Fluffy and spiced pumpkin cake is layered with luscious and creamy swirls of vanilla bean dotted cream cheese frosting for the best pumpkin layer cake EVER. This cake has is all when it comes to flavor, texture, and wow factor! This is the only pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting that you will ever need. So get a fork ready because you’ll be stealing bites of this cake all day and night!
Pumpkin Cake
This pumpkin cake has loads of pure pumpkin purée along with a subtle touch of brown sugar and warm baking spices in every autumnal bite. This cake is a perfect addition to any of your holiday gatherings and will certainly be a crowd favorite.
Tips for making the best pumpkin cake ever!
- Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling
- Use pre-made pumpkin pie spice or use homemade.
- Make sure to follow the directions on chilling this pumpkin cake if making it into a layer cake.
Note that this cake must be cooled completely before frosting. Additionally, you can easily double this for a larger cake. And a bonus, this can also be made into an 8 inch pumpkin snack cake if preferred.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This is the frosting that all spiced cakes are dreaming about! This frosting tastes like vanilla cheesecake. So you will get a flavor of pumpkin cheesecake when layered with this pumpkin cake. It does use a mix of vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract. This develops a really balanced vanilla flavor. However, feel free to use whichever you have on hand if you do not have both the paste and extract.
Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Fluffy and spiced pumpkin cake is layered with luscious and creamy swirls of vanilla bean dotted cream cheese frosting for the best pumpkin layer cake EVER. This cake has is all when it comes to flavor, texture, and wow factor!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1/2 C unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3/4 C granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 jumbo egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 1/4 C pure pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 C All purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 C unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 1/2 – 3 C confectioner sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 6 inch cake pans with butter then dust them with flour.
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Place butter and canola oil in a large microwavable mixing bowl and microwave for 45-60 seconds, until warm and melted. Then add the sugars and whisk until glossy and smooth.
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Then add the jumbo egg and the vanilla extract and paste and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in the pure pumpkin puree.
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In a small bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients for the cake. Add this to the cake batter and gently whisk just until combined and smooth.
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Divide evenly into cake pans. Bake for approximately 24-27 minutes, or until toothpicks inserted into warm cakes come out clean.
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Then cool cakes for 10 minutes in pans before turning them over onto cooling racks. They must be completely cool before frosting. I put them in the fridge after they are room temperature and let them chill for 20 minutes before frosting as this is a less stable frosting. *Chilling the caked frosting in the following steps before serving is important if you are going to make this a layer cake. No chilling required for a pumpkin snack cake.
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Then make frosting using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Place cream cheese and butter and mix for a couple of minutes until smooth and fluffy.
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Then gradually add powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated. Then turn mixer to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanillas with sea salt and beat again. Make sure to scrape down bowl. Chill frosting 30 minutes if making layer cake.
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After chilling frosting and cakes if doing layer cake, beat frosting for about 45 seconds so it's creamy and smooth before frosting and layering cake. Then chill cake for at least an hour or until ready to cut and serve.
Recipe Notes
If making this into a pumpkin snack cake or pumpkin sheet cake, make sure to adjust baking time.
This recipe can be easily doubled for a three layer 9 inch cake.
Please use real and pure pumpkin for this pumpkin cake recipe and do not use pumpkin pie filling.
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