Pumpkin is all the rage in the Fall.
It’s one of my favorite flavors to work with and it’s also one of my favorite seasons!
I’ll be honest I’m pretty sure it’s mostly because of the wonderful warm spices and the smells that flow through the house.
This cake has a beautiful spongy crumb and pairs great with cream cheese icing or classic american buttercream.
Although I have never tried it with a meringue based buttercream I’m sure it would be magical all the same.
Add a bit of flavor to your buttercream with some cinnamon or even some maple!
Would pair beautifully with my Orange Scented Pastry Cream and White Chocolate ganache.
This recipe works well for cake OR cupcakes.
NOT all cake recipes work for both but there is no issue in baking either as a full cake or beautiful cupcakes.
To begin, and to keep yourself organized, do some “mise en place” (which loosely translates from french – Everything in it’s place)
Here it simply means – Pre measure all your ingredients so you are ready to assemble the recipe.
Measure out dry ingredients into bowl. Sifting is recommended (not pictured as I wanted to show all the spices 🙂 )
In the bowl of your mixer add your eggs and brown sugar.
Cream on medium low until smooth
Whisk milk and pumpkin together
Alternating wet and dry ingredients add them to the egg/sugar mixture. Do this in 2 parts.
Mix only until just combined. Do not over mix or you will end up with a tough cake.
Add vanilla and mix just until incorporated.
Grease pans using GOOP
and divide dough evenly.
I bake in 3’s, pictured is 3 x 6″ round pans that are 2″ high.
You can do this in 2 x 8″ round pans
Bake cakes at 325F for 30-45 minutes (depending on size) until toothpick comes out clean
Alternatively you could bake this batter as 24 cupcakes.
Scoop prepared batter into lined cupcake tins using a 2oz (#16 scoop)
Bake cupcakes 16-18 minutes at 325F until toothpick comes out clean
Allow to cool and decorate with your favorite icing.
This recipe is perfect all sorts of tiered cakes!
Let your imagination run wild and decorate as you would any other cake!

Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 30 minutes |
Servings |
- 4 Lrg Eggs
- 2 Cups Packed brown sugar
- 15 oz Pure Pumpkin Puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 2/3 Cup Can Milk or Coconut milk Have made it with both and equally as deliious
- 2 Cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Clove
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Ingredients
| ![]() |
- In bowl of mixer, cream eggs and brown sugar on medium low until smooth and homogoneous
- Mix pumpkin and milk together in a separate bowl
- Sift all dry ingredients together in another bowl
- Alternating dry and wet ingredients add them to the egg mixture. Stirring on low speed between each addition (Do this in 2 additions) Mix only until completely incorporate to avoid a tough cake.
- Add vanilla and gently mix
- Place evenly into 2 x 8" round greased pans or 24 cupcake liners.
- Bake at 325F until toothpick comes out clean. Approx 30-40 minutes for cake and 16-18 minutes for cupcakes.
Flavours to consider pairing with Pumpkin Cake
-- White chocolate
-- Maple
-- Coconut
-- Whiskey
-- Orange
-- Orange Liqueur
-- Molasses
-- Caramel
-- Cream Cheese
Some uncommon pairings but oh so fun to play with!
-- Cayenne Pepper
-- Chile Peppers
-- Cranberries
-- Honey
-- Cumin
Is canned milk evaporated, sweetened condensed, or just dairy milk?
Hi Kari,
No it is not the same as condensed milk.
Not sure if your local area has Carnation brand tin milk. Or something similar.
Usually found in the baking aisle at the supermarket
Thanks for the recipe! I am going to try it this week. Is there really no butter or oil in this cake? Also, I’m planning to use evaporated milk. I think that’s what you mean by canned milk?
Hi Olivia
There is really no oil or butter in this cake and you won’t believe how amazing it truly is!
I’ve had some followers make it gluten free as well so it truly can be a healthy cake 🙂
As for Evap milk .. yup, that’s the stuff. It’s so hard to know exactly what everyone call everything 🙂
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to taste it!
Just wanted you to know that I tried your recipe and they’re perfect! I adjusted for altitude by cutting the baking soda in half, but that was the only change. I did a few with chocolate chips and crystallized ginger folded in. What a perfect Fall cupcake! Thank you!
You are so very welcome 🙂
Glad they worked out for you and excited that you’re loving them!
Crystallized ginger is brilliant, I’ll have to try!
Hi, I just found your page and plan on trying his recipe as cupcakes for work. I find though that sometimes when I make cupcakes they stick to the liners – should I be spraying the liners before I put the mix in? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Tanya
Thank you for checking out my blog, I truly hope you find what’s here to be of value.
There should be no need to spray your liners, this can be caused by a number of varying factors.
Recipe could be too high in sugar (over caramilizes)
Good quality cupcake liners help as well, too thin and the are just a mess.
Batter is just plain too delicate
Low in fat batters tend to stick more
Allowing cupcakes to cool completely in pan can cause this
Unwrapping while still warm
And sometimes under baking
This recipe has never had issues with sticking.
I hope this helps