Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting
Pumpkin Spice Cake – All the best flavors of the fall in a pumpkin cake recipe. Nothing can satisfy a pumpkin craving like Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting.
Pumpkin Layer Cake
I am a pumpkin addict… and nothing can satisfy the craving like Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting.
It’s unfortunate that pumpkin is strictly seasonal. If you dare bake a big pumpkin pie in the summer, people will look at you like you’re wearing undies on your head. Pumpkin cookies on Easter? Not on your life!
So that means, right now, while we have the chance, we MUST stuff ourselves with as many pumpkin dishes as possible. No really. That’s an official component of fall.
Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix
This Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe with Maple Frosting is my absolute favorite pumpkin recipe for feeding the pumpkin fetish. Granted, I do love these Creamy Chocolate Pumpkin Bars and a good Pumpkin Milk Shake. Yet this cake, folks, is off the charts.
The Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting is incomparably moist with a good amount of spice. I offer three options for spicing it up.
The play-it-safe option: Pumpkin Pie Spice, a standard blend of your favorite fall spices. However, for the adventurous cook, I suggest adding either Garam Masala or Chinese 5 Spice Powder.
What Ingredients You Will Need
For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala (or pumpkin pie spice or Chinese 5 spice)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter melted
- 6 large eggs
- 28 ounces pure pumpkin puree about (Canned Pumpkin)
For the Maple Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 3 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8-9 cups powdered sugar
How to Make This Pumpkin Spice Cake
Let me start by telling you it’s a BIG cake–three 9-inch layers with a thick layer of maple frosting for each; perfect for sharing with a large group. Or not.
For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter, pumpkin, and eggs into the flour mixture and beat (or whisk) until smooth. (You could use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric mixer)
Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top bounces back when pressed. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean as well.
Cool for 10 minutes then flip out of the pans and cool completely. Use a serrated knife to trim the top of each cake to make a level surface.
For the Maple Frosting:
Place the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in a bowl.
Beat until light and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until the desired consistency is reached and to the sweet taste you desire.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
To Assemble:
Place one cake on a cake plate. Spread 1/3 of the frosting in a thick layer over the top.
Add the second cake on top and spread another 1/3 of the frosting. Top with the third cake.
Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a decorative tip. Pipe stars over the top of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired.
See the Full (Printable) Fresh Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe Below!
Pumpkin Dessert Tips
So… Pumpkin Pie Spice? Or Garam Masala or Chinese 5 Spice Powder?
Both of the latter include the comfort of cinnamon, but also provide an extra kick of various exotic spices (potentially) including: nutmeg, fennel, cardamom, coriander, cumin, star anise, ginger, and clove. Some of these are thought to be “savory” spices, but you’d be amazed at what they can do for a cake.
The Maple Frosting in this Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting. It’s the perfect complement to the Pumpkin Spice Cake, with an earthy sweetness and creamy texture. It takes this pumpkin masterpiece to the next level.
L.O.V.E. this cake. And so will you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this dessert need to be refrigerated?
You can let it sit out for 3 days at room temperature, or it will last 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to wrap it well.
Can I freeze this cake?
Wrap the cake well with a layer of plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 6 months. Then thaw at room temperature.
What if I want to make these into cupcakes?
For cupcakes, I would increase the heat to 375 (for a higher dome) and bake for 20-24 minutes. This recipe would make about 18-24 cupcakes.
Other Great Cake Recipes
- Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake Recipe
- Best Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Perfect Southern Caramel Cake
- Kahlua Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
- Classic Custard Cake
- Caribbean Spice Rum Cake
- Upside Down Blueberry Orange Cake
- Gooey Butter Cake with Ground Almonds
- Quintessential Chocolate Cake
- Pumpkin Pound Cake with Chocolate Glaze Sauce
- Coconut Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Dulche Latte Cake
- Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Homemade Buttercream Frosting by My Baking Addiction
- Lemon Bundt Cake by A Latte Food
Check out the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium percentages.
Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala or pumpkin pie spice or Chinese 5 spice
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter melted
- 6 large eggs
- 28 ounces pure pumpkin puree about 3 cups
For the Maple Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 3 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8-9 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter, pumpkin and eggs and beat (or whisk) until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top bounces back when pressed.
- Cool for 10 minutes then flip out of the pans and cool completely. Use a serrated knife to trim the top of each cake to make a level surface.
For the Maple Frosting:
- Place the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until light and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until the desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To Assemble:
- Place one cake on a cake plate. Spread 1/3 of the frosting in a thick layer over the top. Add the second cake on top spread another 1/3 of the frosting. Top with the third cake. Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a decorative tip. Pipe stars over the top of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired.
Did anyone ever make this cake?
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Oh..I’am so excited about making this beautiful cake for Thanksgiving this year!
Just wondering can the cakes be frozen ahead time?
Hi Gina,
Absolutely! I would flash freeze it uncovered so it holds its shape, then wrap it well and freeze until ready to serve.
Oh Great! Thank you..it makes it so much easier for me to pull off:)
This cake looks delicious! The frosting on the top is the perfect pairing of it!
This was crazy good. I mean, crazy good. I took it to work and one gal told me that she knows she is only 28 but feels pretty certain it is the best cake she has or will ever eat! Thank you for this keeper!
Delicious looking cake. Love naked cakes
I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times always as cupcakes and they are always amazing. And it make a lot of cupcakes!! If it doesn’t turn out, you’re doing something wrong! Try again because you will love it! This is the only pumpkin thing I have ever enjoyed.
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Maple syrup, or flavoring?
Tried this recipe and wasn’t all that pleased. I followed it for the most part, except that I added half as much garam masala. I’m so glad I did that, because 2 T would have been WAY too much. Perhaps the issue was that I was using some that I bought in India–it may be different than the kind you can get in the States. Anyway, the cake was too mushy due to the large amount of pumpkin puree and I could barely taste the maple in the frosting. I ended up doctoring the cake mix quite a bit to make it palatable and it ended up okay, but I was definitely disappointed.
I’m so sorry to here that Rachel! I’ve made this cake many times and it’s always a crowd pleaser. I wonder what happened…
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I’ve never heard of canned pumpkin puree…is there an alternative I can use if I can’t find it? Can I use fresh pumkin?
I made this cake for Thanksgiving and everyone was so impressed. The icing is decadent. I added more maple syrup than suggested. The cake is moist. The only possible downside is that the cake is huge. It makes an excellent presentation though. Thank you so much for the recipe this might become a Wychor family tradition.
Make cupcakes for a Halloween party at work and found some cute ones at the Food Network site. I did the pumpkin/haystack ones, and the suggested cupcake was a pumpkin spice cake with maple icing. I used your recipe, and they are delicious! The recipe made 2 dozen cupcakes with enough batter left for two 9-inch rounds (a bit thinner than yours but still pretty decent sized). Here’s the link the Food Network site – http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/food-network-magazines-halloween-cupcakes/pictures/page-3.html.
Thanks for the great recipe!
P.S. I officially moved the recipe from my “Looks Yummy” to “Is Yummy” board on Pintrest!