We took the popular fall beverage and turned it into a CAKE! This is a single layer pumpkin spice cake topped with a creamy espresso frosting. The perfect combination of flavors: warm spices, pumpkin, vanilla, and coffee. Not only is the cake delicious, but it’s super easy, too.
If you follow me on social media you may have seen me mention that this is my favorite pumpkin dessert. Yes, ever. I don’t know what it is about the combination of espresso frosting and spiced pumpkin cake but I just can’t get enough! And since this is a single layer “snack” cake we don’t need a special occasion to make it.
Jump to:This cake is
Easy: The cake batter comes together in minutes! Since it is a single layer cake you don’t have to bother with stacking and frosting multiple layers.
Flavorful: Plenty of spices, just enough pumpkin, and a bold coffee-flavored frosting.
Soft and moist: Pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and sour cream keep this cake from being dry.
Perfectly sized: This is a single layer 9×9 square cake. The size is large enough for a small gathering but small enough that you don’t need a special occasion to make it.
Basic recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Cake: Whisk pumpkin, spices, sugars, eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Pour into a greased 9×9 pan. Bake and cool.
Frosting: Beat butter. Add powdered sugar followed by milk, espresso powder, and vanilla.
Assembly: Spread the frosting on the cake. Serve!
Ingredient spotlight: espresso powder
This recipe calls for espresso powder or instant espresso. Espresso powder is finely ground coffee crystals that have a strong and concentrated coffee flavor. This ingredient is sold in most well stocked grocery stores near the coffee or on the baking aisle. You can also purchase it on Amazon or here.
I often use it in chocolate recipes like Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies or Coffee Brownies, but in this application it flavors the frosting for the pumpkin cake.
Recipe tips
Use pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. I highly recommend Libby’s brand.
Don’t overmix the cake batter. Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Use fresh spices. Pumpkin pie spice only gets used one season a year so check and make sure what you have in your spice cabinet is fresh and flavorful.
Not a fan of coffee? If you’d prefer to skip the coffee-flavored frosting you can swap the espresso powder for 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Leftover pumpkin puree? Make Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer.
Serving and storage
Serving: Serve this cake chilled or at room temperature. It’s best within 2 days of being made.
Storage: Store this cake at cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4 days.
More pumpkin recipes
SUBSCRIBE to our free NEWSLETTER – Follow on INSTAGRAM
Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
The popular fall beverage turned into a CAKE! This is a single layer pumpkin spice cake topped with an incredible espresso frosting. The perfect combination of flavors: warm spices, pumpkin, vanilla, and coffee. Not only is this cake delicious, it's super easy, too.
from votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes
Servings: 9 – 12
Calories: 306kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, pie spice, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and whisked until just combined (don't overmix). Tap the excess batter off the whisk and use a rubber/silicone spatula to stir the batter a couple of times, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Grease a 9×9 square baking pan and pour the batter into the pan. Tap the pan gently but firmly on the countertop a couple times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, followed by milk, espresso powder (see note), and vanilla. Beat on high speed for one full minute. If desired you can adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin.
Spread the frosting all over the top of the cooled cake.
Notes
Flour: Fluff the flour several times with your measuring cup to lighten it. Lightly scoop a heaping portion (not packed) and level it off with the back of a knife. Espresso powder: Espresso powder/instant espresso is finely ground coffee crystals that have a strong and concentrated coffee flavor. This ingredient is sold in most well stocked grocery stores near the coffee or on the baking aisle. You can also purchase it on Amazon or here. Using 2 teaspoons in the frosting will create a bold flavored frosting. If you’d like the coffee flavor to be less strong start with one teaspoon, taste the frosting, and increase from there. If you’d prefer to skip the coffee flavor you can swap the espresso powder for 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Serving: Serve this cake chilled or at room temperature. It’s best within 2 days of being made. Storage: Store this cake at cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4 days.Nutrition
Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 3539IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!Reader Interactions
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77AraCnn6OssqbA0meaqKVfpcKuvMqipWaroJ6wpnnLmqutnV2Yrqyxjg%3D%3D