This isn’t just any pumpkin cake, oh no. This is the one that makes you close your eyes and savor every single, spiced bite.

It’s the kind of recipe that feels like a warm hug, a true celebration of cozy season that’s been perfected over years of baking.

And paired with that dreamy, sturdy cream cheese buttercream? It’s literal perfection.

Why This Cake is Your New Favorite

You might be wondering what makes this particular cake so special. Well, it all comes down to some very deliberate, and delicious, choices.

After countless tests, the winning combination was clear: cake flour for an incredibly soft crumb, buttermilk for supreme moisture, and a mix of white and brown sugars for the perfect depth of sweetness.

The result is a cake that’s fluffy, tender, and packed with the most divine pumpkin spice flavor you can imagine.

Ingredients Needed for the Recipe

Gathering your ingredients is the first step to baking success. Here’s what you’ll need for this autumnal masterpiece:

• Canned Pumpkin Puree: Just pure pumpkin, not pie filling. It’s the heart of the cake.
• Cake Flour: The secret to that super soft, delicate texture we’re after.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Our trusty leavening agents for a beautiful rise.
• Spices: Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. The warm, cozy symphony.
• Unsalted Butter: For rich flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth quality.
• Granulated & Brown Sugar: White for sweetness, brown for moisture and a hint of caramel.
• Eggs: They bind everything together and give the cake structure.
• Buttermilk: The key to a wonderfully moist and tender crumb.
• Vanilla Extract & Salt: To enhance all the other flavors beautifully.

Can I Make Any Ingredient Substitutions?

Absolutely, life happens! If you’re in a pinch, there are a few clever swaps you can make without sacrificing too much quality.

No cake flour? You can make your own by measuring one cup of all-purpose flour, removing two tablespoons, and replacing it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk it well.

And if you don’t have buttermilk, a DIY version works just fine. Simply add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, then fill it with whole milk to the one-cup line. Stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it slightly curdles.

How to make Perfect Pumpkin Layer Cake Recipe?

Preparing Your Pans and Oven

First things first, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures a consistent temperature from the moment your batter goes in.

Then, generously spray your cake pans—three 6-inch or two 8-inch—with baking spray. Lining the bottoms with a parchment paper circle is a baker’s best trick for guaranteed easy release.

Combining the Dry Ingredients

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all those gorgeous warming spices.

Whisking them now, you see, ensures the leaveners and spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which means no bland bites.

Creaming the Butter and Sugars

Now, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room-temperature butter on high speed for a full two minutes. You want it light and pale.

Add both the white and brown sugars and continue to mix for another two minutes. This step is crucial for incorporating air, which helps the cake rise and gives it a lighter texture.

Incorporating the Wet Ingredients

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Then, pour in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, mixing for another minute on medium-high.

Don’t be alarmed if the batter looks a little curdled at this stage—it will all come together beautifully once you add the dry ingredients, I promise.

Bringing the Batter Together

Reduce your mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour and spice mixture. Mix until the flour is *just* combined, you don’t want to overmix.

With the mixer still on low, slowly stream in the buttermilk. Stop mixing as soon as it’s incorporated. Give the bowl a final scrape and stir by hand to ensure no pockets of flour are hiding at the bottom.

Baking and Cooling the Layers

Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in their pans for just five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely before you even think about frosting—warm cake melts buttercream!

How to Make the Perfect Cream Cheese Buttercream

This isn’t just any cream cheese frosting. It’s a sturdy, pipeable dream that holds its shape beautifully, without being overly sweet.

The key is using full-fat, brick-style cream cheese (not the spreadable kind in a tub) and ensuring your butter and cream cheese are at the perfect room temperature—cool to the touch, not warm or greasy.

Whip the butter and cream cheese together for a full five minutes until it’s light, fluffy, and completely lump-free. Then, slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer on low, followed by the vanilla and salt.

What’s the Best Way to Decorate This Cake?

Once your cakes are cool and your frosting is ready, the real fun begins. For the classic design pictured, it’s easier than it looks.

After filling and stacking the layers with a smooth crumb coat, press Biscoff cookie crumbs onto the bottom third of the cake for a lovely textural contrast.

Then, divide your remaining frosting, color portions with orange, blue, and brown gel food coloring, and use different piping tips to create a cascade of whimsical pumpkins across the top. A crescent moon shape is just so charming.

Tips

For the absolute best results, measure your flour correctly. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off; don’t scoop directly from the bag, which packs in too much flour.

If your buttercream seems a bit soft after making it, don’t panic. Just pop the whole bowl into the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to let the fats firm up, then re-whip it before using.

You can absolutely bake this cake ahead of time. Wrap the cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature for a day or freeze them for up to two months.

When is the Best Time to Serve This Cake?

This cake is a star at any autumn gathering, from a simple weeknight dessert to the grand finale of your Thanksgiving feast.

It actually tastes even better the next day, as the flavors have more time to meld and deepen. So feel free to bake it a day in advance.

Serve it with a hot cup of coffee, a cold glass of milk, or even a sweet dessert wine. It’s a versatile, and utterly delightful, treat.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Layer Cake Recipe

Author: Kelsey Perez Cooking Method: Baking Cuisine: American Courses: Dessert

Difficulty: medium Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 40 mins Rest Time 60 mins Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Cooking Temp: 177  C Servings: 12 Estimated Cost: $ 20 Calories: 420

Best Season: Fall, Winter

Description

This is my all-time favorite pumpkin layer cake recipe—perfectly spiced, incredibly moist, and ideal for cozy fall baking. Paired with a stable cream cheese buttercream, it’s a showstopper that’s stood the test of time since its original 2019 debut. The cake uses cake flour and buttermilk for a tender crumb, and a blend of warming spices that elevate the pumpkin flavor to perfection.

ingredients

Servings

Pumpkin Layer Cake

• 2 ³⁄₄ cups sifted cake flour ((290g) 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 unsalted butter ((226g), room temperature)
• ³⁄₄ cup packed brown sugar ((150g))
• 1 cup white granulated sugar ((200g))
• 3 large eggs (room temperature)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups canned pumpkin puree ((12 oz, 378g), not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup buttermilk ((240ml), DIY recipe in notes)

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 1 cup unsalted butter ((226g), room temperature)
• 16 oz cream cheese ((226g), brick-style, not spreadable)
• 8 cups powdered sugar ((960g))
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ¹⁄₂ tsp salt

Instructions

Make The Pumpkin Layer Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177°C). Prepare three 6-inch or two 8- or 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper circles.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream butter on high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add granulated and brown sugars; mix on medium-high for 2 more minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then add pumpkin and vanilla. Mix well—the batter may look curdled, but that’s okay.
4. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients until just combined. Stream in buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Scrape bowl and stir to remove lumps. Batter will be thick but pourable.
5. Divide batter evenly between pans (no more than ⅔ full). Bake 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make The Cream Cheese Buttercream

1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on high for 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar. Add vanilla and salt; mix 30 seconds more.

Assembly

1. Once cake layers are completely cool, fill and frost with cream cheese buttercream. For the decorative design: divide leftover frosting into 4 bowls. Color one orange (Americolor Orange), one light blue (Wedgewood), one brown (Chocolate Brown), and leave one white. Use Wilton Tip 6B for large orange pumpkins and Tip 4B for smaller pumpkins in other colors. Pipe in a crescent shape. Add stems with brown frosting using Wilton Tip 3. Press Biscoff crumbs or toasted cake crumbs around the base for texture.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 12

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Amount Per Serving

Calories 420kcal

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 12g60%

Cholesterol 85mg29%

Sodium 380mg16%

Potassium 210mg6%

Total Carbohydrate 58g20%

Dietary Fiber 1g4%

Sugars 42g

Protein 5g10%

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Calcium 80 mg

Iron 1 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

• Make ahead: Cake layers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
• Frosting storage: Cream cheese buttercream keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Re-whip before use.
• Buttermilk substitute: Mix 1 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit 5 minutes before using.
• Cake flour substitute: For 1 cup cake flour, use 1 cup minus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch.

Keywords: pumpkin layer cake, cream cheese frosting, fall cake, spiced pumpkin cake, easy pumpkin cake