This may probably be the most moist pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting you ever have. It is a straightforward cake that packs a lot of flavors and textures. The cake is soft, while the cream cheese frosting is creamy and sweet. What takes it to a whole other level is the candied pepitas, which adds a crunch & subtle sweetness and saltiness. All the flavors tie together really beautifully to make a crowd-pleasing pumpkin cake.
It is a one-bowl pumpkin cake recipe. I like to start by combining all of my wet ingredients and then gradually adding my dry ingredients to make a cohesive batter. While baking the cake, you can easily accomplish the candied pepitas topping and the cream cheese frosting. Honestly, the cake, even on its own, is amazing. Who can say no to a stand-alone pumpkin spice cake?
Details about this Pumpkin Cake:
- The pumpkin flavor is prevalent in the cake, unlike some other recipes. Here, we use the entire can of pumpkin puree, which creates a more potent pumpkin flavor and moist texture.
- The cream cheese frosting is just sweet enough to balance out the flavor in the pumpkin cake, which isn’t as sweet. The hints of vanilla and cinnamon in the frosting elevate the frosting. It is thick enough to be spreadable but not too loose, making it easy to use as icing.
- The pepitas I buy, roasted and salted, really elevate the cake in terms of texture. You can toast the pepitas in a pan yourself and salt them if you cannot find it already done. I then lightly candy them by melting sugar and tossing the pepitas. Allow for them to cool, then break apart to be decorated on top of the cake. Not only is it a tasty addition, but it really ties the cake together aesthetically and texturally.
Be sure to check out my Pumpkin Cake video below! For the best viewing experience, watch the video in full-screen mode!
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Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 4 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Flavoring
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
- 1 cup Coconut oil, melted or vegetable oil
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Pumpkin Spice
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 Stick of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp Vanilla Flavoring
- 2.5 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Candied Pepitas
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cup Pepitas roasted & salted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and prep a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick spray.
- To a bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla. Add both sugars to this and stir together as well.
- To that, add the pumpkin puree and coconut oil. Stir everything together well until it is a cohesive batter.
- To the wet batter, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon. Stir together until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the candied pepitas. To a pan, add the sugar in an even layer. Let it melt on low-medium heat until it is lightly golden. Take it off the heat and stir in the pepitas quickly. Place it on a plate to cool then break it apart.
- After the cake has baked, allow for it to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, whip the cream cheese and butter together and add in the vanilla and powdered sugar along with the cinnamon. Beat this together until you have a creamy cream cheese frosting.
- Ice the cake with the frosting then top with the candied pepitas as the final touch. Cut into 24 pieces and enjoy!
- It tastes best at room temperature the same day but you can only store the cake in the fridge covered for up to 4 days. The pumpkin cake on its own is fantastic too if you want to skip out on the frosting and pepitas. That would be able to stay at room temperature covered for 4 days since it has no frosting.
This pumpkin cake was absolutely delicious and such a hit on thanksgiving! Not only is it so pretty, but also so easy and it was all done in one bowl. The cream cheese frosting is amazing and so is the cake just on its own. It’s packed with flavor and the sugar pepitas bring it to another level. Will definitely be making this over and over again!!
Thanks so much, Nadia!
This will truly be a crowd pleaser! I took it to a friends house and they absolutely loved it! So light and full of flavor. I would recommend maybe doing half with the topper papitas and half without as much kid and husband like it without more but I loved it as it was! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe that I will for sure be making again 🥰
I love that and great suggestion!
Literally my new favorite pumpkin dessert. It’s absolutely perfect and so moist. The family devoured it. Thanks fufu for creating amazing recipes as always. Everyone needs to make this i promise you won’t be disappointed.
I just made this and it was perfect. So delicious, and the sweet and salty combo with the pumpkin seeds is on point for crunch and contrast. I wasn’t having success with melting and caramelizing the white sugar for some reason so I used brown sugar instead and it was so good! This is a reliable crowd pleaser. Don’t hesitate to make it for a gathering (just make sure your leavening is fresh/unexpired and you measure properly since that is what makes the biggest difference in baking).
Such an easy recipe to follow. The cake tasted great, very moist yet light.