Spiced Pumpkin Cake (with frosting)
An easy pumpkin cake (pumpkin bars or pumpkin squares as it's also called) with fall spices, a moist crumb and soft, luscious cream cheese frosting. It can also be baked as a pumpkin sheet cake. It's fantastic and a crowd-pleaser!
Servings 12 squares
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cake:
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil sunflower, canola
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix like this homemade pumpkin spices or store-bought; see Notes below
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 or 2 teaspoons milk or cream if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter or use baking spray on a rectangular 8x11-inch pan. Line with a piece of paper that's almost as long as the width of the pan. It will cover the bottom and the two long sides.
For the pumpkin cake:
- Beat ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, ½ cup white sugar and ½ cup brown sugar for 2 minutes in a large mixing bowl until thick and light-colored.
- Add 1 cup pumpkin puree, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients (1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt) and mix until well incorporated, but don't overbeat. This is the time to mix at the lowest speed of the beater or use a spatula. You can sift the dry ingredients separately and then add them to the pumpkin mixture, or have them measured and sift them directly over the cake batter (like I do).
- Spread the pumpkin cake batter in the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 35 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake it so the cake is moist and tender.
- Let cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Make sure there is no cake stuck to the sides of the pan where there's no parchment paper. If there is, run a smooth-bladed knife to loosen them.
- Remove the cake by lifting the paper on both sides and transferring it to the cooling rack. Carefully remove the paper and let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with the cream cheese frosting below using an offset spatula and cut into squares to eat.
- Refrigerate leftovers well covered.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Beat 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a bowl with 6 tablespoons cream cheese until very creamy and no lumps remain.
- Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until you have a thick, very creamy consistency, good enough to spread. If needed, thin it with 1 or 2 teaspoons milk or cream.
- It keeps well in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Beat again before using it to attain a creamy consistency.
Notes
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer placed inside the oven to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Serving: this cake recipe is great to eat at room temperature. Maybe just barely cold, but not straight from the refrigerator, as the pumpkin flavor will not be as good, in my opinion. You can also sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the frosting before serving.
Pans: there are several pan sizes you can bake this cake on besides the sheet cake pan we used for this post. Two 8-inch round cake pans, about 18 pumpkin cupcakes, and an 11x5-inch loaf pan can be used depending on the type of cake you're in the mood for.
Spices: Before I started making pumpkin pie spice blend from scratch, I used 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace and a pinch of ground cloves. You can change the ratio of the spices or omit some. Always adjust flavors to your and your family's palate.
