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This Olive Oil Pumpkin Cake is moist, full of warm spices, and topped with a cinnamon-brown-butter cream cheese frosting. It’s an easy fall dessert that only takes 10 minutes to prepare.
Top Recipe Tips
Easy fall desserts like this Olive Oil Pumpkin Cake and my Pumpkin Dump Cake are perfect to enjoy as the weather starts to cool down. Follow these simple tips to make this cake perfectly the first time you bake during the Fall season.
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling. It will alter the flavor and texture of the recipe.
- Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the cake to become dense instead of light and fluffy.
- Watch the butter carefully as it browns. You want to remove it from the heat once it smells nutty and has golden-brown flecks to avoid burning it.
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake Ingredients
Here is a list of the pantry staples you need to make this cake.
For the Pumpkin Cake
- All-purpose flour: Two cups give the cake structure. Spoon and level the flour rather than packing it into the measuring cup. You can substitute 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
- Baking powder: Two teaspoons help the cake rise with the heavier pumpkin puree. Use fresh baking powder for the most reliable results.
- Baking soda: One teaspoon works with the baking powder to give the cake lift. Don’t swap it equally with baking powder, since they work differently.
- Pumpkin pie spice: 1 ½ teaspoons add classic fall spice. You can make your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Cinnamon: One teaspoon adds a little more depth to the spice flavor. Regular or Vietnamese cinnamon both work well.
- Salt: ½ teaspoon balances the sweetness and brings out the spices. Fine sea salt works in place of table salt.
- Granulated sugar: One cup provides sweetness and helps with the cake’s structure. Avoid reducing it significantly since sugar affects the finished texture.
- Brown sugar: Half a cup adds rich molasses flavor that pairs well with pumpkin and browned butter. Use light or dark brown sugar.
- Extra virgin olive oil: ¾ of a cup keeps the cake soft and rich. Choose a mild olive oil, or substitute avocado or neutral vegetable oil.
- Eggs: Three large eggs bind the batter and provide structure. Room temperature eggs mix in more easily, but cold eggs work too.
- Pumpkin puree: One 15-ounce can provides pumpkin flavor and liquid. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Homemade puree works too if you drain excess liquid.
- Vanilla extract: Two teaspoons round out the pumpkin and spices. Vanilla bean paste is an easy substitute.
For the Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese: Eight ounces form the creamy base. Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese gives the frosting the best structure.
- Butter: ⅓ cup is browned for a rich, nutty flavor. Unsalted butter gives you better control over the salt.
- Powdered sugar: Three cups sweeten and thicken the frosting. Start with a little less if you prefer a softer consistency.
- Vanilla extract: Two teaspoons add flavor. You can substitute vanilla bean paste in the same amount.
- Cinnamon: Half a teaspoon connects the frosting to the spices in the cake. Pumpkin pie spice works for a more pronounced spice flavor.
- Salt: A pinch balances the sweetness. Skip it if you use salted butter and the frosting already tastes balanced.
How to Make Olive Oil Pumpkin Cake
This cake starts with separate wet and dry mixtures so the leaveners and spices distribute evenly. Combine the mixtures just until the flour disappears, bake, cool completely, then finish the cake with browned butter cream cheese frosting.
- Prep the Oven and Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, then set it aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, 3 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- Combine Batter: Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake: Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow the cake to cool completely for 45 minutes before frosting.
- Brown the Butter: Brown the ⅓ cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 to 8 minutes while the cake cools. Let the browned butter cool for 15 minutes.
- Make Frosting Base: Add the 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and the cooled browned butter to a standing mixing bowl. Beat the mixture until smooth.
- Finish Frosting: Slowly add the 3 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Mix until combined.
- Frost: Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Serve: Slice and serve.
Recipe FAQs
The olive oil adds a slightly fruity flavor without overpowering the pumpkin and warm spices.
Color and aroma are better guides than the clock. The butter melts first, then bubbles and foams as the water cooks off. Soon, you will see small golden-brown milk solids collecting on the bottom of the pan.
Remove the pan once those bits reach a deep golden brown and the butter smells toasted and nutty. A light colored saucepan makes this much easier to see.
Do not walk away during the final stage. Brown butter can move from golden to burned quickly.
Extra virgin olive oil works very well here, but its flavor varies considerably between bottles. A mild or fruity oil lets the pumpkin and spices remain prominent.
A very assertive, peppery olive oil will be more noticeable in the finished cake. That is not necessarily a problem, but it changes the flavor considerably.
For almost no noticeable olive flavor, replace the olive oil with avocado oil or another neutral baking oil.
Baking at Altitude Adjustments
At higher elevations, cakes can rise rapidly and then sink before their structure sets. Pumpkin cakes have an advantage since pumpkin puree contributes plenty of liquid, but a few adjustments can make the bake more reliable.
For elevations around 5,000 feet, try reducing the baking powder to about 1 ¾ teaspoons. Keep the baking soda at 1 teaspoon for the first test bake. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or milk if your cakes commonly bake dry at your elevation.
Increase the oven temperature to 365°F and begin checking the cake several minutes earlier than the original baking range. Higher oven heat can help the cake structure set before it expands too much.
Olive Oil Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- large mixing bowl
- Stand mixer
- Small saucepan
- whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups & spoons
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, then set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, olive oil, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla.1 cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 large eggs, 15 oz can pumpkin puree, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.
Frosting
- Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 to 8 minutes while the cake is cooling.⅓ cup butter
- Let the browned butter cool for 15 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and cooled browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.8 oz cream cheese
- Beat the mixture until it is smooth.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar to the bowl one cup at a time.3 cups powdered sugar
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, Pinch of salt
- Mix the frosting until the ingredients are combined.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Slice the cake and serve.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Do not overmix the batter.
- Watch the butter carefully as it browns.
- Since this cake has cream cheese frosting, store the frosted cake in the refrigerator, covered. It will keep well for about 3 to 4 days. For the best flavor and texture, take individual slices out of the refrigerator about 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
- For longer storage, freeze individual frosted slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet until the frosting is firm. Wrap each slice well and place the wrapped pieces in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw frozen cake overnight in the refrigerator, then bring it closer to room temperature before serving.
- For make-ahead preparation, bake the cake one day before serving. Cool completely, cover the pan, and frost the next day. You can prepare the frosting ahead and refrigerate it separately. Bring it back to room temperature and mix briefly before spreading.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
