This easy pumpkin cake recipe with pecans is a quick and delicious healthier dessert, perfect for Halloween and throughout the pumpkin season.
This easy pumpkin cake with pecans comes with a lemony, low-sugar cheese frosting that takes seconds to make. This cake is deliciously moist while still being light and fluffy. It contains a moderate amount of sugar, vegetable oil for a light texture and is super simple to put together. Preparation takes minutes!
Easy pumpkin cake ingredients
This cake is made using pumpkin puree, spiced with cinnamon and ginger and contains orange zest which brings all the flavours together adding fresh citrussy notes. I used a generous amount of pecan nuts (fantastic with pumpkin) for crunch and decorated the cake with a zesty cream cheese frosting.
The frosting contains a combination of tangy cream cheese and naturally low in fat ricotta for a lighter, fluffier consistency. It also contains a moderate amount of powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4. Grease the bottom of the spring-form pan and line with parchment paper. Attach the ring, lock, lightly grease and dust with a little flour.
In a bowl combine the flour with the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest and a pinch of salt and stir thoroughly using a whisk. Set aside.
2. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and oil until smooth.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and stir well to combine.
4. Pour in the flour mixture and chopped pecans and stir just to combine. Do NOT overstir the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out the top.
6. Bake for 1 hour in the centre of the oven. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before decorating.
7. To make the frosting beat together all the ingredients for a couple of minutes until smooth and fluffy. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to decorate the cake.
Top tips
- Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
- Do NOT overstir the batter.
- Cool the cake completely before decorating with the frosting. You can also scatter lemon zest and/or finely chopped pecans over the top.
- You can make the frosting ahead, refrigerate it and decorate the cake just before serving.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
You might also like
- Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Lemon Icing
- Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins with Buttermilk
- Healthy Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle
- Low Sugar Carrot Cake
Check out also this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes.
Keep in touch!
If you make this pumpkin cake recipe I'd love to know how it turns out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Easy Pumpkin Cake with Pecans
Equipment
- 23 cm/9.5 in spring-form cake pan
Ingredients
For the cake
- 340 g pumpkin puree
- 100 g pecans roughly chopped
- 250 g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger each
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 230 g sugar
- 120 ml vegetable oil plus a little for greasing the pan
- Zest of 1 orange
- Good pinch of fine sea salt
For the frosting
- 200 g full fat cream cheese
- 120 g ricotta cheese
- 60 g powdered/icing sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice plus zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F /180C /gas mark 4. Lightly grease your spring-form cake pan bottom, line with baking paper, lock the ring in place, grease and dust with a little flour.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest and the pinch of salt and stir using a whisk..
- In another bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs and oil until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and stir well to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and pecans and stir just to combine (do not overstir).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth out the top with a spatula and bake for 1 hour in the centre of the oven.
- Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a spatula along the edges to ensure the cake doesn't stick to the ring and remove the ring.
- To make the icing beat together all the ingredients for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and refrigerate until you are ready to decorate the cake (once completely cooled).
Notes
- Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
- Do NOT overstir the batter.
- Cool the cake completely before decorating with the frosting. You can also scatter lemon zest and/or finely chopped pecans over the top.
- You can make the frosting ahead, refrigerate it and decorate the cake just before serving.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the cake covered, for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
I love the simple sugar dusting on the cake. I suppose I can always use a stencil. Hey, maybe I can do that to my Thanksgiving pies, too! Thanks for the idea, Monika! And for cohosting!
Thanks Angie, and you are welcome, it was a pleasure to co-host:)
This cake looks so cute and delicious, Monika. Thank you for sharing and for co-hosting Fiesta Friday!
Thank you Jhuls:)
I've never used raw pumpkin in baking before, but it sounds like a great idea! I love the simple but oh-so-festive way that you decorated this 🙂
Thank you! Raw pumpkin is similar to raw carrot, as in carrot cake, maybe a little more watery.
This is so much fun Monika, I just love the way you've decorated your cake! The flavour combination sounds absolutely delicious 🙂 Thankyou for joining in with #BakingCrumbs,
Angela x
Thank you for your kind words Angela:)
Wow this look stunning! That pumpkin face on top looks so cool!
Thank you Kat, this means a lot coming from a star baker like you:)
Wow I think this is a great looking cake. and I bet it tastes fantastic too.
Thank you Jacqui, it was fun to make and eat too:)
This cake looks amazing!! I have yet to make something with pumpkin, but I am hoping to start soon!
Love the halloween face on the top Monika and pumpkin is always a winner in my book xx
Thanks Kate:)
Hey, this does look easy indeed. How did you sprinkle on the icing sugar, did you you different shapes you had cut out or do you happen to have a smiley like that?
Thanks! I just cut out shapes from a sheet of paper:)
Sorry for the weird sentence structure, I must have been tired typing it.
Yum - this cake sounds utterly delicious. Great idea to use ricotta...and I love all those spices. Wish I could just reach into my computer screen and grab a slice. Eb x
Thank you, I wish I had some left actually, just had my mid-morning coffee on its own:(
Adorable! And, more importantly, I bet it is delicious 🙂
Thank you:)
YUM! Looks lovely!
Thank you Midge:)
What a wonderful idea! I love ricotta cakes and adding pumpkin is such a great idea!
Thanks, it turned out pretty good:)