When I was growing up, pumpkin was my favorite kind of pie. The thing I looked forward to most about Thanksgiving was that slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream at the end of the meal. I waited all year for that slice of pie, and I savored every bite. I tell you all this so you know that when I say, you may want to replace your pumpkin pie with this pumpkin cake this Thanksgiving, I don’t do so lightly. This cake is a masterpiece. I’ve never met someone who, when they taste this cake, isn’t instantly hooked.
One year, ALL 3 of my October babies requested this cake for their birthday. We had it once a week for 3 weeks in a row and no one got sick of it. That’s how good this cake is.
This pumpkin cake is not a light fluffy cake, which is why you really want to only make it as a sheet cake. If you combined a cake and an English pudding that’s about the texture you would get with this cake. It’s smooth, but a bit heavier so you really want that thin layer paired with the frosting. I tried one year to use this recipe to do a stacked “naked” cake, and it didn’t work. I know sheet cakes aren’t much fun to look at, but trust me, this cake is so good, no one will care that it isn’t the prettiest.
You can find the entire pumpkin cake recipe below. It’s very easy to make and almost impossible to mess up, so it’s a great cake for beginners. The only finicky part of making this pumpkin cake is making sure you level it before you put it in the oven. Since the batter is pretty thick, it doesn’t really self level, so you’ll want to make sure and get it level before you bake it or you’ll have a wonky pumpkin cake. No one wants that!
To level it, I spread the batter evenly in the pan and then place the pan on the counter and wiggle it back and forth until it’s all flat and level.
Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 large can pumpkin (29 oz)
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Frosting Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese- softened
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Wisk together: oil, sugar, eggs and pumpkin until well combined, sugar is dissolved, and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients then add them to the pumpkin mixture.
- Blend until smooth.
- Grease a 12″x17″ sheet pan and spread pumpkin mixture, make sure it’s level.
- Bake for 30-35 min, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting Directions
- Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla and 1 cup powdered sugar until well combined.
- Beat in remaining powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, until the frosting is very smooth.
- Frost cake once it’s completely cooled.
More of our families favorite recipes:
Neapolitan style pizza recipe.
