Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Pumpkin cake recipe with cream cheese frosting is easy to make and the perfect Thanksgiving dessert idea.
Servings 15 people
Calories 500kcal
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil (or neutral oil of your preference)
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk (or Greek yogurt)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8- ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (Philadelphia)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup vegetable shortening or (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons evaporated milk (or substitute whole milk; adjust as needed for thickness)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl with a whisk or an electric hand mixer.
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the salt, baking soda, powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Combine the dry ingredients into the pumpkin batter using an electric hand mixer or a whisk until completely combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 45-minutes, or until a toothpick when inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a baking rack. Let the cake cool for 45-60 minutes.
- Make the frosting; in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer beat the cream cheese and vegetable shortening together on medium/high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt and evaporated milk. Beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes, adjust the powdered sugar as needed for a thicker frosting.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cake with a spatula.
- Remove the cake from baking pan and cut into squares. Add decorative candy pumpkins if desired.
- Serve immediately or cover the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
Use canned or fresh pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
Carefully rotate the baking pan 180 degrees about three quarters through the baking process. This will help your cake bake more evenly. Be very careful not to bump the pan or your can potentially fall.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 296IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg