Pumpkin Cake
Perfectly moist and soft, filled with all your favorite warm spices, this Pumpkin Cake is an ultimate dessert that rings in the fall season. That luscious cream cheese frosting adds a finishing touch to the cake, making it irresistible in every bite.
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Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For Pumpkin Cake
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, spoon & leveled
- 1 teaspoons x baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger*
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves*
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree*
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8ml) pure vanilla extract
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounce (224g/1) full fat block cream cheese (not cream cheese spread), softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Generously butter 2 8-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round sheet of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, both sugars, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until combined and smooth. Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture using a mixer or a whisk and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Evenly distribute your batter between the cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 20 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. You can chill the cake in the refrigerator so they can cool faster.
Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the cake cools, make cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add sugar in 2 additions, beating well after each addition until smooth. Scrape down the bowl, add vanilla extract and beat on high speed until completely smooth. If the frosting is too thin, chill the bowl in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes to thicken.
Assemble The Cake
- To assemble, use a cake leveler or a long-serrated knife to level the tops of your cakes if needed.
- Place the first layer of cake onto a cake stand, then spread an even layer (about 1/2 inch thick) of cream cheese frosting. Spread all the way to edges, smoothing evenly. Repeat with the second layer. Add remaining frosting on the top of the cake, then use a cake scraper to smooth frosting out around edges, making a rustic look. Garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Store cake in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
*Spices: You can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or homemade version in this recipe. Substitute with 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in the addition of ground cinnamon.
*Pumpkin Puree: Homemade pumpkin puree works find in this recipe. Make sure you remove excessive moisture with a clean towel if using homemade version.
*Baking Time: This cake can be made into 2 layers of 8-inch round pan, but if you want to make it into a 9-inch cake, reduce the baking time to 32-38 minutes. You also can make it a 9 x 13-inch pan with the same baking time or make it a 3 6-inch layer cake with 30-35 minutes of baking.
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