Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
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This pumpkin spice latte cake takes all the flavor of your favorite fall drink. The recipe starts with an incredibly moist pumpkin cake that’s filled with pumpkin, warm spices, brown sugar and vanilla. The cake is infused with coffee using a sweet coffee syrup soak, and topped with creamy espresso frosting. It’s surprisingly simple to make and perfect for PSL season!
A Note from Fiona
Why You’ll Love this Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake!
This pumpkin spice latte cake has everything you love about the famous pumpkin spice latte, and turns it into a delicious dessert. The pumpkin spice flavor is warm, cozy and comforting – and you’ll love how moist the cake turns out. The cake itself has the perfect hint of coffee that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin. Then it’s topped with swirls of creamy coffee frosting that’s not too sweet and has just the right amount of coffee flavor.
While I know that some people aren’t always fans of a pumpkin spice latte, this cake was equally loved by everyone who has been lucky enough to try it. It’s filled with warm spices and has the perfect amount of coffee flavor. Best of all, since it’s made in a sheet pan, there’s no decorating skills required.
For the Pumpkin Cake
The pumpkin cake recipe is slightly adapted from my classic pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. We’re using slightly less spices since we’re also getting flavor from the coffee soak that comes in later. The cake relies on oil, eggs, and the pureed pumpkin for a cake crumb that’s incredibly moist. It’s the type that will stick to your fork, but isn’t dense or heavy. The cake is incredibly simple.
- Prep: lightly grease the pan and preheat the oven.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give them a whisk so that the spices are evenly distributed.
- If you have pumpkin spice mix on hand, I’ve included what to use in the recipe notes at the bottom of the recipe.
- Whisk the Wet Ingredients an Sugar: oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and pumpkin puree.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients into the Dry: whisk together until combined. You could use an electric mixer if you prefer, just be sure not to overmix. Overmixing causes air tunners.
- Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks or lumps of flour.
- Bake: The cake will bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
For the Coffee Soak
After the cake is baked and cooled, you’ll gently slice off the very top of the cake – I used a serrated knife to just cut off the very rounded top. Then you’ll poke small holes in the cake using a toothpick or cake tester. This is to help the cake absorb the coffee soak. Note: You are not poking large holes, like you would in a poke cake.
The coffee soak is simply sweetened, creamy coffee – essentially, a very strong, sweet milky coffee. You’ll boil together a espresso, sugar and cream in a small saucepan until the sugar has melted. If you don’t have an espresso maker, you can use very strong brewed coffee.
The warm syrup/soak is then brushed over the cake using a pastry brush or drizzled over the top using a spoon. For a prominent coffee flavor, use all of the soak.
For the Coffee Frosting
The coffee frosting that goes on top is incredibly creamy with a delicious coffee flavor that’s not too sweet. The coffee flavor comes form instant espresso powder. However, if you don’t have instant espresso powder, very fine instant coffee powder works too. The frosting is made primarily with butter, but has a touch of cream cheese to help cut the sweetness.
You’ll beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the powdered sugar, a touch of salt, and instant coffee dissolved in whipping cream. I like to frost the cake with swirls of the creamy frosting and then sift a little nutmeg on top.
Make Ahead Tips
Make the cake the day before you plan to serve. Cool fully, then cover the pan and let it sit and room temperature overnight. Make the coffee soak and frosting the day you plan to serve.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If the cake has been in the fridge, I recommend letting it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying so that it isn’t cold.
More Pumpkin Treats to Try and Love
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clovers, a pinch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil (240 ml)
- 1½ cups light brown sugar (315 grams), or ¾ dark brown sugar and ¾ granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (440 ml), pure pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling
Coffee Soak
- 2 tablespoons espresso (30 ml), or strong, freshly brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream (15 ml), or heavy cream
Coffee Frosting
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee powder with very fine granules, to taste
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream (30 ml)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened to room temperature
- 2 ounces full fat cream cheese (56 grams), brick-style, softened to room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar (330-440 grams), sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Spray a 9×13 inch metal cake pan with non-stick cooking spray, or lightly grease and dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs and pumpkin until there are no lumps of sugar or pieces of egg showing. You can also use an electric mixer for this.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir together until combined. Be careful not to overmix – do not use an electric mixer for this. I also fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula, then do a few whisks by hand with a wire whisk if necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool the cake in the pan.
Coffee Soak
- Add the espresso, sugar and cream to a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Occasionally, stir/swirl until the sugar has fully dissolved.
- Once the cake has fully cooled, gently saw off the very top of the cake (I cut off only probably about 2 mm of cake – less than ⅓ inch). Then use a toothpick to poke holes in the top of the cake. By slicing off the very top and poking holes, it helps the cake absorb the coffee soak.
- Using a pastry brush or small spoon, brush/drizzle the coffee soak over the cooled cake. Feel free to use all of the soak for a stronger coffee flavor or about ½ for a less prominent coffee flavor.
Coffee Frosting
- In a small cup, add the cream and instant espresso powder. Give it a stir. This helps the instant espresso powder dissolve before it's added to the frosting later. It won't completely dissolve, but it helps to soften the granules.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft. Then mix in the cream cheese.
- Add in 2 cups powdered sugar, along with the salt. Mix on a low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed until combined.
- Add in the instant espresso powder and cream. Beat into the mixture until combined. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, until the desired sweetness is reached.
- Ensure the cake is fully cooled, then frost with swirls of frosting. I often sift a little nutmeg on top of the cake for visual appeal.
Notes
- Pumpkin: Use 100% pureed pumpkin – be sure you are not using canned pumpkin pie filling. One 15-ounce can is slightly under 2 cups.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only, based on 1 slice, assuming that all the frosting is used and the cake is cut into 15 uniform pieces.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
