Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Whenever my dad tries a dessert without cream cheese frosting, he says the same thing: “This would also be good with cream cheese frosting.” So when I bake Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, I always cut him the first corner piece. It started out as a pumpkin sheet cake, but it baked up taller and fluffier than I planned. We liked it so much that I never changed a thing.

For this pumpkin spice cake recipe, you stir canned pumpkin, sugar, oil and eggs together, then add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. It bakes in a 15×10 pan, and once it cools, you spread on a fluffy cream cheese frosting made with butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. It’s a super moist cake with a tangy cream cheese frosting, and it feeds a crowd.

Why My Family Loves It

I wave my pumpkin spice flag proudly every fall, and this is the cake I make most. It’s been a family favorite for years, and here’s why it keeps showing up on our table:

• Feeds a crowd: One pan makes 24 squares, so it’s my go-to for church potlucks, school bake sales and Thanksgiving dessert tables.
• Pantry ingredients: The cake uses oil instead of butter, so there’s nothing to soften. A can of pumpkin and the spices in my cupboard give it all that pumpkin flavor.
• Super moist: The oil and pumpkin keep the crumb soft for days. My teenagers sneak squares out of the fridge before school.

Even the pumpkin naysayers in my life usually go back for seconds!

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.

• Canned pumpkin: Use one 15-ounce can of canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced.
• Granulated sugar and vegetable oil: These make the cake tender and moist. Oil keeps it softer than butter would.
• Eggs: Beat them lightly first so they mix in evenly.
• Flour and baking soda: All-purpose flour and baking soda give the cake its lift. Make sure your baking soda isn’t old.
• Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt: This is where the warm spices come from.
• Cream cheese and butter: Let both soften at room temperature so the frosting turns out smooth.
• Vanilla extract and powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is the same as confectioners’ sugar. Add it a little at a time until the frosting is as thick as you like.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cake

Step one: Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 15x10x1-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Step two: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.

Step three: In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin, sugar and oil together. Then add the eggs and mix well. These are your wet ingredients.

Step four: Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and beat until the cake batter is well blended.

Step five: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Step six: Let the cake cool completely in the pan. Frosting a warm cake makes the frosting melt and slide.

Step seven: For the frosting, use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Step eight: Gradually beat in the powdered sugar on low speed until the frosting is as thick as you want it.

Step nine: Spread the rich cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake once it’s cool, then cut it into squares.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting Thicker

This is the question I get most about my pumpkin spice cake. A runny frosting is almost always warm butter or cream cheese, or not enough powdered sugar.

• Start cool, not warm: Soften the cream cheese and butter until you can press a dent into them, but they shouldn’t look shiny or greasy.
• Use the full 5 cups: The recipe calls for 4 to 5 cups of powdered sugar. Use 4 for a soft, spreadable frosting and all 5 when you want to pipe swirls.
• Don’t overbeat: Once the sugar is in, mix just until smooth. Beating it too long thins it out.
• Chill it: If it’s still soft, refrigerate the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes and give it a quick stir.
• Too thick? Beat in a teaspoon of milk or heavy cream at a time until it spreads easily.

Substitutions and Variations

• Cinnamon cream cheese frosting: Beat ½ teaspoon of cinnamon into the frosting for a spiced cream cheese pumpkin icing.
• Maple frosting: Swap the vanilla for maple extract. It tastes like fall in a bowl.
• Brown butter frosting: If you love a nutty, caramel-like topping, try the frosting on my Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting.
• Add-ins: Sprinkle chopped pecans, walnuts or mini chocolate chips over the frosting.
• Other cake pans: In a 9×13 baking dish, the cake will be thicker, so the baking time goes up. Start checking at 30 minutes and bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
• Cupcakes: Want individual treats? My Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes use the same warm pumpkin spice flavor.

My Best Tips

• Measure the flour lightly: Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Packed flour makes a dry, dense cake.
• Cut clean squares: Slice the pumpkin spice cake with a long knife and wipe it clean between cuts for neat edges.
• Soften the cream cheese first: Cream cheese straight from the fridge leaves little lumps in the frosting.
• Frost it in the pan: Since this is a big cake, I frost and serve it right in the pan. It travels to potlucks with a lid or foil on top.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make ahead: Bake the pumpkin spice cake a day ahead, cover it once it’s cool and frost it the next day. You can also make the frosting a day early and keep it in the fridge. Let it soften a bit and stir it before spreading.

Room temperature: Because the frosting has cream cheese, don’t leave the cake out for more than 2 hours.

Refrigerator: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or move the squares to an airtight container. Covered pumpkin spice cake keeps for 3 to 4 days.

Freezer: Wrap frosted squares well in plastic wrap and foil, or freeze them on a tray first so the frosting doesn’t stick. Freeze for up to 1 month for the best taste. Thaw them in the fridge overnight.

Pumpkin Spice Cake FAQs

What frosting goes best with spice cake?

Cream cheese frosting for spice cake is my favorite, because its tang balances the sweet, warm spices. Brown butter, maple and cinnamon frostings are all great too. You’ll find easy ways to make each one in the variations above.

Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?

I don’t recommend it. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices in it, so the cake would turn out too sweet and the spices would be off.

Can I use fresh pumpkin?

Yes. Homemade pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin works, but it’s often wetter than canned. Let it drain in a strainer for a while so the cake doesn’t turn out gummy.

Does pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated?

Yes. Once it’s frosted, keep it in the fridge and don’t let it sit out more than 2 hours. I just pull it out a few minutes before serving.

How long will pumpkin cake last in the fridge?

Frosted and covered, it lasts 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

If you like carrot cake, I think this easy fall dessert will be right up your alley. Once you make this homemade pumpkin spice cake, I think you’ll understand why my dad keeps asking for cream cheese frosting on everything! If your family loves it as much as mine does, try my Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread next, or my Fudgy Brownies with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

More Pumpkin Desserts

• Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies
• Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Crunch Cake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping
• Pumpkin Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes