Pumpkin Cake- Rich and Buttery

A moist pumpkin cake recipe is something everyone should have on hand. This pumpkin cake is called the "best" because it is that good! Pumpkin puree, warm fall spices, and lots of butter make this the most delicious Fall cake. Although this easy cake is definitely a Fall-type dessert, I can eat it all year long.

After trying many recipes, I really feel this is the best recipe for pumpkin cake! You can technically call this a pumpkin bread since it is made in a loaf pan and because it is a more dense pumpkin recipe with no frosting.

It is nice and buttery and honestly, this pumpkin cake tastes so good you do not need any topping at all. If you want one, go ahead and grab the recipe from my moist chocolate cake. But first, try this recipe without it.

It is easy to make too which I really love! You only need two bowls and a few minutes to make this Fall cake.

This pumpkin cake is so moist and delicious that it almost tastes like you are eating pumpkin pie. That is because this is a pumpkin cake made with butter which makes it nice and rich.

This cake also has a special step that I added which makes all the difference in the richness of the cake which I talk about below and in the recipe. This step makes this cake moist and delicious.

We love making this, our banana coffee cake, my classic Philadelphia cheesecake, for fall-baked treats. We love to add our favorite autumn drinks of non alcoholic eggnog and mulled apple cider and our spiced pear martini to the mix too.

What You'll Need

• canned pumpkin (pumpkin puree): not pumpkin pie filling but plain canned pumpkin. We use canned pumpkin for this pumpkin cake so it is really easy. You can also use fresh pumpkin if that is what you have on hand.
• whole milk
• sugar
• all-purpose flour
• cinnamon
• granulated sugar
• butter. I like to use unsalted butter.
• baking powder
• kosher salt
• vanilla extract
• eggs

The ingredient list may seem long but it is actually very easy and manageable, I promise! It is also completely worth all the effort because this pumpkin cake is that good.

There is a secret last step (don't worry it is easy) that really makes this pumpkin cake moist which I will talk about later!

How to make this pumpkin cake

The steps are very simple. Here they are (full recipe below)

1. In a large bowl add your dry ingredients and mix.
2. Grab a separate bowl and add your wet ingredients (except the milk).
3. Now combine the wet and dry ingredients with a mixer.
4. Now add your warm milk and mix until combined.
5. Pour batter into a prepared baking pan (this is a greased and lined pan which I explain below) and bake.

That special step that I mentioned earlier is adding warm milk after you have mixed your wet and dry ingredients. It really makes for the most deliciously moist pumpkin cake.

This easy step makes all the difference in making that cake moist.

Here is how I prepared my cake pan for this pumpkin cake. It is easy, I promise!

1. The first thing I do is butter the entire inside of the pan (sides and bottom). This is the glue that will hold your parchment paper in the next step.
2. Now I cut two pieces of parchment paper: one that will sit inside the pan lengthwise and the other widthwise. To figure out the size to cut I just place my baking pan on top of the parchment paper and make a cut mark in the paper just to the inside of where the cake pan sits on it. Then cut away!
3. After I have my strips of parchment placed inside the cake pan in both directions, I butter or grease the tops of that.
4. That is my cake preparation overload!

You can take it or leave it or use just some of it, but doing this whole process works every single time for me 🙂 I also like that my parchment paper makes easy lifting handles so I do not have to invert my pumpkin cake onto a plate after baking.

Faqs

Expert Recipe Tips

• Does pumpkin cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes. Anytime you are working with moist cakes like this one, you will want to refrigerate them to keep them fresh. I will leave this out on the counter on the day I baked it but then I place it in the refrigerator after that.

• Can you freeze pumpkin cake?

You bet you can! Pumpkin cake is wonderful for the freezer and here is how I do it:

• Once your cake is cool, wrap it in parchment paper to cover all of the cake.
• Now place the wrapped cake in a freezer-proof plastic freezer bag.
• Freeze for up to 2 months.

To thaw your cake:

• Remove the pumpkin cake from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight or until thawed. Leave the bag and everything on the cake while it defrosts.
• Once thawed, remove the cake from the bag and discard the parchment paper.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

• Preparing your cake pan for this pumpkin cake

When I make pumpkin cake, I like to use a loaf pan and prepare my pan to the point of overload. I have had one too many times where my cake didn't lift out of a pan. This is no fun and you may think you are saving time by not doing this but it only will come back to haunt you after baking.

I have tried many pumpkin cake recipes and this is by far the easiest and my favorite one. In fact, my family has been using this recipe for years now!

Give this easy pumpkin cake a try and I am sure you will be adding it to your rotation for years to come. Whether you need to use up those pumpkins after Halloween or want a delicious Fall cake, this cake will be a hit.

More Pumpkin Recipes

If you love this pumpkin cake recipe, you may also love these easy pumpkin recipes:

For More Fall Recipes

There are so many great Autumn recipes that we enjoy making. Here are some favorites in our house:

• Our favorite Fall baking is making our Pear Frangipane Tart or our Apple Galette and our Carrot Cake Recipe
• For something easy, we love making our Fall Shortbread Cookies since it is almost foolproof.
• For Fall meal ideas, we enjoy our Carrot and Acorn Squash Soup and our Roasted Acorn Squash
• You May also enjoy these classics, our Pizzelle our Vanilla Dessert Sauce, or our Italian Apple Cake