This pumpkin pecan cake with cinnamon buttercream frosting is the perfect fall dessert. Full of pumpkin deliciousness, topped with a yummy cinnamon buttercream frosting, this pumpkin cake is the perfect way to start the Fall season.
It’s officially fall, y’all! And that means it’s time to start whipping up all those delicious fall desserts we wait for all year long!
I love all the classic sweet fall flavors, and when the weather is cold, you’ll always find sweet apple and pumpkin dishes baking in my kitchen.
While I’m an equal opportunity baker when it comes to fall and apple flavors, pumpkin recipes hold a special place in my heart, there’s something about the aroma of sweet pumpkin dishes like pumpkin bread with brown sugar pecan topping or pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls that makes everything feel so much cozier.
Speaking of that, making this homemade pumpkin cake recipe is easy, and the smell throughout the house, while this delicious cake is baking, smells amazing! This pumpkin cake is so moist, and the flavor is incredible. Topped with this delicious buttercream frosting, it just takes this cake over the top.
For a hearty meal full of classic fall flavors, I highly recommend pairing this cake with my Crock Pot chuck roast.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Basic Ingredients: This recipe uses basic baking ingredients found in any kitchen or grocery store.
- So Easy: This delicious pumpkin cake is made with basic cake and frosting recipes, so it’s beginner-friendly.
- Chock Full of Classic Fall Flavor: The cake is loaded with warm fall spices, and the frosting is sweet and tangy – the classic flavor combination.
- So Moist and Tender: This cake is super moist and tender with the perfect crumb.
- Customizable: You can change up this recipe to make even more tasty variations!
- Versatile: This cake is easy enough for weeknight desserts and pretty enough for potlucks and holiday gatherings.
- Great for Making Ahead: This cake can be frozen for up to a month, so it’s easy to store extra for future desserts.
Ingredients
I’ve included all the ingredients you need to make this cake right here. You’ll find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Pumpkin Pecan Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Shortening
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- Canned pumpkin puree
- Chopped pecans
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- Cream cheese – softened
- Butter – softened
- Vanilla
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon
Variations
- Extra Tender: Try using cake flour for an even more tender cake.
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cake: Add chocolate chips to the batter for a tasty combo.
- Sweet Potato Cake: Use sweet potato puree in place of pumpkin for another delicious fall flavor.
- Walnuts: Walnuts also work very well in this recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Pecan Cake
I’m sharing a brief overview of this recipe here so you can get an idea of how easy it is to make. You’ll find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Pumpkin Cake
- Beat the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Then, fold in the pecans.
- Spoon the batter into two prepared 9-inch cake pans and bake at 300°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool completely.
Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Then, beat in the vanilla and cinnamon.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until rich and creamy.
- Frost the top of one cooled cake. Then, add the second cake and frost the entire thing. Enjoy!
Tips
- Pumpkin puree and pie filling are often sold side by side. Be certain you buy the puree.
- Be sure your baking soda and powder are fresh. Old leaveners result in a flat, dense cake.
- Never scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup. This compacts the flour, leading to using too much.
- Mix your batter until just combined. Overmixing will develop the gluten in the flour, making the cake dense and tough.
- Fold your pecans into the cake batter rather than using a mixing motion. This helps limit gluten activation, resulting in a more tender cake.
- A hand mixer is best for achieving the richest, creamiest frosting texture.
- Be sure your cakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cake will thin the frosting and make it slide right off.
Pumpkin Pecan Cake FAQ
A dry cake is usually the result of using too much flour. To avoid this, either measure your flour by weight or by loosely spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.
An overly sweet pumpkin cake can be the result of inaccurately measuring the sugar or accidentally buying pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree.
If your cake is even slightly warm, the frosting will thin when applied to the cake. Be sure your cake is fully cooled.
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
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Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Pecan Cake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp cloves
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅓ cups shortening
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° and grease and flour (2) 9 inch cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin puree until creamy.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. set aside.
- Mix flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until well combined. Stir in pecans. Spoon into prepared pans, ¾ full (mixture will be thick).
- Bake at 300° for approximately 60-70 minutes or until wooden tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place of cooling rack.
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add vanilla and cinnamon, mix well.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
- Frost once cake has cooled completely.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze a whole cake wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for up to a month.
- Freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to a month.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Pumpkin puree and pie filling are often sold side by side. Be certain you buy the puree.
- Be sure your baking soda and powder are fresh. Old leaveners result in a flat, dense cake.
- Never scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup. This compacts the flour, leading to using too much.
- Mix your batter until just combined. Overmixing will develop the gluten in the flour, making the cake dense and tough.
- Fold your pecans into the cake batter rather than using a mixing motion. This helps limit gluten activation, resulting in a more tender cake.
- A hand mixer is best for achieving the richest, creamiest frosting texture.
- Be sure your cakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cake will thin the frosting and make it slide right off.
Have Pinterest?
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy, Terri
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Love this time of year & baking anything that has pumpkin in it. . The cooking time was too long it turned out dry so nxt time I’ll check it sooner & do 9×13 instead. Gonna try the pumpkin cheesecake bars nxt ????
Thanks for sharing Marie. I did adjust the time. I hope you love the cheesecake bars! :)
I love pumpkin anything! This looks amazing. I bet your whole house smelled wonderful while it was baking! Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Thank you so much Linda. Yes, the house smelt wonderful! My favorite time of year. :)
I would like to bake this in a 9 x 13 pan. Can you please tell me how long it should bake? Thank you!
Hi Judy, I would probably bake it for the same amount of time. Just check it at an hour to see. I hope you enjoy this recipe. :)