Best Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting starts with a super moist cake, and is topped with the best cream cheese frosting. This easy fall dessert is full of all the pumpkin flavors, and is the perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Because we ALL need a Best Pumpkin Cake in our lives. Am I right?
Ya’ll know by now that I love everything pumpkin. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin scones, pumpkin muffins, and BEST pumpkin cake. 😀 And then there are those PSLs at Starbucks that I can’t resist. Because Pumpkin Spice Lattes means fall is here (or coming) and the holidays are next. My favorite time of year starts in October and goes through my hubby’s birthday at the end of December. The thought all of this plus cooler weather definitely has me smiling. 😀
This pumpkin cake is…
- super moist
- full of pumpkin flavors
- the best I’ve ever tasted!
What makes this cake so moist?
The combination of pumpkin, oil, eggs, and sour cream – makes pumpkin cake unbelievably soft in the center. I recommend that you bake it in a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan
. If you don’t have one, a 9 x 13 cake pan
would work too, but baking time will increase slightly.
How to make Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting:
For the cake:
- Use a medium bowl, and combine the dry ingredients – the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients – the pumpkin, oil, eggs, sour cream, sugars, and vanilla.
- Combine the dry with the wet, and stir to mix.
- Spray a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan
with baking spray, and pour cake batter evenly on pan, smoothing with a spatula. - Bake until toothpick comes out clean of center of cake, or when done, approximately 18-20 minutes. Let cool on the countertop.
For the frosting:
- Using a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, softened butter, and the vanilla. Use a hand mixer to combine well.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and mix until well combined and fluffy.
- Use a spoon to spread the frosting on the cooled pumpkin cake. Cut into slices and serve.
Storing Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: If you aren’t serving this cake right away, it’s best to store it in the refrigerator. Leftovers should also be stored in the refrigerator.
Have you tried some of my other pumpkin recipes? Here are a few of my favorites.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies – These are actually tied with my Iced Pumpkin Cookies. It’s hard to choose just one!
- Pumpkin Streusel Cake – The streusel layer is the BOMB. As in really really good. 😀
- Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls – I love experimenting with cinnamon rolls, and this one was super fun for me.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins– A healthy’ish muffin, with some chocolate sprinkled in for good measure.
Make this pumpkin recipe next: Texas Sheet Cake Brownies
Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.
xoxo ~Sue
Best Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin
- ⅔ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese – softened
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter – softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a half-sheet pan (9×15 pan or a 9×13 work too – but increase baking time) with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine.
- In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs, sour cream, both sugars, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth it out evenly. Place pan in oven, and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes, or until it's done in the middle. You can test doneness with a toothpick.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine until well blended.
- Add vanilla and one cup of powdered sugar. Mix until absorbed, and then continue adding powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
- When the cake is cooled completely, spread cream cheese frosting over the top, smoothing it out evenly.
Notes
- If you aren’t serving this cake right away, it’s best to store it in the refrigerator. Leftovers should also be stored in the refrigerator.
- If you don’t have a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan, a 9 x 13 cake pan would work too, but baking time will increase slightly.
This recipe is amazing! Take the pro tip and eat with a cup of coffee…… More please!
Pumpkin cake goes perfectly with coffee, for sure! 🙂