This perfect pumpkin cake brings back so many memories. The tender, moist texture reminds me of the pumpkin cake bars I used to make in junior high. I got the treasured bar recipe from an old children’s cookbook. I lent the cookbook to a neighbor and never saw the book or the recipe again. Through trial and error, I came up with this cake, which I think is even better! It’s so delicious it doesn’t need frosting, but the classic pairing with cream cheese frosting takes it over the top.
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Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
- 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (8 ounces) pure pumpkin purée Not pie filling
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- 2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting
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Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an *8-inch round cake pan with **parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin purée with an electric mixer, until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add flour mixture. Stir just until combined.
- Transfer batter to prepared cake pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.
- Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer, until creamy.
- Beat in vanilla extract and salt until well combined.
- On low speed, beat in powdered sugar.
- Beat in heavy cream a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir with a spatula to smooth out any bubbles.
Recipe Notes
*To find the cake pan I used, click here. **To find the parchment rounds I used, click here.