Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake

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5 from 2 votes

A spiced pumpkin cake with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: cake

Servings: servings

Calories: 839kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cake

3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoons cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups (297 g) granulated white sugar
1 cup (213 g) light brown sugar
1 cup (240 mL) canola oil
4 large eggs
1 15- ounce can pure pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
16 ounces (2 bricks) full fat cream cheese softened
6 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

For cake

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; dust pans with flour.
Sift 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients into medium bowl.
Using a whisk combine both sugars and oil in large bowl until combined (mixture will look grainy). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pans on rack. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks; remove parchment paper. Turn cakes over, rounded side up. Using serrated knife, trim rounded tops of cakes to level.
For the frosting combine the butter and cream cheese and mix on low, then increase the speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in your powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add in your vanilla extract and cinnamon. Beat on medium-high for 8 minutes.
Using a large spatula spread a layer of frosting on the first layer. Top with second layer. Frost the sides of the cake and top and smooth with a spatula. With a pastry bag and tip attached, pipe the frosting in swirls on the top and bottom. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Make Ahead/Storage: If frosted, I store this cake in my fridge. If unfrosted I'll make up to 2 days ahead of time and wrap well and keep on my counter. Then make your frosting up to 5 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. Then 1-2 days ahead of time you can assemble and frost the cake.
Freezing: You can also freeze the cake layers for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature and frost.
9x13 pan: I haven't baked as a sheet cake but if you want to bake this cake into a sheet cake, I would set my timer for 30 minutes and check every 5 minutes after.
Cupcakes: I haven't baked this recipe as cupcakes but it should fill about 24 cupcakes and bake for about 18-20 minutes.
Use pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie mix is NOT the same thing. Pumpkin pie mix has added sugar, and spices to it.
Be sure to measure your flour correctly by spooning into your cup and leveling with a flat edge. If you don’t, you may end up with too much flour and that will result in a dense cake.
Do not overmix. Once you have combined your wet and dry ingredients, be sure to not overmix. Once your flour becomes wet, the gluten will be formed. Too much mixing results in too much gluten formed and that results in a tough cake.
Room temperature ingredients. Make sure your eggs are room temperature so they will be incorporated easily. Place them in a warm bowl for 10 minutes before using them.
Let the cake cool. Allow your cake to cool completely before frosting. If the cake is too warm, your icing will melt.

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