It’s the season to get creative with your use of ‘all-things pumpkin,’ and this Pumpkin Spice Cake is a must-bake treat!
This spice cake is super moist thanks to the applesauce, butter, and pumpkin puree. The cinnamon and pumpkin spice mix bring a lovely warmth to the cake batter. The cream cheese frosting adds a sweet touch without taking over the cake.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This easy pumpkin spice cake is moist and loaded with warm spices, topped with a creamy frosting.
- There are various ways to adapt this spice cake. You could even use this recipe to make a classic carrot cake!
- You can make this spice cake ahead of time and store it in the freezer. Just thaw it and frost it fresh right before serving to your guests.
Get ready for pumpkin season! Add this pumpkin spice cake recipe to your list of sweet treats to enjoy with family and friends
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe's ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- unsalted butter - room temperature
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- Pumpkin puree - not pumpkin pie filling
- applesauce
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- pumpkin pie spice
- ground cinnamon
- kosher salt
- cream cheese - softened
- unsalted butter - softened may use salted - omit kosher salt
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- pumpkin pie spice
- milk
- kosher salt
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients until fully combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking dish and bake for 32-36 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 60 minutes on a cooling rack.
- While the cake cools, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer until creamy.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, pumpkin spice, milk, and salt.
- Mix the ingredients on low speed for 20 seconds. Then, increase to medium-high speed for 2 minutes. The frosting should become thick and fluffy. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Transfer the cream cheese topping to the top of the cooled spice cake.
- Frost the top of the cake evenly
- Sprinkle chopped or crushed walnuts over the freshly spread cream cheese and serve immediately or within 3 days.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Mixing bowls
- Electric Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Baking Dish 9X13-inch
- Dry measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making a Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe.
This Pumpkin spice cake tastes like a typical pumpkin spice sweet treat with the warm flavors provided by cinnamon and pumpkin spice. The cream cheese frosting adds a decadent and creamy topping!
A Betty Crocker spice cake mix contains cinnamon as well as other “spices” that are not defined in detail on the packaging.
Carrot cake is a kind of spice cake. It has shredded carrots along with common spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
This cake should be stored in the refrigerator if you have leftovers from the cream cheese frosting. Don’t let the frosted cake sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- If you want to store leftover pumpkin spice cake in the freezer, here’s a handy tip. Cut the cake into individual slices. Then, wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Finally, place the wrapped slices in an airtight container. This way, they’ll stay fresh and ready for you to enjoy later! That way, you can remove the amount needed instead of defrosting more.
- You can make this cake ahead of time. Just wrap it in plastic wrap after it cools completely and before adding the frosting. Then, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. You can then add the frosting just before serving.
- For a deliciously fluffy cake, make sure that your eggs are at room temperature. You can place your uncracked eggs in lukewarm water for about 5 minutes to speed up this process.
- I’ve used unsalted butter in the cake batter. If you use salted butter instead, simply omit the salt in the ingredients.
- Don’t confuse pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is just cooked pumpkin with no added ingredients like sugars or additives. On the other hand, pumpkin pie filling has extra ingredients and is usually thinner.
- You can either chop the walnuts or add whole walnuts to a Ziploc bag and then use a rolling pin to crush them slightly.
📚 Variations
- Add some additional toppings to this spice cake while the frosting is still fresh. Chopped walnuts offer a delicious crunchy contrast. You could also drizzle maple syrup or caramel sauce over the top of the frosting.
- Mix in some orange zest to the cream cheese frosting and cake batter for a delicious flavor addition.
- Create a carrot cake with this recipe by including shredded carrot in the batter and cream cheese frosting.
- While I haven’t included ginger and nutmeg in this cake recipe, you could include these ingredients.
🥫 Storage
Keep this pumpkin spice cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze it for 2 to 3 months. Serve it slightly chilled or at room temperature.
📗 Related Recipes
Pumpkin season is a great time to be creative. You can use warm spices, fresh pumpkin, and pumpkin puree as ingredients. Try out Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cookies, Toasted Pecan Pumpkin Ice Cream, Pumpkin Dip, or Pumpkin Ravioli for inspiration.
If you're looking for the perfect fall treat, we have it. Our Mini Pumpkin Pie recipe is the perfect combination of flavors. Everyone loves them!
Unleash your inner chef! Get creative in the kitchen by using your Homemade Chai Spice Blend. You can add it to cookies, cakes, and even curry dishes.
Another seasonal ingredient we like for our desserts is cranberries. If you want to serve a cake that will leave your family and guests drooling, serve them our Cranberry Cake With Mascarpone Cream Frosting.
Whenever you're looking for a dessert that shines at every potluck, you've found it with this Fruit Cocktail Cake with Coconut Glaze recipe. It's moist, tender, and bursting with fruit and old-school flavor.
🍽 Serve with
Pumpkin spice cake isn’t an overly sweet treat, making it ideal for pairing with some whipped cream or a serving of this vanilla No-Churn Ice Cream for a dessert option.
You could enjoy a slice of this spice cake with a cup of hot coffee as a morning or afternoon snack.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
Spice cake is seriously underrated, in my opinion. It’s easy to make from scratch and provides warm spice favors - perfect for Fall!
This Pumpkin Spice Cake is my go-to cake during pumpkin season or whenever I have pumpkin puree that I want to use up. I’ve also used this recipe to make a moist carrot cake by changing a few ingredients.
Get creative and top this pumpkin spice cake with a cream cheese frosting, chopped nuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup!
We love our Fall spice flavors, If you do too, next time try our Pumpkin Coffee Cake With Maple Streusel Topping.
If you want to impress your friends and family, I have a great cake recipe. It's unique and super tasty! Check out this Zucchini Olive Oil Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
Pumpkin Spice Cake is moist and fluffy with warm spices, a cream cheese frosting, and a pumpkin puree. The spice cake can also be topped with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup for added decadence.
Next time try our yummy Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bar Recipe. You get all the goodness of apple pie less mess and the ease of serving.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Spice Cake Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup Brown sugar packed
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 15 ounce Pumpkin puree 1 can
- ½ cup Applesauce
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 4 Eggs
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 16 ounces Cream Cheese 2-blocks, room temperature
- ½ cup Unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 cups Confectioners Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Toppings
- 1 cup Finely crushed walnuts
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- With the 1 teaspoon of butter grease a 9X13- inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the ½ cup butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Mix with a hand mixer until incorporated.
- Add the eggs to the bowl and mix well.
- In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully blended, scraping the sides as needed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 32-36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- All the cake to cool for 60 minutes on a cooling rack before frosting.
Frosting Directions
- In a large bowl add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer until creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, mil, and salt to the bowl.Mix slowly for 20 seconds and then increase to medium to high speed and mix for 2 minutes until the frosting is thick and fluffy while scraping the sides as needed.
- Frost the top of the cake, spread evenly.
- Place the walnuts in a ziplock bag and roll with a rolling pin to create a finer consistency.Sprinkle the walnuts on top.
- Serve immediately or with 3 days.
Nutrition
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