Looking for a super easy pumpkin recipe to make? Then this cake is the perfect recipe to try! It’s jam packed with fall flavors, super soft and tender, and makes a beautiful fall dessert. It makes an especially great Thanksgiving dessert!
Okay, I am officially activating fall mode – so that means pumpkin, spice, and everything nice!
It doesn’t matter if it’s still technically summer…
steaming hot…
and the leaves are still green.
Fall is my favorite season, so I’m enjoying it to the fullest! And naturally, we HAD to start things off with a pumpkin recipe!
This is my absolute favorite recipe for pumpkin cake, and it couldn’t be any easier to make! #rhymingqueen
I am not even close to exaggerating when I say that this is the most soft, tender, and moist cake I. Have. Ever. Had! And I’ve had a healthy amount of cakes in my life – just to name a few!
There’s just something so uniquely special about adding pumpkin puree to a cake that takes it 5000 notches up. It makes for the best cake texture around and adds a beautifully earthy sweetness – and don’t even get me started on how beautiful the color is. I’m swooning!
Annnnnnd to make matters BETTER, it literally only involves whisking together wet ingredients, whisking together dry ingredients, and combining. It’s a quicker, easier, and more fail-proof version of pumpkin pie. Like is there anything she can’t do??
Pumpkin cake ingredients:
• flour
• baking powder + baking soda: the combination yields the softest cake … ever!
• pumpkin pie spice: classic flavor!
• salt
• vegetable oil: any neutral flavored oil can be used here – this makes the cake extra moist!
• eggs
• sugar: I used all brown sugar, but you can use granulated sugar, or a combination of the two! Brown sugar makes the cake more moist while granulated sugar will caramelize and give you a crispier crust
• pumpkin puree: you can make your own if you’re up for it, but the canned stuff works perfectly fine here. The cake needs a total of about 2 cups of puree (or 15 ounces)
• vanilla extract
• frosting: it’s up to you which frosting to use! I go over some options below!
How to make pumpkin cake:
1. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together and set aside.
2. Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together in a large bowl.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Pour into your baking dish & bake.
5. Cool completely & frost. (Optional) top each piece with some chopped walnuts.
Different pumpkin cake shapes and sizes:
I used this recipe to make a sheet cake (mostly for sake of ease!) but you can use this same recipe to make some different variations. This recipe makes 24 standard sized cupcakes, 1 (9 inch) Bundt cake, a 2 layer (9 inch) cake, or a 3 layer (6 inch cake). Bake times will vary based on the size of course.
Pumpkin cake frosting ideas:
My favorite frosting for pumpkin cake has got to be cream cheese frosting – it’s traditional, and it’s what I used this time around. You can also go with something like vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, or even chocolate ganache!
Because it’s so delicate, the best frosting to pair with pumpkin cake is something kind of neutral in flavor, or with flavors that match what’s in the cake. So think: brown sugar frosting, cinnamon frosting, pumpkin spiced frosting, or other similar fall flavors.
Pumpkin cake storage:
This cake is so insanely moist that it keeps well for up to ONE WEEK at room temperature, or up to 2 weeks in the fridge! Keep wrapped with plastic wrap to preserve it’s freshness. The less air that gets into the cake, the longer it’ll last.
I just so happen to have another batch of this cake sitting on my counter for emergency pumpkin cravings. And let me tell you: we’re on day 3 for this batch, and it tastes like it just came out of the oven an hour ago!
You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months! Store in an airtight container, plastic bag, or wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Again, the less air it’s exposed to, the better.
Check out these other recipes!
• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache
• Apricot Jam Bars with a Crumb Topping
• Genoise Cake (Vanilla Sponge Cake 101)
Pumpkin Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 & 1/4 cups packed brown sugar, light or dark * see notes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil, or any other neutral flavored oil (i.e. peanut, canola, mazola, etc.)
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree, about 2 cups total
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- your choice of frosting ** see notes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking dish (or you can line it with parchment paper), and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Whisk to incorporate. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix together until just combined.
- Pour your cake batter into your prepared baking dish. Bake in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool your cake completely before frosting!
Video
Notes
Enjoy!
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