Slice into sugar, spice, and everything nice with the ultimate taste of the season this Christmas Spice Pumpkin Cake serves up. Filled with a glorious glaze of caramel and decked out in a warm and tangy cinnamon cream cheese frosting, this beautiful cake will have you feeling like you made the nice list.

Holiday celebrations are in full swing and what better way to celebrate than with a cake worthy of being the centerpiece of any meal? From a white chocolate dream cake or carrot cake cheesecake to stacked spiced pumpkin cake, it’s the time of year to get into the kitchen and have fun making gorgeous confections. With just a few simple steps, this is destined to become a new holiday tradition.

Christmas spice Pumpkin cake in a white plate

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions for the Christmas spice cake
Storage
Equipment
Top Tips
FAQ
More Christmas recipes you can enjoy
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Balance of Flavor and Texture - In addition to having the perfect balance of warm spices and just a sweet enough bite, this cake also has a moist, tender crumb. Using ingredients like Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree ensures depth of flavor and also keeps this cake from being dry. You’ll fall in love at first bite!
Make Ahead - All aspects of this cake can be prepared in advance making it ideal to serve at an event. You can make the cakes themselves several days in advance as well as the frosting. Whenever you’re ready to serve, simply assemble your cake and frost.
Easy Process - Skip the box mix and use quality ingredients to make a homemade cake the entire family will love. There is nothing complicated about any step of making this spiced pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. In fact, if you can mix a box cake mix, you can totally make this recipe. It’s a fun recipe to get the kids into the kitchen and allow them to help.

slices of pumpkin cake with cinnamon sticker and golden fork

Ingredients

Pumpkin Layered Cake

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour - Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour is my go-to for all of my recipes. This high-quality flour includes starches and xanthan gum making it easy to measure for recipes without having to add any additional ingredients.
Corn Starch - Despite only needing a small amount, this helps keep the cake tender and moist.
Spices - In addition to pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon also adds instant warmth to every bite and perfumes this entire cake.
Baking Powder
Sugar - Both white sugar and brown sugar give this cake its sweetness and depth of flavor.
Vegetable Oil - This neutral oil keeps the cake moist without adding any additional flavor.
Greek Yogurt - Balances the sweetness of the cake with tang while also making this cake extra tender and moist.
Eggs
Pumpkin Puree - Does it get any more holiday-perfect than a can of pumpkin puree? Make sure that it’s the puree and not a can of pumpkin pie filling.
Vanilla Bean Paste - This adds intense pure vanilla flavor. Use the highest quality possible such as Singing Dog Vanilla.
Caramel Sauce - Since this is the holidays, let’s make this cake extra special. A sticky coat of caramel sauce is sandwiched between the two layers of cake. You can also use a butter tart caramel sauce. I used this caramel butter sauce by OliveNation.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese - Who can resist the tang of cream cheese frosting? This adds a tang that pairs well with the pumpkin.
Butter - Adds richness to the frosting as well as giving it a silky smooth texture.
Powdered Sugar - In addition to balancing the tang of the cream cheese and adding just enough sweetness, powdered sugar easily dissolves into the creamy frosting.
Vanilla Bean Extract - This gives an incredible depth of flavor to the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Cinnamon - Use the highest quality cinnamon for the maximum amount of flavor. Always make sure to check the expiration dates on the labels.

Instructions for the Christmas spice cake

Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 ℉.
Next lightly grease two 8” cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Then add the dry ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine.
Add both sugars, oil, vanilla bean paste, and eggs to a large mixing bowl with the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-low until combined.
Next mix in the Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree until combined on medium-low.
Once all of the wet ingredients have been combined slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for about 45 seconds. Make sure to scrape down the sides.
Finally divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans, spreading the tops out.
Allow the cakes to bake at 350 ℉ for 10 minutes and then lower the heat to 330. Let them bake for 20-28 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. One cake may finish before the other so go ahead and remove it from the oven first. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting and Assemble

First, add the room-temperature cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix until creamed, silky smooth, and free of lumps.
Next, add two cups of powdered sugar at a time mixing on low until just combined. Once all of the sugar has been added mix on medium until fully combined, about a minute.
Finally add the vanilla and cinnamon and mix until the frosting is thick, creamy, and fluffy, about two minutes.
To assemble the cake place the first cake on a cake stand or plate. Pipe frosting around the top of the cake to create a board. Spread the caramel inside of the border.
Stack the second cake on top. Frost the entire cake.
I used a 1 M tip to frost the design on this cake before decorating it with crushed pecans.
Pro Tip: For best results, once cakes have cooled, wrap them tightly and store them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight to maintain moisture and allow for easier frosting. If your cream cheese frosting comes out too runny, your cake layers will slide. One of two things happened, the frosting was whipped for too long, or the ingredients were too hot before using them. To thicken your frosting, try placing it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to see if it hardens. If this does not work, add powdered sugar two tablespoons at a time until desired texture is met.

Storage

The cakes can be baked in advance. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated until ready to assemble. They’ll last for up to five days. In addition, you can also keep the frosting refrigerated. Allow it to come slightly to room temperature to make it easier to frost.
Once the cake has been frosted you’ll want to keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. It will last for up to five days.

Equipment

Top Tips

Lining the cake pans with parchment paper will not only help prevent the cakes from sticking but give them a cleaner appearance.
For the best results once the cakes have cooled, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and allow them to refrigerate for at least six hours. You can do this step the night before.
If your frosting seems too runny one of two things has happened, either the butter and cream cheese were too warm, or you over-whipped the frosting. First, try refrigerating it to see if it firms up. Next, if that doesn’t work add in more powdered sugar two tablespoons at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
Always make sure your ingredients are at room temperature when mixing together your cake batter. This includes the eggs. This will allow everything to come together smoothly and lump-free without over-mixing.

A view of a half cut christmas spice cake

FAQ

Can I freeze pumpkin layered cake?

Yes, you can freeze the cake portion of this recipe. Allow the cakes to cool completely and then tightly wrap them in plastic wrap. Transfer them to freezer safe bags making sure to let all of the air out. They will last for up to three months but for the best texture and flavor it’s recommended to eat them within a month. Let them defrost gently in the refrigerator overnight.

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Christmas Spice Pumpkin Cake