Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Teresa Ambra

Pumpkin Spice Cake is just awesome! There’s no other word to describe it. Pumpkin Spice Cake is very moist yet overflowing with pumpkin goodness. The Cream Cheese Frosting makes this cake decadent and sinfully rich. It is truly and extraordinary dessert. Because I used pumpkin pie mix rather than a can of pumpkin, I had too much batter to try to pack it in two pans (without spilling over!) so I made this cake in three layers instead of the normal two.

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As a result, I also increased the frosting and made one-and-a-half times the normal amount so that I could get good coverage on the cake layers. I’m not one who likes to skimp out on icing since that’s always my favorite part of any cake or cupcake!

Is this cake healthy? Probably not. Is it low calorie? Again, probably not. But if you ask me if it’s a mouthwatering, to-die-for dessert that your company will just rave over, then my answer is a resounding YES, YES, YES!!!!

The first time I ever tasted this cake was when we belonged to a Supper Club at Southwest Baptist Church in DeSoto, Texas. Gregg and Connie Coleman were assigned to our group along with two other couples and we not only got to know each other really well from meeting monthly together but we shared a lot of meals together since Connie and I both enjoyed cooking.

One of the times when we were at Connie’s home, she made this wonderful cake for a dessert. Talk about drooling….talk about salivating….talk about extreme deliciousness….talk about being captivated by a dessert–that was how we felt after only a few forkfuls of this divine cake. Oh, my. Of course, I got the recipe ASAP and have been making it for company ever since.

We had a family over to our house for dinner a week and a half ago when I served this for dessert. I scraped up some of the crumbs from the cake when I was taking pictures ahead of time and figured that’s probably all I’ll eat–yes, I’ll be a good girl and stay away from this great stuff. R-i-i-i-i-g-h-t-t-t-t-t! Sigh.

John couldn’t finish the large piece I served him with some Blue Bell Ice Cream so I generously finished off his portion. But the cake was SOOOO screaming good and I hadn’t eaten any for quite a few years, so I promptly went over to the counter and hacked off my own large piece–uh, ala mode. Yum.

I sent the rest of the cake home with our company because I knew I’d eat it all if it was laying around our house! I guess you can tell I LOVE this cake recipe! Yes, ahem, I did go overboard on the pictures. It was really hard trying to choose which ones to show. All I can say is I’m glad I don’t have the cake in my house at the moment or I’d have a melt-down and eat about three or four slices of it!

Neither the cake nor the frosting are very difficult to make. I do recommend keeping the cake refrigerated since it has Cream Cheese Frosting or the icing will melt down and get too soft. It’s not overly expensive to make either. You can have a dessert that will feed 15 people easily for fractions of what some of the more exotic recipes require in ingredients. The taste alone is the reason to make this incredibly sumptuous dessert.

If you’re looking for a dessert to wow your guests, Pumpkin Spice Cake will certainly do that. Now that pumpkin is in season it’s easy to pick up pumpkin at the store, too, so there’s no excuses for not making it. 🙂  Or if you have a pumpkin patch, cook some down and puree it and use that instead.

Pumpkin Spice Cake is a fabulous dessert to make for fall entertaining or the holiday season. It presents well, and all your company will go home fat and happy! 🙂 Or is that fat and sassy? Either way, Pumpkin Spice Cake is a spectacular comfort food you won’t want to miss out on this fall….I could sure for a piece right about now….. 🙂

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Pumpkin Spice Cake is very moist. It’s one of the few cakes my husband will eat that doesn’t have fruit in the batter. He despises dry cake!

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Here’s how I decorated the top. You don’t have to put anything on this cake for decoration if you don’t want to, but since I used pecans in the cake itself I chose to decorate the top with pecans also.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Here’s a slab of Pumpkin Spice Cake. I wish I had a piece right now! I made one-and-a-half batches of frosting so there would be enough for three layers. I like a lot of frosting on a cake!

Because I put so much frosting on the cake when I assemble it, the cake is really sweet, sinfully rich! The nice thing about Pumpkin Spice Cake is you can freeze it if you need to, and then pull it out later for another occasion. Or you can freeze it in parts and only pull out so much at a time!

Here’s what I did.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Measure UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl. (Bleached flour toughens baked goods). Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Add canola oil, eggs and pumpkin. I didn’t look at my can really well and realized it was pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin. It was also 29-oz. versus the 16-oz. the recipe called for. So it made enough batter that I had to spread the batter into three 9″ round cake layer pans to prevent spillage.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Add chopped pecans.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Mix ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine. Don’t overmix the batter by using an electric mixer at this point or you will have a tough cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Either grease and flour 3 cake pans, or spray with cooking spray like Bakers Joy which has the flour in it.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Bake cakes at 350 for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

While cake is baking mix frosting: Soften cream cheese in mixing bowl.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Add softened butter (mine was too soft which will cause the frosting to wilt a little). Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Remember, I was making one-and-a-half batches of frosting so this is a little more than the regular recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Cream ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Once cake has cooled completely, invert cake onto serving platter. Cover with Cream Cheese Frosting spreading to the edges.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Place the second layer of cake over top of the Cream Cheese Frosting. Insert toothpicks around the circumference and in the center of the cake. Push toothpicks into the cake as far as they will go. This will prevent your cake layers from sliding off each other and anchor them in one place.

This is especially helpful when you have a three-layer cake, but I do it for all two-layer cakes as well. (Just alert your guests to be on the lookout for them when they eat the cake!) Add another layer of Cream Cheese Frosting. Place the third cake layer over top of the cream cheese and place toothpicks in this layer pressing them down into the second layer so the cake is anchored together.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Frost top and sides with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Decorate the top or sides of the cake if desired.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

I like SLABS of cake, not merely slices! 🙂 Pumpkin Spice Cake will serve about 16 generous pieces.

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

This picture shows the inside of the cake. You can see how moist this cake is after baking. It’s so mouthwatering.

 

Here’s the recipe.

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE

(Recipe from Connie Coleman, when we attended Southwest Baptist Church, DeSoto, TX)

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Teresa Ambra
Pumpkin Spice Cake is a drool-worthy dessert that will have you swooning from the first bite! This mouthwatering and breathtaking pumpkin cake is extremely moist. It also has a rich, decadent cream cheese frosting. It's terrific for special occasions, company dinners and fall or holiday baking.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Cakes and Cheesecakes, Cakes and Frostings, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 531 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 or 3 9-inch round cake pans
  • toothpicks
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • 2 wooden spoons
  • 1 electric mixer
  • 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped

Ingredients
  

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE:

  • 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups pumpkin pie filling 16-oz. can
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup nuts chopped (either pecans or walnuts work well) (measure after chopping)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp. 2% milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
 

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE:

  • Mix together the dry ingredients.
  • Add eggs, pumpkin and oil.
  • Blend in nuts.
  • Grease and flour two 9” cake pans.
  • Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.
  • Insert a toothpick in centers of cake to check for doneness.
  • Remove pans to wire rack to cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • Mix together with an electric mixer and spread on cooled cake layers.
  • Use toothpicks to help cake layers stay in one place.
  • Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE: I used a 29-oz. can pumpkin pie mix so this made enough cake batter to fill three pans instead of two. As a result, I made 1 ½ times the frosting so there was enough for three layers.
 
NOTE: I made 1 1/2 times the frosting recipe in order to frost all three cake layers adequately.
 
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 459mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 4gSugar: 52gVitamin A: 3057IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cream cheese frosting, dessert, pumpkin, pumpkin cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

[b]Pumpkin Spice Cake[/b]
Recipe Type: Cakes and Cheesecakes
Cuisine: American
Author: Teresa Ambra adapted from Connie Coleman when we attended Southwest Baptist Church, DeSoto, TX
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Breathtaking pumpkin cake that’s extremely moist. It also has a rich, decadent cream cheese frosting. This recipe uses nuts.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups [url href=”http://www.goldmedalflour.com/” target=”_blank” title=”gold medal unbleached flour”]Gold Medal [/url]UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 ¾ cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups [url href=”http://www.libbys.com/our-products” target=”_blank” title=”libby’s pumpkin”]Libby’s[/url] pumpkin pie filling (16-oz. can)
  • 1 cup oil
  • ½ cup chopped nuts
Instructions
  1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
  2. Add eggs, pumpkin and oil.
  3. Blend in nuts.
  4. Grease and flour two 9” cake pans.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.
Notes
I used a 29-oz. can pumpkin pie mix so this made enough cake batter to fill three pans instead of two. As a result, I made 1 ½ times the frosting so there was enough for three layers.

 

[b]Cream Cheese Frosting[/b]
Recipe Type: Cakes and Frostings
Cuisine: American
Author: Teresa Ambra adapted from Connie Coleman, when we attended Southwest Baptist Church, DeSoto, TX
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Luscious cream cheese frosting recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake.
Ingredients
  • 8-oz. [url href=”http://www.phillycanada.com/” target=”_blank” title=”kraft philadelphia cream cheese”]Philadelphia[/url] cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp. milk
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
Instructions
  1. Mix together and spread on cooled cake layers.
  2. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
Notes
I made 1 1/2 times this recipe in order to frost all three cake layers adequately.
Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

We love both pumpkin and pecans so this cake is a win-win for our family!

Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Doesn’t Pumpkin Spice Cake look beautiful? I slather on the Cream Cheese Frosting so this cake is laden with a rich, sweet, marvelous taste. Drool!

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Italian Creme Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this is the perfect #dessert for #Easter! 3 layers of decadence that you'll swoon over! #cake #Italian

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Carrot Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | the most awesome Carrot Cake ever! This #cake is so rich you will be drooling over each bite. #dessert #creamcheese frosting.
Pumpkin Spice Cake | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this awesome #cake is filled with #pumpkin, spices & #pecans & topped with a heavenly #creamcheese frosting. #dessert

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Teresa Ambra
Pumpkin Spice Cake is a drool-worthy dessert that will have you swooning from the first bite! This mouthwatering and breathtaking pumpkin cake is extremely moist. It also has a rich, decadent cream cheese frosting. It's terrific for special occasions, company dinners and fall or holiday baking.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Cakes and Cheesecakes, Cakes and Frostings, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 531 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 or 3 9-inch round cake pans
  • toothpicks
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • 2 wooden spoons
  • 1 electric mixer
  • 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped

Ingredients
  

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE:

  • 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups pumpkin pie filling 16-oz. can
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup nuts chopped (either pecans or walnuts work well) (measure after chopping)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp. 2% milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
 

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE:

  • Mix together the dry ingredients.
  • Add eggs, pumpkin and oil.
  • Blend in nuts.
  • Grease and flour two 9” cake pans.
  • Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.
  • Insert a toothpick in centers of cake to check for doneness.
  • Remove pans to wire rack to cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • Mix together with an electric mixer and spread on cooled cake layers.
  • Use toothpicks to help cake layers stay in one place.
  • Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE: I used a 29-oz. can pumpkin pie mix so this made enough cake batter to fill three pans instead of two. As a result, I made 1 ½ times the frosting so there was enough for three layers.
 
NOTE: I made 1 1/2 times the frosting recipe in order to frost all three cake layers adequately.
 
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 459mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 4gSugar: 52gVitamin A: 3057IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cream cheese frosting, dessert, pumpkin, pumpkin cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

18 Comments

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  • tanya

    October 12, 2013 at 7:06 am

    This is such an impressive cake! I have to get over my fear of cakes and give this a try!

    1. Teresa

      October 12, 2013 at 10:15 am

      Yes, this cake is so wonderful to the tastebuds you will really want to eat a piece, …. or two, or three!!! Really, this cake is not that difficult. And the payoff is marvelous! This is one of the few cakes without fruit my husband will eat because it’s very moist. Even if you have a cake flop or two along the way (and we ALL do) keep at it because you will get better and better with practice and once you have success you won’t be fearful any more!

      A couple of hints for cake baking: Don’t overwork your batter. Just stir until mixed otherwise the cake will be tough. Don’t slam the oven door while baking or the cakes will fall! And, if you take them out too early the cakes will fall. I also have a post on Tips for Baking Cakes if that helps. Feel free to check it out. Thanks for stopping by.

  • Kaz @ Melting Moments

    October 7, 2013 at 2:19 am

    I have never tried pumpkin in something sweet – I will have to try this. It looks amazing.

    1. Teresa

      October 7, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      It is such a wonderful, moist cake. You will love this recipe! Truly, it’s not all that difficult either. It lasts a week or so in the refrigerator! 🙂 Uh, that is if you don’t eat it all up before then!

  • Andi @ The Weary Chef

    October 6, 2013 at 10:57 pm

    Hi, Teresa. This is pretty much my ideal cake since it has pumpkin and cream cheese, two of my favorites! Thanks so much for sharing it at Saturday Night Fever!

    1. Teresa

      October 7, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      Yes, it is really an excellent cake recipe. My husband won’t eat dry cakes. This one is super-moist. It’s really hard to stay out of it! I had to send half of it home with our guests because I feared I would eat ALL of the rest of it singlehandedly!

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  • Shari Kelley

    September 29, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    You and I have the same cake philosophy regarding plenty of frosting!:) This looks so wonderful. I’ve never used the pumpkin pie filling instead of the plain pumpkin. Thanks for sharing the recipe for this yummy looking cake!

    1. Teresa

      September 30, 2013 at 8:43 am

      Shari, it’s truly to die for. Try it out sometime while it’s still easy to purchase pumpkin or pumpkin pie mix at the store. You won’t be disappointed!

  • Tamara Leigh: The Kitchen Novelist

    September 29, 2013 at 7:08 pm

    Save me some! Save me some! I would gladly exercise an extra hour for a slice of that beauty. Wow!

    1. Teresa

      September 29, 2013 at 7:23 pm

      Thanks 🙂

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