Fall baking rarely gets easier than this pumpkin cake. The batter comes together in one bowl, the oven does the rest, and a tangy cream cheese topping finishes it off. Canned pumpkin puree keeps every slice moist for days, and a blend of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice gives the cake real depth instead of a flat, one-note sweetness. Home bakers of any skill level can pull this off on a weeknight.

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

The cake batter and the frosting each use pantry staples, so a single grocery trip covers everything.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree, 1½ tsp vanilla

For the frosting: 8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

Instructions

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, both sugars, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until the mixture turns smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just combined; the batter stays thick, and that's normal.

Cooking

Spread the batter evenly into the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick at the 28-minute mark, since pumpkin cake dries out fast once it overbakes. Pull the pan out as soon as the toothpick comes out clean, then tent the top with foil if it browns too quickly near the end.

Serving

Let the cake cool completely in the pan for at least an hour before frosting; a warm cake will make the frosting slide right off. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat for about two minutes until fluffy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and chill it for 20 to 30 minutes for cleaner slices.

Nutritional Value Per One Serving

Nutrition Facts, one serving:

  • Calories: 410
  • Total Fat: 22g
  • Saturated Fat: 7g
  • Cholesterol: 75mg
  • Sodium: 320mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 50g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1g
  • Sugars: 36g
  • Protein: 5g

Tips and Variations

A few swaps stretch this recipe well beyond a single format. Fresh pumpkin works in place of canned, but it needs to drain in a lined strainer for 15 to 20 minutes first, or the batter turns too loose. The same batter fills cupcake liners for a portable version, baked 18 to 21 minutes instead of the full 30. Chopped pecans folded into the batter, or a maple swap in the frosting, both add variety without changing the core method.

That pecan and cream cheese pairing shows up again in this bourbon pecan pie, another low-effort fall dessert worth adding to the rotation. Anyone with extra canned pumpkin on hand can put it to use in this baked pumpkin casserole, a savory-leaning bake that skips the frosting entirely. For a different one-bowl cake with a tangy topping, this blueberry sour cream coffee cake runs on a similar method. The full dessert collection covers the rest of the fall lineup.

Conclusion

This pumpkin cake earns its place in a fall baking rotation because it stays forgiving at every step, from a one-bowl batter to a frosting that comes together in minutes. Store it covered in the refrigerator for four to five days, or freeze the unfrosted cake for up to three months. Either way, it holds its moisture and flavor far past the day it's baked.