Pumpkin Cake

5 from 1 vote

This pumpkin cake is seriously the best ever. It's moist, rich, deliciously spiced and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 332kcal

Author: Alison

Ingredients

4 Large Eggs
1 and ¾ cups White Granulated Sugar
1 cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
15 ounces Pumpkin Purée Canned or Fresh*
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour Measured Correctly*
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp Cinnamon
¾ tsp Nutmeg
¾ tsp Ground Ginger
¾ tsp Ground Cloves

For the Frosting:

1 Recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
Pecan Nuts Chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Add the eggs, white sugar, oil, pumpkin purée and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and whisk with a hand whisk until mixed.
Sift in the all purpose flour and add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and mix everything together. Use a hand whisk briefly to remove any lumps.
Transfer the batter to your prepared 9x13 baking dish and smooth down.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.* Ours was done at 27 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean.
Allow to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting and decorating with chopped pecan nuts.

Video

Notes

Pumpkin purée: Canned pumpkin purée is great for this recipe. It must be pumpkin purée and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has a lot of other things added and will throw out the flavors in this recipe. You can use homemade pumpkin purée but just make sure it's the same consistency as what you would get in a can. The easiest way to do this is to stand your homemade pumpkin purée in a strainer over a bowl and let any excess water drain off before you use it.
Measure your flour correctly using the spoon and level method. Spoon it into a measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don't scoop it and don't pack it into the cup. Alternatively weigh it on a food scale - click 'metric' below the list of ingredients to get the ingredient weights in grams.
Baking times: If you use a glass baking dish then it's possible you will need a slightly longer baking time, perhaps up to 35 minutes, but just keep a close watch on it.
Storing: This cake is best stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. It keeps very well covered in the fridge for 5 days.
Freezing: You can also freeze it for 2-3 months either frosted or unfrosted. Allow the cake to cool completely and then wrap well before freezing. Since this is baked in a 9x13 dish I would recommend wrapping and freezing it directly in the dish. Wrap the whole thing in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and then foil to prevent any moisture getting in.
Nutritional information is for the cake only and doesn't include the frosting. The nutritional information for the cream cheese frosting is included in that separate linked recipe.

Nutrition