Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

The perfect fall dessert, this Pumpkin Cake is super moist and filled with lots of warm spices. Topped off with cinnamon cream cheese frosting – this will be a repeat every fall!

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This Pumpkin Cake is so easy and perfect for fall. If you prefer apples, try out this Caramel Apple Bundt Cake or if you’re still holding onto zucchini, this Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is perfection!

This pumpkin cake recipe is a keeper. I took it to a family dinner, and while I was trying to be good and not eat a lot of sweets, I couldn’t stop myself from going back for “one more” little slice of this. I had to give it all away before going home, because I knew that if I took it home, I’d eat it all myself. In fact, it might have not even made it home because I would have been tempted to snack on it in the car the whole way home!

And I have decided that I’m going to start adding cinnamon to everything because the addition of cinnamon in this cream cheese frosting totally made it stand out. Definitely an ingredient that you don’t want to skip!! Are you filling your house with the smell of fall?

Ingredients That Keep this Pumpkin Cake Moist

One thing I love about this cake is how moist and tender it is. There are a few things that help make this cake so good:

• The pumpkin. Of course the cake has pumpkin in it, since it is, afterall, a pumpkin cake. But that pumpkin helps the cake to remain moist as well. You can use canned pumpkin, (make sure you are using just pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix), or you can use fresh pumpkin puree. If using homemade, drain it before measuring and using.
• The applesauce. Instead of all butter or oil, the applesauce brings some extra moistness to this cake.
• The oil. You probably could use butter instead of oil, but I think the oil is another key ingredient to a moist cake. And since there are so many other flavors going on in this cake, you probably wouldn’t taste the butter anyway.
• The frosting. This is a good, thick, frosting. This helps especially for leftovers. It keeps the cake from drying out.

How to Make Pumpkin Cake

Whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl.

In another large mixing bowl, beat together the pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, and oil. Once that is beat together, beat in the eggs. You don’t want to overbeat the eggs – that is why you add them in last.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until it is mixed together and you can’t see any dry spots.

Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cook completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and the butter and beat until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar (no need to sift!), then beat in the cream, cinnamon, and vanilla. If your frosting is too stiff, add more cream, but only add in small increments and beat fully after adding.

Frost the cooled cake. I like to use an offset spatula.

Tips and Tricks

This is such an easy pumpkin cake recipe and comes together almost as fast as a box mix would. But here are a few tips:

• Don’t overmix the batter. You probably hear this a lot with baked goods like cakes and muffins, but over-mixing can cause a tough cake instead of a tender one.
• You can sub in pumpkin pie spice for the spices in the recipe. I would use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or you could just do 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. I just like more cinnamon. 🙂
• Beat the cream cheese and the butter together for the frosting until they are light and fluffy. This might take a few minutes, depending on what you are beating it with.
• Store any leftover pumpkin cake covered in the refrigerator. I actually like this cake best the second day, cold and right out of the refrigerator.
• This can easily be made for a crowd and cut into smaller pieces!

More Can’t Miss Pumpkin Recipes

Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Pumpkin Pie Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce
Pumpkin Cobbler

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Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 4 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 15 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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The perfect fall dessert, this Pumpkin Cake is super moist and filled with lots of warm spices. Topped off with cinnamon cream cheese frosting – this will be a repeat every fall!

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Cake:

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• ▢ 1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree (or homemade)
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup applesauce
• ▢ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 eggs

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• ▢ 3 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon heavy cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
• In another bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, and oil. Mix to combine. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.
• Cool the cake completely.
• To make the frosting: Combine the cream cheese and the butter and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly start adding the powdered sugar, mixing until it is all incorporated. Mix in the cream, cinnamon and vanilla. Add more cream if needed to get a spreadable frosting.
• Frost the cooled cake with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting and serve.
• Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Recipe Notes:

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 397kcal (20%), Carbohydrates: 58g (19%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 8g (50%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 82mg (27%), Sodium: 375mg (16%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 42g (47%)

Keywords: cinnamon cream cheese frosting, pumpkin cake