Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake started with a coffee chat on a random Tuesday. My neighbor Sarah came by and wouldn’t stop raving about some bakery cake she’d tried. Then she said, “You can’t really make that at home.” And well… I took that personally.

The first attempt was a total fail—burned it while folding laundry—but round two? Nailed it. My kids ate half the pan before dinner, which never happens with anything store-bought.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Honestly? I’ve screwed up a lot of pumpkin cakes. They either taste like cardboard or fall apart when you cut them. This one’s different because my neighbor’s mom (who ran a bakery for thirty years) taught me the sour cream thing. Keeps it from drying out like those sad grocery store versions.

My teenage son, who lives on cereal and complaints, actually asked me to make this again. That’s when I knew I had something good. Plus, it doesn’t require fancy equipment or ingredients you can’t pronounce.

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📝 Ingredient List

For the Cake:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (seriously, not the pie filling)
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt (not the fat-free stuff)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature if you remember
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Espresso Buttercream:

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
• 2½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk (have extra on hand)
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (start with less if you’re unsure)
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

🔍 Why These Ingredients Work

Canned pumpkin saved my sanity after trying to use fresh pumpkin once. What a mess – watery, inconsistent, and my kitchen looked like a crime scene. The canned stuff gives you the same results every time, which is what you want when people are expecting dessert.

Brown sugar keeps things moist longer than white sugar alone. Don’t ask me why – something about molasses content. I just know my cakes used to dry out by day two, and now they don’t. The sour cream makes everything tender without adding weird flavors like some people claim.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• 9×9-inch baking pan (metal works better than glass)
• Two mixing bowls, preferably big ones
• Wire whisk or fork for stirring
• Electric mixer for the frosting (hand mixer is fine)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rubber spatula for spreading frosting

Don’t overthink this – I’ve made it with whatever I had clean. The electric mixer for frosting isn’t optional though. Tried doing it by hand once and my arm about fell off.

👩🍳 How To Make Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

For the Cake:

1. Get your oven ready: Heat to 350°F and grease your 9×9 pan really well. I use butter because it never sticks, but cooking spray works too.
2. Mix dry stuff first: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a big bowl. Set it aside.
3. Wet ingredients time: In another bowl, whisk pumpkin, both sugars, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Don’t worry if it looks weird at first – keep whisking.
4. Bring them together: Pour the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and stir just until combined. I always overmix and regret it – stop when you barely see flour streaks.
5. Bake it: Pour into your pan and bake 22-26 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center – it should come out clean or with tiny crumbs. Cool completely before frosting (learned this lesson the hard way).

For the Espresso Buttercream:

1. Beat that butter: Use a mixer to beat butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. It should look pale and doubled in size.
2. Add sugar gradually: Dump in powdered sugar bit by bit, beating after each addition. It’ll look dry and crumbly – that’s normal.
3. Coffee magic: Add milk, espresso powder, and vanilla. Beat on high for exactly one minute. This step makes it silky instead of grainy.
4. Fix the texture: Too thick? Add milk one teaspoon at a time. Too runny? More powdered sugar. You want it spreadable but not drippy.
5. Frost and cut: Spread evenly over cooled cake with a knife or offset spatula. Cut into squares and watch people fight over the corner pieces.

Tips from Well-Known Chefs

My sister’s culinary school friend told me room temperature eggs mix better, but honestly, I forget half the time and it still turns out fine. The main thing is don’t frost a warm cake – learned that lesson when my beautiful frosting turned into soup.

❗ You Must Know

Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin purée – I did this once and the cake turned out sickeningly sweet. Pie filling already has sugar and spices added, so you’ll mess up the whole balance. Look for the can that just says “pumpkin” or “pumpkin purée.”

My secret trick: I always sift my powdered sugar before making frosting, even though it seems fussy. Takes 30 seconds but prevents those awful lumps that make your frosting look homemade in a bad way.

💡 Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Room temperature stuff: I set eggs and sour cream out when I start my second cup of coffee. Gives them about an hour to warm up
• Coffee strength: Taste the frosting before adding more espresso powder. My dad can’t handle much caffeine, so I go easy when he’s coming over
• Spice check: Shake your spice containers. If nothing comes out easily, they’re probably stale. Old spices make everything taste like dust
• Beat the frosting right: Don’t rush that one minute of beating. It’s the difference between lumpy homemade-looking and smooth bakery-style
• Clean knife: Wipe your knife between cuts or you’ll have frosting smeared everywhere

I used to skip the room temperature step because I’m impatient. But cold ingredients really do make the batter lumpy and weird.

🎨 Flavor Variations & Suggestions

I’ve messed around with this recipe a bunch:

• Maple twist: Swap 2 tablespoons of white sugar for real maple syrup. Makes it taste more fall-ish
• Cream cheese option: Use cream cheese frosting instead and add the espresso powder to it. Less sweet, which some people prefer
• More coffee: Add 1 teaspoon instant espresso to the actual cake batter. Only do this if you really like coffee flavor
• Caramel on top: Microwave store-bought caramel sauce for 20 seconds and drizzle over each piece
• Nuts: Chop up some toasted pecans and fold them in. I buy the pre-chopped ones because I’m lazy

Tried adding orange zest once because Pinterest told me to. Tasted weird and competed with everything else. Don’t recommend.

⏲️ Make-Ahead Options

This cake is great when you’re having people over and don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all day. I bake it two days early and just leave it covered on the counter. The frosting sits in the fridge fine for three days – just take it out early to soften up and beat it again for thirty seconds.

You can freeze the whole unfrosted cake wrapped in plastic wrap. Done this plenty of times when I got ambitious and made too many desserts. Thaws perfectly and tastes exactly the same. Just make sure it’s totally thawed before you frost it.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Don’t substitute the sour cream with milk thinking it’s the same thing. It’s not, and your cake will be dry. If you only have fat-free sour cream (which tastes like disappointment), add an extra tablespoon of oil to make up for the missing fat.

When you measure the pumpkin, don’t pack it down hard like brown sugar. Just scoop and level off. I used to mash it down and couldn’t figure out why my cakes were dense and gummy. Also, stir the can before measuring – the liquid separates and settles.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

I usually make this for Sunday dinners when my brother’s family comes over. Goes great with coffee or hot chocolate for the kids. My mom likes it cold straight from the fridge, but I think it tastes better at room temperature – the flavors come through more.

For Thanksgiving, I’ll sprinkle a little cinnamon on top to make it look fancier. But most of the time, people are too busy eating to care about decorations. Works just as well for regular weeknight dessert or when you need to bring something to a potluck.

This has become my go-to fall recipe because it actually works every time and people always ask for it. Makes me feel like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen, even when I definitely don’t. Hope it works as well for you as it has for me! 🍽️

🧊 How to Store Your Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

Leave it covered on the counter for two days max – after that, stick it in the fridge. The buttercream firms up cold, but the cake stays moist for four days easy. I actually think it tastes better the second day because all the flavors settle together.

Individual pieces freeze beautifully wrapped in plastic wrap. I do this when I make too much (which happens more than I’d like to admit). Just thaw on the counter and they taste fresh-baked again.

⚠️ Allergy Information

This has gluten from the flour, eggs, and dairy from butter and sour cream. For dairy-free, you could try coconut oil instead of butter and dairy-free yogurt instead of sour cream, but I haven’t tested it myself. For gluten-free, use a cup-for-cup flour substitute – my neighbor does this and says it works fine, just a slightly different texture.

Most people with nut allergies are fine with this since there aren’t any nuts unless you add them yourself.

❓ Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I make the coffee flavor weaker?

Yeah, start with just 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and taste it. I made it too strong once for my coffee-hating aunt and she wouldn’t even try it.

Can I use cream cheese frosting instead?

Sure can. Just add the espresso powder to whatever cream cheese frosting recipe you like. Makes it less sweet and more tangy.

How long does this keep?

Covered on the counter for two days, then move it to the fridge for up to four days total. Honestly tastes better on day two anyway.

Can I make this ahead?

Yep. Make the cake two days early and keep it wrapped. Make the frosting three days early and keep it in the fridge. Just soften it up and beat it again before using.

What if I only have pumpkin pie filling?

Don’t use it. It’s already got sugar and spices added, so your cake will be way too sweet and the spice balance will be all wrong. Stick with plain pumpkin purée.

💬 Made this Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake? Tell me how it turned out! I love hearing about people’s baking adventures, especially when things go wrong – makes me feel better about my own kitchen disasters. Drop a comment below and let me know if you tried any of the variations!