Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

658 Ratings
  • 5 118
  • 4 175
  • 3 228
  • 2 111
  • 1 26

This moist and delicious Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting is a nice alternative to pumpkin pie.

Everyday Food, November 2005

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Recipe Summary

prep:
25 mins
total:
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
9
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Ingredients

For the Cake
For the Honey Frosting

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.

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  • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.

  • Turn batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.

  • Make Honey Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk butter, cream cheese, and honey until smooth.

  • Spread top of cooled cake with honey frosting. Cut cake into squares to serve.

Cook's Notes

You can also use a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan: Increase baking time by 25 to 30 minutes (tent loaf with foil if it browns too quickly).

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Reviews (58)

658 Ratings
  • 5 118
  • 4 175
  • 3 228
  • 2 111
  • 1 26
Martha Stewart Member
11/11/2018
I made this several years ago and it was great.Unfortunately, I had handwritten the recipe and wrote down 1 cup of pumpkin puree, not 1 can.Therefore, the cake fell in the middle, a problem I don't usually have.My square baking pan is also a 8"deep dish, which was stupid to buy, so it's probably not even done in the middle since the recipe calls for a 9"square pan.
Martha Stewart Member
05/29/2018
Cake was in the oven before I realised I was missing an icing ingredient. No worries, we found it didn’t really need it, very moist and turned into a breakfast treat the next day.
Martha Stewart Member
08/10/2017
I had made this cake as written it was simple, quick and pretty good. However the second time I doubled the recipe, omitted the butter added a little more than 1/2 C of coconut oil, used only 3 tsp baking soda, added 1/2 Tbsp of baking powder, used real pumpkin puree, added vanilla to the oil/sugar/pumpkin mixture. Alternated adding eggs and dry mixed ingredients until all combined. I used a bundt pan (I love bundt cakes!) baked on 350 for 80 minutes. Cake came out beautifully moist, fragrant, and delicious. I glazed with a simple glaze, (but the honey cream cheese frosting would do just as well.) Rave reviews!!
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Martha Stewart Member
07/17/2017
Made this cake at least 20 times over the years. Moist and delicious. Absolutely wonderful!
Martha Stewart Member
11/21/2015
To be quite frank, Ms. Stewart, this recipe was borderline VILE! It tasted like cardboard and my family mistook it for cornbread!! The frosting was heinous. To all of my fellow faithful Martha readers, I am disappointed that you recommended this cake so highly. I would be embarrassed to serve this to my guests, so thank heavens I made a sample cake before bringing it to my book club tomorrow! BOO!
Martha Stewart Member
10/23/2014
Made this just last night and it turned out well! The cake is moist, flavorful and just the right amount of sweet. I made it as cupcakes and used a cinnamon cream cheese frosting instead as I wanted something I could pipe. Unfrosted, this would be really good in the mornings with a cup of tea and a light dusting of powder sugar. New fall favorite!
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Martha Stewart Member
11/26/2013
This recipe is disappointing. I used pumpkin pie spice as called for, but the cake has a very bland flavor. For the frosting, I used low fat cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese. The frosting is not sweet enough, and combined with the bland cake, a big let down indeed. I've never been sure how Martha Stewart makes a "Living" with her recipes since so many of them are just plain mediocre.
Martha Stewart Member
11/16/2013
Made this today. Came out very good. Had to bake longer than stated but only about 10 mins. Added some chopped pecans. Only made half the amount of icing as I do not like a lot. I actually did not put the icing on the cake because I am diabetic and would rather not have it but left it optional for the rest of family to add however much they liked. Tasted like sweeter pumpkin bread.
Martha Stewart Member
10/14/2012
Made this for my son's 21st birthday and the whole family loved it. I used whipped cream instead of the frosting at his request, but I will definitely make this again & try the frosting!!!
Martha Stewart Member
11/19/2011
This recipe is wonderful it's simple and delicious! the frosting adds to the cake. I made sure the cream cheese and butter at room temperature before blending the ingredients. I made this for a family get together, everyone enjoyed it. I will make this again.
Martha Stewart Member
11/14/2011
Delicious!!! I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla to the frosting and it perked it up nicely!
Martha Stewart Member
03/16/2011
So why can't we use fresh pumpkin puree, especially if it's reduced well and not watery??? There must be some reason??? I will try it and get back to you all!
Martha Stewart Member
12/17/2010
absolutely delicious! i didn't care for the honey frosting so i made another from a recipe i found on foodnetwork.com. it's my 'go to' cream cheese frosting. 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, zest of one lemon. I also added cinnamon to the frosting. The lemon zest makes it!!
Martha Stewart Member
11/28/2010
Delicious! This is a thick cake, so next time I'm going to bake it in a 9''x13'' pan. I didn't have the ingredients to make the honey frosting, so I combined 8 ounces of cream cheese, with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Martha Stewart Member
11/21/2010
I made this 2 days ago, and have really been enjoying it. It was an easy recipe and the cake turned out beautifully. I made the frosting ahead and put it in the fridge for about an hour before frosting the cake. I recommend this delicious seasonal cake!
Martha Stewart Member
10/30/2010
I used 1/2 cup olive oil ( not extra virgin- regular) instaed of butter - delicious! I think it is much much better! And I topped it with roasted salted pumpkin seeds, and I loved the interesting salty-sweet taste, but my kids didn't like it! They prefered the half that had raw sugar sprinkled on it!
Martha Stewart Member
10/19/2010
Sooo.. has anyone actually used pumpkin puree from a REAL pumpkin? I JUST saw that I should be using canned pumpkin, and I have all my ingredients mixed... Ooops!
Martha Stewart Member
10/17/2010
Has anyone tried to make cupcakes with this recipe? If so, how long do you bake them? We love the cake but I thought cupcakes would be fun for Halloween.
Martha Stewart Member
10/17/2010
I think the cream cheese frosting definitely needs to be refrigerated until slightly firm before using, which was left out of the instructions. It was very thin and runny right after mixing it. Maybe it depends on the honey used. I used a dark runny honey, not a light colored thick honey. It tastes amazing though!
Martha Stewart Member
10/17/2010
I think the cream cheese frosting definitely needs to be refrigerated until slightly firm before using, which was left out of the instructions. It was very thin and runny right after mixing it. Maybe it depends on the honey used. I used a dark runny honey, not a light colored thick honey. It tastes amazing though!
Martha Stewart Member
09/21/2010
I'm not sure why the recipe says not to use fresh pumpkin... it's all I use and it always turns out amazing!
Martha Stewart Member
09/21/2010
Here is another site to use by measuring the liquid volume of your pan first www.whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bakingdish.htm
Martha Stewart Member
09/21/2010
Here's another site www.whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bakingdish.htm
Martha Stewart Member
09/21/2010
mrsrace referring to pan size equivalents go to www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Martha Stewart Member
09/13/2010
Any tips on making this a layer cake with 9 inch round pans? Thanks
Martha Stewart Member
02/17/2009
I'd like to make this recipe with maple syrup in place of the sugar. Has anyone tried this yet?
Martha Stewart Member
02/02/2009
We enjoyed this cake but thought it was much more like bread than cake--very dense. So next time I'm going to try baking it in 2 loaf pans and cut it like bread. The frosting was really good!
Martha Stewart Member
12/14/2008
I skipped the honey frosting and used just plain old cream cheese icing. The cake was nice, but I added more spice mix.
Martha Stewart Member
12/13/2008
I made this cake last night for a Christmas party tonight. I doubled the recipe and make a three layer cake using three 8" round cake pans. I put about 1 1/2 X the spices and added about 1/2 Tablespoon of cinnamon to the icing. I also made pecan pralines for the top! The cake was amazing!! It looked beautiful and tasted wonderful! It comes out super moist! The icing seemed too sweet the first day but after letting the cake sit iced for a day it was perfect!! Will make again for sure!
Martha Stewart Member
12/09/2008
The cake was delicious...it was the icing I had trouble with. It basically slid off of the cake and it never looked as thick and rich as the photo. The cake was cooled when I applied the frosting.
Martha Stewart Member
12/08/2008
I need help! :) Does anyone know if I could double this recipe and put it in two 8 or 9n n n n n n round cake pans and layer it rather than doing the 9n n n n n n square? Do you know if it would hold together and how I would adjust the temperature and cooking time? Thank you SO much for your help!!!
Martha Stewart Member
12/08/2008
I need help! :) Does anyone know if I could double this recipe and put it in two 8 or 9n n n n n n round cake pans and layer it rather than doing the 9n n n n n n square? Do you know if it would hold together and how I would adjust the temperature and cooking time? Thank you SO much for your help!!!
Martha Stewart Member
12/04/2008
This cake is great, it is very moist and quite quick to throw together.
Martha Stewart Member
11/27/2008
I just made it for Thanksgiving and everyone really liked it =] I used honey-cream cheese frosting and just let people put it on themselves if they wanted some. Very tasty!!
Martha Stewart Member
11/20/2008
Vixx - solid-pack pumpkin puree is basically the canned pumpkin you buy in the store (as opposed to fresh pumpkin puree, which has a looser, more watery consistency). It's completely different from packed brown sugar.
Martha Stewart Member
11/11/2008
this is the best pumpkin cake ever!!!! Everyone that had tried it loves it!!!!!
Martha Stewart Member
11/08/2008
For the icing, I used a local buckwheat honey and I also added (around) a cup of icing sugar and (about) a tsp of vanilla extract. Turned out delicious! The flavour form the buckwheat gave the icing a very interesting taste that complements the spices in the cake. The cake its self is tasty, easy to make, but I had to bake it a little extra than what the recipe called.
Martha Stewart Member
11/02/2008
This recipe calls for solid-pack pumpkin puree. Is that similar to packed brown sugar?
Martha Stewart Member
11/02/2008
This recipe calls for solid-pack pumpkin puree. Is that similar to packed brown sugar?
Martha Stewart Member
10/12/2008
A huge hit!
Martha Stewart Member
10/12/2008
A huge hit!
Martha Stewart Member
07/13/2008
This was only my 2nd time baking something from scratch and it was A SUCCESS! I made an initial test cake to see how it came out. It was so rich and tasty--even better after sitting in the fridge over night! I made another one for work and it was devoured!! Thank you!!
Martha Stewart Member
06/16/2008
I substituted the pumkin to papaya puree. I live in Tahiti and am often loaded with them. Tastes great. It's a good alternative.
Martha Stewart Member
05/22/2008
everytime i make this its a hit. highly recommended!
Martha Stewart Member
04/16/2008
This was a wonderful cake. It was moist, somewhat dense and delicious. I decided to bake it in a 9 X 13 so that it was a little thinner. The frosting was good, but I added a bit of vanilla and a little icing sugar. My husband loved it!
Martha Stewart Member
01/18/2008
For the baking challenged, like me, this is a great easy cake to make, and the frosting is killer. I have made this several times to rave reviews. Definitely a family favorite.
Martha Stewart Member
01/16/2008
This cake is amazing. The honey cream cheese frosting is to DIE for! I used 1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice then added an additional combination of fresh grated nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, and ground cinnamon to kick this cake up a notch and it definitely delivered.
Martha Stewart Member
12/17/2007
My husband makes a similar cake, but this frosting is so much easier and a lot better tasting. My husband does most of the baking in the family and since I've started presenting him with Martha's recipes he has been very busy.
Martha Stewart Member
12/13/2007
TRY IT AGAIN SWEET1SS, ONLY THIS TIME BE SURE TO READ THE VERY FIRST PARAGRAPH. REMEMBER MARTHA HAS TEST KITCHENS WITH MANY EXPERT CHEFS WHO TRY THESE RECIPES BEFORE THEY GO ON THE WEB. AND THEY TELL US EXACTLY WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO USE. I LIKE YOU HAVE ALSO HAD TO LEARN THE HARD WAY. ROMA
Martha Stewart Member
11/23/2007
turned out very dry. perhaps it's because I used pumpkin pie filling instead of puree. I removed from the oven only after 30 minutes and was still dry.
Martha Stewart Member
11/23/2007
turned out very dry. perhaps it's because I used pumpkin pie filling instead of puree. I removed from the oven only after 30 minutes and was still dry.
Martha Stewart Member
11/21/2007
Hands down, the best cream cheese frosting - will never use powdered sugar again! And no mess, just wisk and done! Made the cake gluten free and shared it for Thanksgiving. WOW!
Martha Stewart Member
11/20/2007
fan-freakin-tastic! yes, canned pumpkin puree is at the grocery store - in the baking aisle - look for Libby's.
Martha Stewart Member
11/16/2007
Is "canned pumpkin puree" available at the grocery store?
Martha Stewart Member
11/14/2007
The frosting is to die for
Martha Stewart Member
11/14/2007
simple delicious
Martha Stewart Member
11/14/2007
simple delicious
Martha Stewart Member
11/07/2007
Turtle's favorite cake
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