Pumpkin Cake

This Pumpkin Cake recipe with Salted Caramel Frosting is an easy one-bowl pumpkin cake and a simple salted caramel buttercream frosting. This Pumpkin Cake is moist and flavourful and topped with sweet caramel sauce and flaky sea salt. It’s the perfect easy fall or winter dessert!

 

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

We don’t know about you, but here at The Busy Baker we firmly believe that pumpkin and caramel together is a heavenly combination. If you’re looking for a sweet and delicious homemade dessert for Thanksgiving, this Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting is the perfect choice! It’s packed with pumpkin and topped with the easiest salted buttercream frosting you’ll ever make!

Here are a few reasons we love this Pumpkin Cake recipe!

1. It’s MADE in ONE BOWL: This recipe comes together in only one bowl! It is super easy!
2. It’s BEST for LAYER CAKES: This recipe makes a moist and delicious cake! It’s the perfect cake for layer cakes – it bakes up beautifully in two 8-inch round cake pans (use the ones with high sides or 8-inch springform pans for best results).
3. It’s DELICIOUS and DECADENT: No dessert is better in the fall than a pumpkin dessert and this pumpkin cake with salted caramel is SO decadent!

Follow these simple tips to make the BEST Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel frosting!

Ensure the eggs, pumpkin puree, and butter are at room temperature to allow the ingredients to mix together easily. This avoids lumps and allows it to combine without over-mixing.

Combine the ingredients just until the flour is incorporated to prevent your batter from becoming a tough and dense cake.

Make sure to use the pan size recommended. Also make sure not to overfill the pan with batter or it will overflow and make a mess of your oven.

Prepare the salted caramel sauce in advance and let it cool completely before adding it to the frosting. This will ensure the frosting stays smooth and stable when mixed​.

Allow the cake to completely cool before adding the frosting. If you try to spread the frosting while the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt and run off the cake.

Since this is a simple recipe, the quality of your ingredients, especially the spices and caramel, will significantly impact the flavor. Freshly ground spices and good-quality butter and cream will make a noticeable difference.

Frosting a layer cake is not just about making it look pretty! Proper frosting technique helps seal in moisture and helps the cake keep its shape. Here’s our detailed guide to help you frost your homemade cakes perfectly!

1. Prepare Your Tools: Before you start, make sure you have helpful tools: a turntable or lazy susan (extra helpful for spinning the cake as you frost it), an offset spatula, a bench scraper, and a piping bag and tip are the tools we always use for frosting layer cakes. Have your frosting ready and make sure it’s at a spreadable consistency. If it’s too stiff, you can soften it slightly in a mixer on low speed using the paddle attachment (using the paddle attachment instead of the whisk attachment prevents you from adding too much air to the frosting, as this can cause air bubbles, making it hard to work with). Make sure your workspace is clean and that you have enough room to maneuver around the cake.
2. Level the Cake: After your cakes have completely cooled, you’ll likely notice they have domed on top just a little bit. To create a flat, stable surface for frosting, you need to level the cakes by gently sawing off the domed top using a serrated knife. Aim to keep the knife as level as you can.
3. Stacking the Cake Layers: Begin by placing your first layer on a cake board (bottom side down) slightly larger than your cake. Scoop about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of frosting onto the centre of the layer, then spread it evenly with your offset spatula all the way to the edges. It’s crucial to get this layer even, as it sets the foundation for the rest of your cake. Add the second layer on top, but turn it upside down so the flat bottom is actually the top of the cake. This will give your layer cake a professional look.
4. Apply a Crumb Coat: The crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that helps to catch any loose crumbs so that they don’t appear on the outer layer of your cake once it’s frosted. After stacking your layers with frosting between them, apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Use your offset spatula to spread it, and then smooth it out with the bench scraper. Don’t worry if it looks messy and is full of crumbs… that’s why it’s called the crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes to set this crumb coat, which will make applying the final coat of frosting SO much easier.
5. Frosting the Cake: Once the crumb coat is set in the fridge, apply the final coat of frosting by adding a generous amount of frosting on top of the cake, and spreading it outwards and down the sides of the cake evenly with your offset spatula. Keep the layer of frosting uniform, as much as you can, and create rustic swirls (or follow our rosette tutorial).
6. Refrigerate Before Slicing: As tempting as it might be to slice it right away, 30 minutes in the fridge will help the frosting firm up just enough to slice the cake cleanly. This will give your cake slices that professional bakery look.

If you are having trouble with this Pumpkin Cake recipe, follow the solutions we recommend below.

It is important to level off the flour and the sugar with a knife so as to not add too much to the batter. This can lead to a cake that is either too dry or too moist.

Over-mixing the batter can happen pretty easily when using one bowl which will lead to a cake that is too dense. Make sure to mix just until the ingredients are combined.

Using lower quality or incorrect ingredients, such as margarine instead of butter or pre-ground spices that have lost their potency, can impact the flavour and texture of both the cake and frosting​.

You’ll need these items to make this Pumpkin Cake recipe (paid links):

• a large mixing bowl
• a wooden spoon
• measuring cups and spoons
• a liquid measuring cup
• 8 inch round cake pans
• a stand mixer or hand mixer
• a spatula
• wire racks
• an offset spatula

To make this Pumpkin Cake recipe, you will need these ingredients (paid links):

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces or 425 grams)
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream

FOR TOPPING:

• 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce use up to 1/3 cup if desired
• flaky sea salt

Try these variations on this delicious Pumpkin Cake!

1. Chocolate Pumpkin – Add in some chocolate chips to the batter for a great tasting combination of salted caramel, chocolate, and pumpkin.
2. Pumpkin Pecan – Stir in chopped pecans to the pumpkin batter or sprinkle over the frosting for a nutty flavour.
3. Pumpkin Apple – Add diced apples to the batter for a sweet tasting pairing of pumpkin, apple, and caramel.
4. Pumpkin Coconut – Add in shredded coconut to the batter or sprinkle toasted coconut as a topping.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite fall cake to enjoy? We’d love to know!  

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