Name: Pumpkin Cake Recipe (Go-To EVER!)
Yield: 10

This Pumpkin Cake Recipe is moist, evenly spiced, and features a luscious cream cheese frosting and is optionally garnished with candied pecans.

author’s note

A Pumpkin Cake That Checks All the Boxes!

Every fall, I somehow end up back in the kitchen testing another pumpkin dessert. I thought I’d pretty much nailed pumpkin cake after making my pumpkin carrot cake, but apparently I wasn’t done yet!

This year, I started testing pumpkin recipes in August and became determined to make the best classic Pumpkin Cake, no carrots involved. Somewhere in the middle of all that testing, I was also working on pumpkin whoopie pies, so there was A LOT of pumpkin happening in my kitchen.

But this cake was absolutely worth all the testing. It’s soft, moist, evenly spiced, and topped with a thick layer of a reliable cream cheese frosting. Everyone who tried it loved it, and it’s officially one of a reliable pumpkin recipes for fall.

The wet and dry ingredients being prepped and mixed together to create the satisfying and smooth batter.

Pumpkin Cake Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient	Swap or Tip
Pumpkin Purée	Use canned pumpkin (like Libby’s) or from-scratch purée if it’s thick and not watery.
Brown Sugar	Light or dark brown sugar both work; dark gives richer flavor.
Vegetable Oil	Swap with canola oil, melted coconut oil, or even melted butter.
Eggs	Use room temp for best mixing.
Spices	Sub pumpkin pie spice if you don’t have all the spices on hand.
Cream Cheese Frosting	Try vanilla buttercream or maple frosting for a twist.
Candied Pecans (skippable)	Toasted walnuts, almonds, or skip entirely.

Featured Comment

“Awesome recipe! This cake is really satisfying. Everyone loved it! It’s highly requested by my family. Making it again today. Thanks!”
– Lori

The finished pumpkin cake recipe being baked and then removed and cooled before frosting.

How To Make Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Prepare: Heat the oven and grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
Mix Cake Ingredients: Combine wet ingredients, then mix in the dry ingredients.
Bake: Pour batter into pan, bake it, let it cool in the pan, then let it cool completely.
Make Frosting: Beat the frosting ingredients together until smooth.
Assemble: Spread the frosting on the cake and add chopped pecans if desired.

Storage

Leftovers?

Storage: An unfrosted cake stays fresh for 3-4 days at its best. If you refrigerate it, it can last about a week.
Refrigeration: If you’ve added frosting, refrigerate it the same day you make it.
Freezing: You can freeze the pumpkin cake recipe (without frosting) for up to 2 months. Wrap it well in plastic wrap.
Thawing: Thaw at room temp for 1-2 hours before adding frosting.