Pumpkin makes cakes soft and tender with a glowing orange colour in a way nothing else can! This Pumpkin Cake is perfectly spiced and comes with a tangy cream cheese frosting. The only thing that could make it better? Maple syrup. So I added it!
Pumpkin cake
This is a pumpkin cake recipe for people who want:
an easy, foolproof recipe (just wait until you see how simple it is!);
a cake with excellent pumpkinness* that’s not overwhelmed by the use of excessive store-bought spice mixes;
a crumb that’s springy, soft and moist, rather than tight/dense or airy/delicate (like angel cake);
a big cake to feed lots of people without the deft required to cut tall layer cakes into 16 tiny slivers; and
a cake with excellent frosting-to-cake ratio. Specifically, a cream cheese maple frosting. A dreamy combination with pumpkin!
So if all that sounds good to you, read on!
* I am not sure that’s a word but it seems fitting here.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Cake
Here’s what you need to make this cake.
Pumpkin puree options
I use fresh because it tastes better and takes 8 seconds to puree. Plus, canned pumpkin isn’t readily available here in Australia. 🙂 But canned works perfectly fine!
Canned pumpkin is a convenient option if you can get it and it works perfectly for this cake. But if you use pureed fresh pumpkin, you’ll be rewarded with a better tasting cake! It’s just a plain fact that freshly cooked pumpkin tastes better than something that’s been sitting in a can for months / years. Yes, we made and compared them side by side. 🙂
Use what works for you!
To make your own pumpkin puree, just boil chunks of pumpkin for 10 minutes or until very tender. Then blitz – it literally takes 8 seconds.
Pumpkin cake batter
Here are the other ingredient you need for the batter:
Flour – Plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour (also called self-rising flour) will work but it won’t rise as much. I haven’t tried this cake with gluten-free flour.
Oil – Any neutral flavoured oil like canola and vegetable oil. Using oil instead of butter keeps this cake moist. Why? Because butter firms up at room temperature whereas oil does not. So cakes made with oil are more moist. However, the trade-off is that butter tastes better than oil. In this cake, we’ve got other flavours at play here – the pumpkin and cinnamon. So I don’t miss the butter!
Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise. As a side note, the original version of this cake used a combination of baking soda and baking powder. However, over the years, I’ve found that using only baking powder gives the cake a softer crumb. Plus, we cut out one ingredients. 🙂
Cinnamon – Flavour! Classic combination with pumpkin.
Sugar – Regular white sugar, or caster sugar / superfine sugar.
Large eggs at room temperature, which means eggs that are 55-60g/2oz each sold in cartons labelled “large eggs”. They need to be at room temperature, not fridge cold, so they blend into the ingredients better. More information on the right eggs for baking here!
Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the other flavours in this cake. Standard baking practice these days. 🙂
Cream cheese frosting
There is no better frosting for pumpkin cake! Here’s what you need:
Cream cheese – use BLOCK, not the spreadable cream cheese in tubs (too soft). If you can only get the spreadable cream cheese, add extra icing sugar to correct the consistency.
Softened unsalted butter – softened but not super soft / borderline melting.
Icing sugar aka powdered sugar – 🇦🇺 Australia, use soft icing sugar, NOT pure icing sugar (which is used for things like royal icing ie sets hard).
Vanilla extract – For flavour.
Maple syrup – UGH, forgot to put it in the photo! This is for drizzling on top. I wanted to put it in the frosting but it made the frosting too loose.
How to make Pumpkin Cake
WHY CAN’T ALL CAKES BE THIS EASY???!!
Whisk wet – Whisk the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin puree.
Add dry – Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt then whisk until combined. Batter. Done!
Bake in a 23 x 33 / 13 x 9″ lined pan (or thereabouts) at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. See the video for my easy way to line the pan!
Frosting – While the cake is cooling, make the frosting! Just beat the cream cheese and butter for a minute on high until creamy. Then add the icing sugar (powdered sugar) in 3 batches, starting the beater on low to avoid a snowstorm. Once it’s incorporated, crank the beater up to high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy!
Slather the frosting on the cooled cake, and use the back of a spoon to make swirly dents for maple syrup to pool in.
Drizzle with maple syrup, as much as you want / dare, then sprinkle liberally with roughly chopped pecans.
And now it’s time to dig in!
Making this cake might be the best decision you make in October. It’s totally straight forward. Your kitchen will smell amazing. It’s big enough to share with those you deem worthy.
And that moment when you take the first bite of that soft cake loaded with beautiful pumpkin flavour, mingling with that tangy cream cheese frosting mixed with rivers of maple syrup and the littering of soft pecans….
I challenge you to stop at one piece. (Even if you cut yourself a very, very big one). – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Fresh or canned pumpkin? I’m in the fresh camp!
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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin puree options
- 1 2/3 cups fresh pumpkin puree , I use this (Note 1)
- 15 oz / 425g canned pure pumpkin , 1 can (Note 1)
Other cake batter ingredients
- 4 large eggs 55-60g/2oz each), at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups white sugar (or caster/superfine sugar, Note 2)
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
- 2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt (Note 3)
Frosting
- 6 oz / 180g cream cheese block, at room temperature (Note 4)
- 1 cup / 225g unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (Note 5)
Finishing
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (don't be shy!)
- 1/2 cup pecans , roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Spray and line a large pan around 9 x 13" / 23 x 33cm with baking paper with overhang. (Note 6)
- Batter – In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Bake – Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack to cool completely (~ 2 hours) before frosting.
- Frosting – Spread frosting on then use the back of a spoon to make swirly dents. Drizzle over maple syrup, concentrating on the dents to create maple syrup pools! Sprinkle with pecans. Then serve.
Frosting
- Cream butter – Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the icing sugar in 3 batches, starting the beater on low after each addition to avoid a snowstorm. Once incorporated, turn the beater up to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Use frosting immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in November 2016. Recipe slightly improved (I now only use baking powder as I find it makes the cake rise more evenly), recipe writing improved (I’ve come a long way in 7 years!), sparkling new photos and a brand new video with me IN it!
More pumpkin recipes
Life of Dozer
Today – visiting a local community garden just a few minutes from home called Happy Hens. What an extraordinary oasis! 100% volunteer run in a beautiful location by the water, filled with an abundance of herbs and vegetables. Everyone is welcome – so locals, drop by to see it and say g’day! Might even see you there. 🙂 ~ Nagi & Dozer xx
And from the original publication date in 2016:
a) Cruel
b) Cute
c) Funny
d) All of the above
WOWZERS!!! What a fantastic and moist cake. I use my own pumpkin puree and always looking for pumpkin recipes. Did not make the topping as always like to try the cake before adding anything else. Once again did not fail to impress. I am going to serve this with whipped cream, maple syrup and toasted pecans. Tomorrow. Thanks Nagi for such a great recipe.
I love, love, love your new videos with your commentary Nagi! Brings a great personal touch to your beautiful recipes. Had to laugh with your lazy way of using baking paper, I love a great shortcut on those boring bits like lining baking pans 🤣. Will certainly be making this weekend! Thanks Nagi.
I signed up for recipes and read emails regularly, not for the recipes but to see dozer. Occasionally a recipe will get me interested, nowadays I look at every recipe (after dozer) and I even own the cookbook lol. Congratulations I love seeing how you’ve come so far from
The beginning xoxoxoxox
I would bypass the maple syrup and swirl caramel over the top if I were so inclined. 🙂
Nagi – I’m going to try this with gluten free flour (plus some xanthum gum). But with Thanksgiving coming up, can I freeze the sheet cake and just frost it on the day???
Hi Julie,
As per the normal recipe (using regular flour), you can totally freeze the cake and frost it on the day. It’s a great way to be organised and minimise the work on the big day! Let us know how it turns out using GF flour!
I did use GF flour and it was perfect! I always add a bit of xanthan gum. It will be a standard now at Thanksgiving. I didn’t end up making it ahead, so didn’t try freezing it. But will do next time!
These pictures are making me swoon and I can’t wait to bake it this weekend. Could you make cupcakes rather than a full cake?
Hay Patricia, Sha has it written in not 6, yes you can do cupcakes, bake for 25 minutes. Hope they are a success!
Oh you dear soul; do you lie awake at night dreaming up these luscious recipes to torture us. Or could it be that you are a shareholder in the XXXL clothing industry.
Have your book, following everything now! It would be FAB to include gluten free substitutions? as you would be diva to another part of the world. Thanks. Austin Texas
I like the new video format! I also like they’re not too long. I admit I was a bit sceptical with the first one, but I do like seeing you from eye-level rather than from the top.
I might try this next time I have a butternut pumpkin!
Soooooo good to hear and see you both in the video, Nagi. Makes my day! And I’m definitely making this cake. Looks yummy and I LOVE pumpkin! Thanks, Nagi!
Will roasting a pie pumpkin, as opposed to boiling, make a difference in the cake (i.e. moisture)? It’s more standard in the USA to halve, seed, and roast, then scoop out the cooked flesh.
It will taste better when roasted. You lose flavour when boiling. Enjoy.
Great recipe. I have asked before – back in the day Nagi used to include the metric measurements right in the recipe with the non-metric (I have recipes printed out to show this). I wish she would return to this format as it is annoying to have to print two copies of the recipe and write in the e.g weight of the flour (I am baking gluten free in the US). I can give an example of another well known recipe writer on the Web that does this. Why did Nagi change formats?
You can choose between cups and metrics under the orange “Ingredients” word, right before the recipe ingredients are listed.
I think it might have caused problems with the scaler only changing some of the measurements when you changed the portions.
HI Joe! I just checked and the scaler is working ok 🙂 All the ingredients change if you change the scale! N x
I use the app Paprika, as do most of my friends and family. Easy to copy, save and share recipes. It has the ability to convert recipes for servings and units that is wonderful.
OMG. I am totally making this for my eldest’s next birthday. They usually request carrot cake (yours of course!) But is also a huge pumpkin spice fan.
Only for some reason they don’t like cream cheese icing! Sob! I don’t know where I went wrong! 😭
So the topping will be a generous sprinkle of icing sugar.
Pumpkin is one of the few foods I absolutely loathe but I’m going to make this. Maybe it’ll turn me, and if not, my family will love it. I’m going to put maple sugar flakes on top instead of syrup because I have them and why not 🙂
I don’t normally do this. But! I’ve my own pumpkin cake recipe. I’ve never seen any others. And when I tell people about it they just automatically go “ewwww”. That’s when I mention carrot cake. Anyway. I haven’t made this one yet. But now I have to. So I will get back here with a rating. Can’t wait to be honest. I also make my own pumpkin puree, but never a 15min thing, as I’ve found one needs to let it strain in a muslin cloth to achieve something that is not to moist for the cake mix. I also make my own pumpkin pie spice which I also use in my cake mix. And I use a rum glaze not an icing or frosting. I also have homegrown pecans lining the cake tin before I add batter. So please forgive me for commenting before I make recipe. I will be back.
Not clear whether soft icing sugar means icing mix. (The only alternatives in Australia)
I made 20 cupcakes from this recipe, and 25 minutes was spot on. Probably would halve the amount of frosting next time, it was way more than I needed!
My friend gave me a pumpkin but my children didn’t want pumpkin soup so I decided to try out this recipe.
I made it while my children were at school and my husband was at work so that they would not be bias in their judgment.
True enough, when my daughter tried it, she thought that it was a moist carrot cake! Even my 2 adult friends also thought so! Haha! A healthy ‘vegetable’ cake for the family!
Yummo! Even the fussy veggie hating teen loves and requests this and she knows it has pumpkin in it which she hates!!! Cook time spot on for me – just use the larger tray pan rather than cake tin.
Great cake!
I’ve made it a few times now, and it always disapoers fast.
But…it always takes alot longer than 25 mins!
Upon making it now, its up to 50 mins and still not cooked .
Yes, you are right Fiona. I used a square cake tin and it took 40 mins.