Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Non pie-eaters will appreciate this dense, moist cake-take on pumpkin spice with honey cream cheese frosting as the perfect accent.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115 g) of unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) all-purpose flour,spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pumpkin-pie spice (ie. 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and ⅛ tsp each allspice and cloves)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) sugar
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) solid-pack pumpkin puree
FOR THE HONEY FROSTING
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) (115 g) unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 bar (8 oz / 225 g) regular cream cheese, very soft
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.
- Now to Make Honey cream cheese Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk butter, cream cheese, and honey until smooth.
- Spread top of cooled cake with honey frosting. Cut cake and serve.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Cake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 390
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe use baking soda instead of baking powder?
The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of baking soda (not baking powder) as the sole leavener. The pumpkin puree is slightly acidic, which activates the baking soda and provides lift — this is also why the excerpt describes the cake as ‘dense and moist’ rather than light and airy.
What does ‘spooned and leveled’ mean for measuring the flour?
The ingredient list specifies ‘2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.’ This means spooning flour from the bag into the measuring cup rather than scooping directly, then sweeping the top level with a straight edge. Scooping compacts the flour and can add 20–30% more than intended, resulting in a dry, heavy cake.
How do I keep the honey cream cheese frosting from being too runny?
The frosting is three ingredients — ½ cup very soft butter, 8 oz very soft cream cheese, and ¼ cup honey — whisked until smooth. Both the butter and cream cheese must be ‘very soft’ (room temperature) for the mixture to emulsify properly. If the frosting seems thin, refrigerate it for 15 minutes before spreading. 
