This Easy Pumpkin Cake is our favorite, fluffy, moist and absolutely delicious pumpkin cake. It has a tender, moist and delicate crumb. The marshmallow-like whipped cream cheese frosting takes it over the top.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
I invited my sisters and their families over for dinner this week and everyone really enjoyed it, especially the kids. I asked if they would be more likely to re-make this as a double decker fancy cake or an easy peasy sheet cake and the consensus was: EASY. Like 4 steps easy, including frosting!
Pumpkin Cake Recipe
If you aren’t a major pumpkin fan yet, you will be after trying this! We are quite smitten with this cake. It is on the regular rotation at our house in Autumn. Plus, it’s not overly sweet so there’s no avoiding that second helping ;).
This pumpkin sheet cake recipe was shared by one of my readers, Yulia. Thank you so much for sharing this treasure of a recipe with us! Some of our favorite recipes have been shared by our readers, like this persimmon bread. I love it when you all write in sharing your favorite recipes and tips. Those are my favorite kinds of emails! Thanks for thinking of me :).
Ingredients for Easy Pumpkin Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda (sifted to get rid of lumps)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs, room temp
1 cup oil (extra light olive oil, vegetable or corn oil will work)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree (or make your own!)
*Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly
Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package (8oz) Cream Cheese, room temp, cut into quarters
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter butter, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp real vanilla extract
Pecans to decorate, optional
How to Make Easy Pumpkin Cake:
Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Using cooking spray or oil, grease a 9×13 non-stick baking pan (like this one) or a Glass pyrex dish. Tip: If you’re serving it out of a metal pan, line it with parchment paper so you don’t scratch up your pan.
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt.
2. In a second medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: 3 large eggs, 1 cup oil and 1 can pumpkin, until well combined.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake at 350˚F for 35-40 min (my oven took 35 mins), or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in pan then spread the top with frosting (see below) and decorate with pecans or sprinkles.
How to Make Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. Combine all of your frosting ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (here’s the mixer I use) and using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until combined, then beat on high speed 2-3 min or until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
More Dreamy Pumpkin Recipes:
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with the same dreamy frosting
- Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread just melts in your mouth
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel
- Pumpkin Flax Granola – we keep a steady batch on hand
Watch Natasha Make Pumpkin Cake:
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make this pumpkin cake!
If you enjoy our videos, please and click the bell icon so you’ll be the first to know when we post a new video. THANK YOU for subscribing! We love spending time with you on our
Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Ingredients
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, *see note on measuring
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda, sifted to get rid of lumps
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup oil, extra light olive oil, vegetable or corn oil will work
- 15 oz pumpkin puree, can
Ingredients for Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temp, cut into quarters
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter butter, room temp
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pecans to decorate, optional
Instructions
How to Make Pumpkin Cake:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9x13 non-stick baking pan or a Glass pyrex dish.** In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt.
- In a second medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: 3 large eggs, 1 cup oil and 1 can pumpkin, until well combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake at 350˚F for 35-40 min (my oven took 35 min), or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in pan then spread the top with frosting (see below) and decorate with whole or chopped pecans. I sprinkled pecans over individual slices since my son doesn't eat them.
How to Make Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Combine all of your frosting ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until combined, then beat on high speed 2-3 min or until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Notes
**If you're serving it out of a metal pan, line it with parchment paper so you don't scratch up your pan.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Now the question is when are you going to be making this? At the very least, pin it for later. This one’s a keeper!
Can this pumpkin cake and icing be made ahead and frozen? It looks delicious.
Hi Maggie! I have not tried freezing the frosting to advise.
I’d like to make this pumpkin cake ahead. Can you freeze it – icing and all?
Hi Dalva, I have not tried freezing the frosting to advise. I think the cake would freeze well (after it’s cooled completely) in an air-tight container, wrapped in saran wrap. Let us know if you experiment.
Great cake. I added some pumpkin pie spice (as per other suggestions) and added raisins and chopped pecans-it just seemed to go with pumpkin. I’ll definitely make again. Thanks
That’s great, Brenda! So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your experiment with the recipe.
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! Everyone in my family loved it. Your recipes are a big hit in my house!
Yay! So happy to hear that, Marie. Thank you for sharing!
Needs more than cinnamon. I suggest pumpkin pie spice. Cinnamon makes the flavor profile flat. Even adding cardamom is a great flavor profile!
Thank you for your feedback and suggestion, Anne.
Could this pumpkin cake be frozen for two weeks before the party and then iced the day before?
Hi Maggie. I haven’t tried freezing the cake but I think it would freeze well in an air-tight container, wrapped in saran wrap (once it cools). Let us know how it does in the freezer if you try it.
I tried making your cream cheese icing for this cake but it seemed like 1 cup of icing sugar wasn’t enough. Other recipes I checked called for 4 cups. Is this a typo?
It was not very thick with just 1 cup. Please let me know. I really enjoy all your recipes!
Hi Debra! We found this amount of frosting to be just right for the size cake pan. You can double the recipe if you’d like more frosting. 🙂
Love your recipes, including this cake. Very simple to pull-together. I did find the icing to be very dense, not light and fluffy, not quite sweet enough. I wonder if the icing sugar measurement was accurate?
Hi Stacey! That is correct. Make sure to beat it long enough, this will help it become light and fluffy. You can add a little more sugar if you’d like but I haven’t tested it to know how it would affect the texture.
My mum and I baked this cake and it was delicious! This is a perfect recipe for Autumn!
What a sweet food memory. Thanks for sharing that with me.
I have made this cake before and LOVED it. I want to make it again for an event, but cupcakes would be easier for this specific event – is that possible?
Hi Chris, yes, it will. One of our readers let us know this worked great for cupcakes. She did cut the bake time to 20 minutes.
Hi Natasha! I love the density of this Easy Pumpkin Cake. I have been searching forever for a similar Carrot Cake recipe. They are usually the fluffy type. Do you think I could switch out the Pumpkin for grated carrots in this recipe?
Hello Margaret, thank you for your good comments and feedback. I have not tested this recipe using grated carrots to advise but if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Just made this today and it was so moist and delicious! My whole family loved it.
Hi Galina! That’s great. I’m so glad they loved it.
Delicious! I made it today. Only change was extra cinnamon and a dash of Chinese 5 Spice. Does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Andrea, I’m glad you enjoy this recipe! Yes, the cake should be refrigerated.
Thanks. I really enjoy your recipes. I follow you on Facebook.
You’re welcome, Andrea. I’m glad you enjoy them. Thanks for following! 🙂
Hi Natasha. I made your pumpkin cake and it was delicious but dense, not fluffy. Is that the way it should or did I do something wrong?
Hi Andrea! A dense cake is usually due to using too much flour. See my tutorial on how to measure ingredients HERE. Also, be sure to not over-mix the batter. I hope that helps.
I made quite a few of your recipes and loved most of them. All were delicious. Some I won’t make again because I don’t keep all the necessary ingredients. I appreciate your work in sharing great recipes.
Hi Mary! You’re very welcome. 🙂
I made this today! Very light and flavorful. This cake came out light and a “airy.” Thought cream cheese frosting would be too heavy. Going to make a cinnamon icing “glaze.”
Oh! I forgot to say that this is nicely moist! Baked for 35 minutes.
Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Natasha. Would the frosting still be good if I freeze? Thanks
Hi Susan, I have not tried freezing the frosting to advise.
Awesome!!! I made mini cakes with this recipe and added pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Then to top it all off I made a homemade glaze for it. thankyou!!!!!
Isn’t it so good?! I’m so happy you loved it, Aries!
I have been meaning to try this.
I had to make my own pumpkin puree being in Australia we don’t have tin pumpkin in the shops
I also added extra spices, cloves and ginger, I used coconut oil and only used 1 cup of organic sugar and made my own frosting and it’s amazing 😋
Yum! Fresh ingredients are the ebst! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this per recipe and added after reading comments: 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp crushed cloves and all I can say is OMG!! I had to give away the leftovers or I would have eaten it all. AMAZING!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Cindy!
Thank you for the recipe! I brought it to a day after Thanksgiving leftover party and people loved it! One guy did say it wasn’t “pumpkiny” enough–but that may have been due to old cinnamon!
I’m glad you all enjoyed it, Eudocia!
Made this for my daughter-in-law’s birthday and she said it was the best cake she has ever had. Also, made for my husband’s birthday and it was a hit again!
Love it! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, Shirley.
The frosting is AMAZING!!! So fluffy and light and the perfect amount of sweetness! I could just eat the frosting alone that’s how delicious it is!! Have not tried the cake as we’re eating this today for Thanksgiving dessert! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you loved it, Jacquelyn! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha, we love this cake! I want to make it for Thanksgiving again. Do you think it would be ok to bake it 2 days in advance? If so, when should I frost it?
Thank you!!
Hi Nata, It does keep very well in the fridge. You can cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.