last updated on October 1, 2026

There is a pumpkin cake that Trader Joe’s sells every fall that has a chokehold on me. It’s a mini pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, and I can’t get enough of it, so I just decided to recreate it at home! So you can all thank me later. This cake comes together in one bowl, and the cream cheese frosting on top really takes it over the edge.

ingredients needed for this pumpkin cake

how to make pumpkin cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8 x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Mix wet ingredients together. Add brown sugar, pumpkin puree, softened butter, oil, greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla into a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
3. Add in dry ingredients. Add in flour (I like to measure with a kitchen scale for accuracy), pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gently stir with a rubber spatula until just combined, with no streaks of flour remaining.
4. Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan so it spreads evenly. Transfer to the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for five minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

how to make cream cheese frosting

1. Mix cream cheese and butter together. When the cake is almost cooled, add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer. Mix until well combined, about 2 minutes.
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl. Mix until smooth, about 2 more minutes.
3. Frost the cake. Once the cake has cooled, spread the frosting on top, or pipe it on however you’d like. Enjoy!

other recipes you will love

• pumpkin spice donuts
• pumpkin bread with brown butter streusel
• pumpkin snickerdoodles
• apple crisp cookies

pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 12 servings

ingredients

  

pumpkin cake

• 1 cup (215 g) brown sugar
• 1 cup (227 g) pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup (56 g) salted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup (50 g) neutral oil (canola, vegetable, etc)
• 1/4 cup (56 g) plain greek yogurt, at room temp
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup (227 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

cream cheese frosting

• 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (56 g) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8×8" baking dish with parchment paper.
• Place the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, butter, oil, greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whisk until combined and smooth.
• Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gently stir with a rubber spatula until just combined, until no streaks of flour remain.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out so it fills the pan evenly. Transfer to the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
• When the cake is almost cooled, make the frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• When the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting on top of the cake, or pipe it on in whatever pattern you'd like. Enjoy!