This is my all-time favorite pumpkin layer cake recipe that’s perfectly spiced, ideal for cozy season, and tastes incredible with cream cheese buttercream. Originally published in 2019, this recipe has stood the test of time, becoming a yearly go-to and the base for so many of my pumpkin cake recipes. I recently updated the photos to show more of the inside of the cake, because the super soft and moist texture is literal perfection!
One Reader, Katherine, says: “I just had to come back and say I made this recipe and it was AMAZING! The cake turned out sturdy but moist, and so flavorful.” ★★★★★
Perfect Pumpkin Layer Cake Ingredients
In my recipe tests, I tried this recipe with all purpose flour vs. cake flour, with buttermilk vs. whole milk, with just white sugar vs. a combination of white and brown sugars. In the end, the winners were cake flour, buttermilk, and the white and brown sugar combo. It’s deliciously moist because of the buttermilk, totally fluffy from the cake flour, and the combination of sweetness and spice is divine.
Here are all of the key ingredients and substitutes you can make if need be:
- Canned pumpkin puree. The pumpkin flavor of this cake comes from canned pureed pumpkin (not to be confused with canned pumpkin pie filling). Any brand will do, you’ll just want to make sure that pumpkin is the only ingredient on the label.
- Cake flour. The majority of pumpkin cakes out there will call for all-purpose flour (including my own pumpkin sheet cake and pumpkin cupcakes recipes). However, after testing this particular recipe with both flours I love the soft texture that the cake flour produces. You should be able to find cake flour in the baking aisle of your local grocery store but if not, you can substitute it with a homemade cake flour that uses all-purpose flour as a base. See the notes section of the recipe card below for the details.
- Baking powder + baking soda. The leavening agents used to make this cake rise.
- Spices. I use four beautiful warming spices in this recipe: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. These spices perfectly compliment and enhance the pumpkin flavor. You can alternatively use 1 Tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon as a substitute for all of the spices in this recipe.
- Unsalted butter. The main fat used in this pumpkin layer cake for a rich texture and flavor.
- Granulated sugar + brown sugar. Both sugars together not only sweeten this cake and soften the crumb, but the brown sugar also adds extra moisture.
- Eggs. The main binding agents in this recipe that blend the ingredients together and give the cake structure.
- Buttermilk. The high fat content in buttermilk adds a rich flavor and extra moist texture. If you can’t find buttermilk locally you can make your own using whole milk + vinegar or lemon juice. See the notes section of the recipe card below for details.
Stable Cream Cheese Frosting for Cake Decorating
It’s so classic to pair this pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese buttercream, and in my opinion the flavor combo never gets old. Although cheese frosting cream has a reputation for being notoriously soft and frustrating to work with, the cheese buttercream recipe you’ll find below is sturdy and pipeable without being overly sweet, which is why it’s my forever go-to. Here are my best tips for making it the perfect consistency for filling, frosting, and decorating this cake:
- Use full-fat brick style cream cheese. I use Philadelphia brand, but any brick-style cream cheese that’s not low fat will do. Other kinds of cream cheese (low fat or the spreadable kind in the tub) contain too much water content and will always result in a soupy frosting that’s too thin for filling and frosting a cake. If you don’t have access to brick-style cream cheese, make a double batch of my vanilla buttercream to pair with this cake instead.
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese aren’t too soft. Before you start mixing up the buttercream, it’s super important that the butter and cream cheese are room temperature, but not warmer (like from softening in the microwave). These ingredients should be left out on the counter at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Refrigerate to thicken the consistency. If you make the cream cheese frosting and find that it’s not thick enough for your liking or your kitchen environment is super warm, pop the frosting in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to let the butter solidify a bit. Then, re-mix it on low speed with your stand mixer to make it smooth and uniform. The trip to the refrigerator will thicken the entire buttercream to a workable consistency.
How to Decorate a Pumpkin Layer Cake
Even though I recently updated these photos, the cake design pictured has been around since 2019 and highly replicated, which I love! Here are all the details so you can replicate it too:
After filling and stacking the cake with cream cheese buttercream, and frosting a smooth buttercream finish, I pressed some Biscoff cookie crumbs around the bottom third of the cake. The original design had toasted pumpkin cake crumbs (left over from leveling the cake layers) pressed here, which you could also do*. I just wanted to make the design even easier.
*If you want to use toasted cake crumbs, crumble the cake scraps into a frying pan and toast on the stovetop on medium for about 10 minutes, until the cake crumbs begin to crisp. Let them cool completely before using them in your cake decorating
I divided the remaining cream cheese frosting into 4 different bowls and colored one bowl with Americolor Orange, the second bowl with Wedgewood, the third bowl with Chocolate Brown, and left the last bowl uncolored. Then, I fitted one piping bag with Wilton Tip 6B to pipe the large orange pumpkins and three piping bags with Wilton Tip 4B for smaller orange, blue, and white pumpkins. I fitted one piping bag with Wilton Tip 3 for the brown pumpkin stems.
I piped the pumpkins into a crescent moon shape because it gives me all the feels, but you do you.
More Pumpkin Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re a fan of pumpkin cake, here are some other recipes you’re sure to love:
- Pumpkin Biscoff Cake
- Spiced Chai Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
- Easy Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Layer Cake
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you make it in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me if you post a photo. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Perfect Pumpkin Layer Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Layer Cake
- 2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 Cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- 1 Cup (200g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 Cups (12 oz, 378g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 Cup (240ml) buttermilk* DIY recipe in notes
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 16 Oz (226g) cream cheese, room temperature brick-style, not the spreadable kind
- 8 Cup (960g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Make The Pumpkin Layer Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and placing a parchment paper circle into the bottom of each one.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter on high for two minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix for one minute on medium-high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. The batter may look curdled at this point, but don't worry – it will come together in the next step.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the buttermilk in a steady stream and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps. Batter will be slightly thick, but pourable.
- Pour the batter evenly between the cake pans (fill them no more than ⅔ full) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for five minutes before removing and continuing to cool on a wire rack or flat surface.
Make The Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on high until light, fluffy, and uniform (no lumps), about five minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and salt, mixing on low for another 30 seconds.
Assembly
- Once the Pumpkin Cake layers have cooled completely, fill and frost the layers with Cream Cheese Buttercream. To create the design pictured, divide the leftover buttercream into four separate bowls. Use food color gel of your choice to create orange buttercream in the first bowl, light blue buttercream in the second, and brown buttercream in the third, keeping the last bowl uncolored. Fit three piping bags with Wilton Tips 8B (for the larger pumpkins) and 4B (for the smaller ones), then fill them with the orange, blue, and white buttercreams. Pipe pumpkins in a crescent moon design on top of the cake, then pipe a dot of brown buttercream on top of each one to look like stems. Finish the cake by pressing Biscoff cookie crumbs or toasted cake crumbs* (recipe below) onto the sides and sprinkling them over the top.
Notes
- The cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
- The Cream Cheese Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency.
I’ve never understood blogs and used recipes from them. I stumbled across this cake recipe on Pinterest and gave it a try! It was so light, and the frosting was amazing! Thank you for this recipe!
Yay, Stella! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Hello! Do you think the fully decorated cake would hold in the refrigerator for 24 hrs in a tupperware cake dome? Making this for my daughters birthday, but would love to have it completely done the night before. Thank you! Excited to try this.
Hi Angie! It would absolutely be ok to refrigerate the decorated cake a day ahead. I do that all the time. Just be sure to bring it to room temp by taking it out of the fridge an hour or two before you plan on eating the cake. It tastes better at room temp. Enjoy!
Would this work in terms of “cake pops”? By adding the icing in with the cake and molding it into balls and dipping it in almond bark/choice of chocolate?
Hi Shay! It absolutely would work. That sounds divine!
Hi. Just wanted to ask if I would be able to use all-purpose flour rather than cake flour in this recipe? I’m from the UK and we don’t have cake flour. I read that whilst you were recipe testing, you used both cake and all-purpose flour, and would using all-purpose drastically change this cake. Thanks.
Hi Zak! All purpose flour will make this cake more dense than cake flour, but it shouldn’t affect the taste. If you don’t have access to cake flour, here’s a DIY version made with all purpose flour and it’s what I’d recommend: https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour-recipe/
Hi…Wanted to know if had to bake in one 6inch or 7inch tray and frost…how should the whole.recipe be converted?
Hi Mary! If you want to make just one layer, you’ll need to divide this entire recipe by 3. Basically divide each ingredient by 3 and you’ll have the correct amount of ingredients. Hope that helps!
I didn’t use your recipe this time but I followed your decorating scheme and it was absolutely adorable! I just loved the little pumpkins on top. 🙂
Here’s my cake: https://i.imgur.com/jCKTC2k.jpg
What a beautiful cake, Mina! So happy you loved this decorating technique!
Made this for family for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Only issue I had was when smoothing sides, the icing kept thinning to show slightly the layers of the dark cake. I did two crumb coat layers with chilling between to help but so much of icing kept coming off when smoothing sides. Should I just thicken next time with powdered sugar/salt? I loved the taste of icing so def want to use more going forward
Hi Callie! So happy this recipe was a hit for Thanksgiving! This cream cheese buttercream is a little trickier to work with and what I recommend if it seems too thin is doing a few layers of buttercream and chilling in between layers. Adding more powdered sugar only seems to sweeten the buttercream and takes a lot to thicken it up, so instead I would add one layer on top of the crumb coat and smooth it, chill for 20 minutes, add another layer of buttercream and smooth it, repeat until you’re satisfied!
I only have low fat buttermilk will the cake still be okay?
Hi Leah! I’ve never tried that before but the recipe should be fine with low fat buttermilk. It may not be as moist, but it should work!
I have made this cake many times with lowfat buttermilk and it always comes out great! Super moist still!
I made this cake and it was fantastic! I’d like to use it for pumpkin crumb muffins, Have you ever tried the recipe as muffins or cupcakes?
Hi Lisa! I have tried this recipe as cupcakes and it works really well! If you want to try it, be sure to fill your cupcake tins no more than 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes at 350. So happy you loved this recipe in cake form!
Do you have any tips for piping the pumpkins? I just practiced and I can’t seem to get them to look as round and uniform as yours. Can’t wait to eat this cake tomorrow. It smells amazing in the oven right now!
Hi Kristy! The only tips I really have for the pumpkins are to make sure you’re using the piping tips specified, hover the tip a few centimeters off the surface of the cake while squeezing the piping bag to make more of a rounded shape. If the tip is too close to the surface of the cake it won’t be as round and voluminous. Hope that helps!
I was going to frost it and put it in the fridge until the party, how early would you suggest to take it out of the fridge to thaw.
Hi Juby! Cakes take about an hour to come to room temperature and I usually leave mine in the fridge until right before the party begins.
Can this same recipe be used for 8 inch cake pans, or how would I adjust it?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Katherine! This recipe makes just enough for three 6 inch pans or two 8 inch pans. If you want more 8 inch layers I would 1.5 the recipe!
I just had to come back and say I made this recipe and it was AMAZING! The cake turned out sturdy but moist, and so flavorful. Can’t wait to share this cake at my company’a Thanksgiving luncheon tomorrow!
Yay, Katherine!! So happy you love this recipe as much as I do and I hope it’s a hit at your company’s Thanksgiving lunch!
I loved it! But I tried to make your buttercream recipe but it was watering and doesnt look good the different shapes
Glad you loved the cake recipe, Hany! Next time if the buttercream ends up too thin, you can always add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Just be sure to add a little extra salt if you do that so you can balance out the sweetness!
Absolutely AMAZING cake!!!! Super moist and tender. Made a streusel topping with it and turned it into a pumpkin coffee cake. For my fall baby shower :). Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds incredible, Amanda! I am going to have to try this with a streusel topping. So happy you love this recipe as much as I do!
I made this as a sheet cake & it was AMAZING!! It’s reminiscent of carrot cake, but so much better.
The icing recipe makes enough for 2 sheet cakes (FYI) which came in handy since I broke my first cake.
My sister in law asked for the recipe immediately & it’ll be going into my fall baking repertoire for sure!
That’s amazing to hear, Kimberly! So happy that the recipe was such a hit and it worked well as a sheet cake!