t tried it but think that this would work without a mixer but the frosting will take a lot of elbow grease!
Hi Jenn
Can i used oil instead of butter ?
If yes what quantity and type of oil?
I like the flavor that butter lends here, but you can use oil. I’d go with canola oil. You’d need the same amount, so 3/4 cup. Plese LMK how it turns out with oil!
I made these with delicata squash (homemade purée) because it’s what I had on hand and this was fantastic. A little frosting and my little one devoured it. I did cut the sugar in half and it was perfect. Thank you!
I have a container of Mascarpone cheese that I need to use up. Can I use it in the frosting instead of cream cheese or as a combination of mascarpone and cream cheese?
Love your recipes!
Glad you like the recipes! Yes, the mascarpone should work in place of the cream cheese. Enjoy!
Made this recipe, followed directions exactly. My cake did not rise a lot, it’s only about 1-1/2 inches high, not sure what went wrong.
Hi Lucy, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! Did you use a 9 x 13-inch baking dish? Were either your baking powder or baking soda old or expired?
This cake was amazing. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. My parents and husband couldn’t get enough of it! So delicious. Thank you!!
Nice cake. I went easy on the clove, as a full teaspoon seemed like a lot to me. I substituted some ginger. It worked out fine, but I may add a little more clove next time. I also reduced the sugar to about one cup only.
I don’t care much for icing, which I generally find too sweet, but I love home whipped cream. It worked perfectly. I’ll make this again. Thanks!
I’ve made this pumpkin cake numerous times and there are never leftovers! The cream cheese frosting is by far the best part. I highly recommend!
Made this pumpkin bread in a bread tin without the frosting – was a truly fantastic loaf! We added less sugar than recommended and more spices to give it a more natural flavor. This bread was moist and perfect for fall/winter
This pumpkin recipe makes a flavorful moist cake with a delicious cream cheese frosting. My husband is extremely picky and he has requested this cake quite a few times already! It also freezes really well. I have frozen it with and without frosting- both methods worked/tasted great.
This has become a staple dessert in our house…everyone I make it for loves it!
Hi Jenn:
can this recipe be made for cupcakes?
Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Lisa, If you want to make cupcakes, I’d suggest this recipe. Because they have a streusel topping, the muffins themselves contain less sugar (which would be good if you will be icing them). You can skip the streusel and ice them instead. The recipe makes 12 muffins, but I’d put less batter in each well and make a total of 18. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the information (and responding so quickly!!!).
Will be making it in about 10 minutes.
Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Jenn!
I see your reply on the question regarding cupcakes. My family is obsessed with this recipe, so ideally I would love to stick to the original. If I were to use this exact recipe but made into cupcakes how would you adjust the baking time/temp? Thanks so much!
Hi Lisa, so glad your family likes this! If you want to turn it into cupcakes, I’d bake them at 350° and start checking them for doneness at 20 to 25 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out as cupcakes!
Very delicate and light yet packed with flavor. A very easy make ahead recipe.
I made this cake today exactly as directed and it was absolutely amazing!! My husband and son loved it!! So delicious, I highly recommend!!
Haven’t teied it yet but frosting was so terrible it’s inedible.
Hi! I would love to make this cake for a party as I’m a huge fan of the bread version. For the cake, would it change the flavor or rise of the cake if I wanted to use canola oil instead of the butter?
Hi Marie, Unfortunately, oil won’t work here — sorry!
This cake is delicious and so easy to whip together! I texted my mom the recipe as I was putting mine in the oven because I could smell from the batter that it would be a winner, and she immediately made it, too!
I halved the recipe, and it fit beautifully in my 8×8 brownie pan. The amount of frosting was perfect – not too much or too little.
My mom made the (full recipe) cake in her bundt pan, and it came out perfectly, as well.
Hi! I’ve made this cake before and it’s absolutely delish! If I wanted to make mini cupcakes, do you have any suggestions on how to do so? Thanks!
Glad you like it! For mini cupcakes, I’d keep the oven temp the same and start checking them at 12 to 15 minutes. I’d love to hear how they come out!
Served this delicious cake last night. My guests took some home and I ate the last piece this morning for breakfast:) Super easy and yummy. Thanks again for making me look like a super star!
Oh a addition to my review. There is a lot of cake for me and my husband, so cut it in half and put one half in freezer. Nice to be able to freeze for later for unexpected guest.. So fluffy and great tasting. Thanks again.
Very easy to make and very delicious! Love how moist it is.
This is the second recipe that I have tried from your web site. We are gluten free so I did use a couple of different ingredients. I used gluten free flour. Also used coconut sugar. Everything turned out and looked like your pictures. A little darker due to the sugar. Thank you for a desert that will be used many times.
Have made this many times before and it’s unbelievable. Would this recipe work well for a pumpkin layer cake? Could I cook this in round cake pans and then double the cream cheese frosting recipe to have enough to frost and cover the outside of the cake? Would love to turn this into a birthday cake.
So glad you like it! Yes, I do think it would work as a layer cake and that you should double the frosting (you may end up having a bit of frosting leftover).
This recipe is perfect as is written, have made this many times and my family truly enjoys it every time. Thank you for sharing!
Delicious! I made for Thanksgiving Day dessert. So much tastier than the same old pumpkin pie. The cream cheese on top was divine!
Great cake – it’s very moist, but the only issue is the 1 tsp. of cloves is too much. I cut it down to 3/4 of a tsp. and clove was still the dominant flavor. I will cut it down to 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. next time. Rather than cream cheese frosting, I used a recipe for boiled cider glaze. I also make the pumpkin bread recipe on this site and it’s awesome.
I cut down the clove to 1/4 tsp and added 1/2 tsp ginger. It turned out fine, but next time I’ll try 1/2 tsp clove. I substituted home-made whipped cream for the frosting. It worked well.
Could I sub pumpkin pie spice? If so, use the same amount?
That should be fine, Rosie. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I have made this several times and it is always a hit! Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
I made the pumpkin pound cake and took a photo. I’ve tried to send twice but I keep getting an error message. My five star rating is for the pumpkin pound cake.
So glad you enjoyed the cake and sorry for any frustration regarding sending a pic! The blog isn’t set up to receive pictures, but feel to email it to me at jennifer@onceuponachef.com or share it on Instagram (and tag me @onceuponachef)! 🙂
Hello,
If I wanted to use vegetable oil instead of butter for the batter, how much should I use?
Thanks.
Hi Rose, I think this is best with butter, but if you’d like to use oil, here are some guidelines. Hope you enjoy!
I just sent a question but forgot to put my 5 stars!!! Sorry! I’ve never written a review before. LOL
First let me say that this cake is delicious and moist and everyone loves it!!!!! My question is that I find the pumpkin flavor doesn’t come through as much as I thought it would. I cringe that this sounds like a criticism, but I wondered if you had any suggestions??
Hi Margit, pumpkin on its own doesn’t have a ton of flavor. What you’re tasting are the spices added to the pumpkin. If you’d like to up the flavor a bit, you could add an additional quarter teaspoon of each of the spices. Hope that helps!
I think this recipe needed oil, I feel the cake was to dry.
Baked this cake over the weekend to celebrate fall. This cake is a perfect fall cake and brought back memories of a simpler time! Absolutely delicious!
Wow this cake is DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe to a T and it’s perfect!!
WOW.. this is amazing. I did half the sugar for both cake and frosting and it was still amazing. Love everything I’ve tried in her cook book/online so far.