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Cupcakes and Cutlery

Easy Cocktails and Recipes | Mom Life and Style | Orange County Blogger

Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

September 28, 2020 By Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

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This easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe is a delicious seasonal cake to make for a crowd.

With a simple cream cheese frosting, this sheet cake is full of warm fall spices and can be made ahead of whenever you want to serve it.

This is one of my favorite easy dessert recipes for fall. And you’ll love it too.

A square piece of pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting on a white dessert plate.

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A sheet cake is easy and delicious

If you were to ask me if I was a big fan of pumpkin recipes, I would say no.

But the more I browse my own blog, I realize that maybe I really do like them.

Especially desserts. This pumpkin sheet cake is moist and flavorful and just the sweet treat that I want when the weather starts to cool off.

Perfectly paired with a cream cheese frosting, this spice cake is fuss free and ready to share with others.

Using a 9 x 13 baking dish keeps things simple for non-skilled bakers (hello, me!).

Layering on the frosting means that no artistic, cake-decorating skill is required. Which is great, because I don’t have that skill. Like, at all.

Ipad on a table with a digital pumpkin cookbook on it lying on a cutting board next to a wooden spoon.

Shop my Pumpkin Cookbook

Want more pumpkin recipes? Check out the digital cookbook I created with some of my favorite bloggers.

Buy the Indulgent Pumpkin Recipes digital cookbook!

Mixing bowl with pumpkin cake batter with a whisky sitting in it.

How to make a Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake

If you’ve ever made a cake from scratch before, you know it’s pretty easy.

Typically I prefer to make desserts with cake mix, but it’s really not too hard to start from scratch.

With the addition of spices and canned pumpkin puree it takes a basic vanilla cake and makes it seasonal and great for any fall holiday gathering.

Scroll down to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with full measurements and more detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For Pumpkin Sheet Cake

  • flour
  • baking powder
  • sugar
  • salt
  • pumpkin pie spice mix
  • cinnamon
  • nutmeg
  • oil
  • eggs
  • pumpkin puree
  • vanilla extract
  • cream cheese frosting

For Cream Cheese Frosting

  • cream cheese
  • butter
  • confectioners sugar
  • milk
  • vanilla extract
  • Pinch of cinnamon

Make sure you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has spices included and we want to add them ourselves for a better flavor.

You can make your own pumpkin puree. But that is a whole process that would take a really long time. And since this recipe is so easy, I’d keep it as easy as possible with canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin pie spice is a really great way to get a delicious mix of flavors without having to have all the individual spices on hand.

Adding extra cinnamon and nutmeg makes it even more flavorful. It allows us to amp up those flavors that instantly give the cake eater a warm and cozy fall feeling.

The pinch of cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting is the perfect touch. Do not skip it!

I know cream cheese isn’t for everyone. If you would rather use a basic vanilla buttercream, you absolutely can.

Baked Pumpkin Cake in a glass baking dish on a table with spices laying around it.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease and flour a baking pan and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine the flour with the baking powder, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice mix, cinnamon and nutmeg and set a side.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
  5. Pour half the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until incorporated.
  6. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and put in the oven.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely before frosting.
Baking dish with frosted Pumpkin Cake on a table with fresh spices around it.

Making the cream cheese frosting is crazy simple. So easy you can make it all the time and put it on everything. Because it’s that good.

  1. In large bowl beat all the ingredients together on medium speed until light and creamy.

That’s it. Easy.

Use an offset spatula to slather on the cream cheese goodness.

Hot tip: If you don’t love how the frosting looks, you can always sprinkle something on top to distract. Use sprinkles, extra cinnamon, etc.

Square piece of pumpkin spice cake on a dessert plate with spices and napkin on the table next to it.

Can you freeze the cake

This pumpkin cake is totally freezer friendly! I love to freeze it unfrosted, wrapped in plastic wrap.

When you’re ready to serve, just thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator. Take the cake out of the plastic wrap and move it to an airtight container before putting it in the fridge.

Then frost and serve. It tastes just like it’s been freshly baked!

You know how busy the holiday season can be. Being able to make this cake ahead makes it a dream dessert.

White plates holding square pieces of pumpkin cake on them with fabric napkin and spices on a table.

This delicious cake makes 12 really nice Sharon-sized servings. I like dessert, what can I say. This little cake server makes it so easy.

You could get even more servings if you cut them smaller.

Because of the sweet cream cheese frosting on top, you don’t need any other toppings.

Serve it with sparkling wine or a cup of coffee and enjoy a sweet treat at home with your friends and family.

This would be a great Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving dessert idea, especially if you are attending a potluck style event.

Supplies to make this recipe

More pumpkin recipes to check out

Even if, like me, you don’t consider yourself a huge pumpkin fan, these easy recipes have plenty of other decadent flavors that you’ll LOVE.

  • Fireball Pumpkin Pie Recipe: You know I love my easy cocktails, and this update on the classic pumpkin pie recipe adds a boozy touch with cinnamon whiskey.
  • Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pie Milkshake: If you live on the west coast where fall is typically warm, this Pumpkin Pie Milkshake is for you! It has that seasonal flavor but will cool you down.
  • Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe: This Pumpkin Dump Cake is so quick and easy and is a traditional dump cake with no mixing required. So tasty!

Printable recipe card

Continue to Content
Yield: 12 servings

Easy Pumpkin Cake

square cropped pumpkin spice sheet cake recipe

With warm fall spices and made into a simple sheet cake, this easy Pumpkin Cake is the perfect dessert for a holiday gathering. With cream cheese frosting, this recipe is stress-free and requires no special baking skills. Amen!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the pumpkin cake

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • About 1 cup of cream cheese frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 3 TBSP butter
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1 TBSP milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

For the pumpkin cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease and flour a baking pan and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine the flour with the baking powder, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice mix, cinnamon and nutmeg then set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
  5. Pour half the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.
  6. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat with a hand mixer on high speed for 3 minutes.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and put in the oven.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely before frosting.

For the frosting

  1. In a large bowl, bowl beat all the ingredients together on medium speed until light and creamy.

Notes

-Make sure you use plain canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.

-You can make this cake ahead and freeze. Wrap the unfrosted cake in plastic wrap and freeze. To thaw, remove the plastic and thaw in the fridge in an air-tight container overnight. Then frost and serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 554Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 73mgSodium 232mgCarbohydrates 72gFiber 1gSugar 53gProtein 5g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate.

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© Sharon Garofalow
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert

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PInterest friendly Pumpkin Cake with text over the cake.

An easy Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese frosting is a great fall dessert recipe to have in your recipe book. Because, yum.

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About Sharon Garofalow

Sharon lives in Southern California with her adorable family. She loves to share ideas to make mom life easier and encourage busy gals to make time for themselves too! Sharon's "me" time often includes watching Hallmark Channel movies, sipping sauvignon blanc, trying not to eat Salt and Pepper potato chips, and planning girlfriend getaways.

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Based in Southern California, I am the mom to two amazing boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. Cupcakes and Cutlery is your resource for simple solutions to help you be an awesome wife and mother and not lose yourself in the process. Email me at [email protected]! MORE ABOUT SHARON

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