The best of fall flavors come together in this salted caramel pumpkin cake. From the homemade caramel sauce to the warm spiced, moist pumpkin sponge to the lightly sweetened whipped cream cheese frosting, this cake is an autumn lover's dream dessert!
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Why you'll love this salted caramel pumpkin cake
- Soft & Moist Crumb: Thanks to the pumpkin purée and oil, this pumpkin cake stays moist for a days!
- Strong Pumpkin Flavor: Made with a whole can of pumpkin purée and a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, this pumpkin cake is PACKED with pumpkin flavor!
- Just Sweet Enough: The whipped cream cheese frosting is very lightly sweetened, which helps to round out the sweetness of the cake and caramel sauce.
For more pumpkin spice recipes, try my Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust, Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, and Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Leavening Agents: You'll need both baking powder and baking soda to give this pumpkin bread the perfect rise.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own with a mixture of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ground ginger.
- Pumpkin Puree: Libby's canned pumpkin is my favorite! Be sure to use pumpkin purée NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugars: I used dark brown sugar in this recipe for a deeper flavor of molasses, but you can use whichever brown sugar you have on hand. You'll also need granulated sugar for the batter and whipped cream cheese frosting.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. I recommend using light-tasting olive oil.
- Eggs: Be sure to use room temperature large eggs so they incorporate into the batter properly.
- Vanilla: Warm fall baked goods MUST have some good quality vanilla.
- Cream Cheese: Use cold block cream cheese for the frosting.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this pumpkin spice cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
STEP 2: Finish cake batter. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until mostly combined. Then, mix in the pumpkin purée followed by the rest of the dry ingredients until fully combined.
STEP 3: Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired. Wrap the soaked cake strip around the outside of the pan, then bake for 38-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the pumpkin cake to cool completely before frosting.
STEP 4: Make the frosting. In a large bowl, add the cold cream cheese and sugar, and cream together with an electric hand mixer until completely smooth. Add the heavy cream and mix on medium speed until thick.
STEP 5: Decorate. Top the cooled pumpkin cake with the whipped cream cheese frosting. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce on top and serve!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and other ingredients.
- Use a cake strip to create a flat cake layer. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strip around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Use cold cream cheese & heavy cream. In order to create a sturdy whipped cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while cold heavy cream will whip up and give the frosting enough structure.
- Cream the cream cheese & sugar thoroughly. Cream the two until completely smooth before adding the heavy cream to avoid over-mixing and risk the frosting splitting!
Recipe FAQs
Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-5 days or wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other fall recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cake:
- 280 g (2 ⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 213 g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 174 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) neutral oil
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 oz (1 can) pumpkin purée
- raw sugar, for topping
For the whipped cream cheese frosting & topping:
- 227 g (1 block) cream cheese, cold
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 227 g (1 cup) heavy cream
- 1 batch salted caramel sauce, or store-bought
Instructions
For the pumpkin cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper.
- Soak one cake strip in ice water.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until mostly combined. Then, mix in the pumpkin purée followed by the rest of the dry ingredients until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired.
- Wrap the soaked cake strip around the outside of the pan, then bake for 38-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the pumpkin cake to cool completely before frosting.
For the whipped cream cheese frosting:
- In a large bowl, add the cold cream cheese and sugar, and cream together with an electric hand mixer until completely smooth.
- Add the heavy cream and mix on medium speed until thick.
For assembly:
- Top the cooled pumpkin cake with the whipped cream cheese frosting. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce on top and serve!
Notes
- Use pure pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and other ingredients.
- Use a cake strip to create a flat cake layer. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strip around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Use cold cream cheese & heavy cream. In order to create a sturdy whipped cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while cold heavy cream will whip up and give the frosting enough structure.
- Cream the cream cheese & sugar thoroughly. Cream the two until completely smooth before adding the heavy cream to avoid over-mixing and risk the frosting splitting!
Jae says
Heya Sloane. Any value in bringing the eggs and sugar (and oil and vanilla) to ribbon stage? Obviously your instructions didn’t say to do this but whenever I see eggs and sugar together I’m tempted to utilize mechanical leavening, I can hardly help myself. 😜
What are your thoughts on the value of this??
Sloane says
Hi Jae! Actually with the oil, I don't think it would really reach the ribbon stage. This cake is already very tall, so trust me, there's no need for additional leavening!