Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Oh-So-Pretty Pumpkin Cake Recipes for Fall By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 27, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Nothing is quite as autumnal as a pumpkin dessert. We have already waxed poetic about our pumpkin pies, but we're just as enthusiastic about our pumpkin cake recipes. They're warm and nostalgic, light and sweet. They're the perfect blend of fall flavors and an ideal offering for a celebration during the autumn months. There's something for every family member with our array of pumpkin cake recipes. Even novice bakers can pull off a winning Thanksgiving dessert with our Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe, and experts in the kitchen will love the challenge of our Pumpkin Spice Battenberg. With our Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes and Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, each family member can enjoy his or her own dessert without sharing. Scroll on for 19 of our favorite pumpkin cake recipes, then bake up one of our favorite pumpkin cake recipes for a lovely treat this season. 01 of 19 Marbled Pumpkin Praline Cake Iain Bagwell Recipe: Marbled Pumpkin Praline Cake This cake is a gorgeous combination of pumpkin batter, cream cheese batter, pecan-praline filling, and spiced whipped cream. You're welcome. 02 of 19 Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake This might just be the most beloved of our pumpkin cake recipes. It's the ultimate cozy indulgence, with a perfect balance of sweetness and spice that is the season's calling card. The best part? The cake is built from a boxed spice cake mix, which gives you just enough of a shortcut so that you can focus on the embellishment, namely crumbling the toffee bits and blending the sweet, spiced cream cheese frosting. 03 of 19 Cranberry-Apple-Pumpkin Bundt Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Recipe: Cranberry-Apple-Pumpkin Bundt Three favorite fall flavors combine in this beloved Bundt cake. Cranberry, apple, and pumpkin, all in a beautiful Bundt? It's a win-win-win for the dessert table. 04 of 19 Pumpkin Pound Cake Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Recipe: Pumpkin Pound Cake A pound cake with a seasonal twist, this recipe is as delicious as it is beautiful. We suggest topping it off with a drizzle of maple-butter glaze and crumbled pecans. 05 of 19 Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake Heading to a dinner party this fall? This is the dessert you should take with you. It's a pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and cheesecake hybrid that will intrigue and delight. Add the optional praline topping to make it a real showstopper. 06 of 19 Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Recipe: Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes Instead of standing over the sideboard cutting slices for each family member, serve individual desserts for adorable presentation and easy serving. 07 of 19 Pumpkin Spice Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake Sugar, spice, and everything nice, this dish is a sure-favorite on any holiday table. Our favorite part? The buttery caramel sauce. 08 of 19 Pumpkin Pie Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cake You'll be amazed at how moist white cake and pumpkin pie meld into one dreamy dessert that's only missing a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 09 of 19 Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Recipe: Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake Is there anything your Instant Pot can't do? Free up valuable oven space this Thanksgiving and let your favorite mini appliance handle dessert. 10 of 19 Pumpkin Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Pumpkin Cake With this layer cake, you won't fuss over getting the frosting just right. It looks beautiful with spiced whipped cream spread between the layers and on top for a "naked" look. Sprinkle a little fresh nutmeg on top, and voila! 11 of 19 Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake With this dessert mashup recipe, you can satisfy the pumpkin pie and cheesecake lovers at your holiday feast. 12 of 19 Pumpkin Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Dump Cake The beauty of a dump cake is in the name—you literally dump a few simple ingredients into a pan, bake it, and you've got a decadent dessert. This fall dessert is one of our favorite ways to transform a box of cake mix. 13 of 19 Pumpkin Crunch Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Crunch Cake Instead of stressing out about decorating an extravagant layer cake, make this rich one-layer cake that's covered in a hefty slathering of pumpkin cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with a spiced cookie crumble with toasted pumpkin seeds. 14 of 19 Pumpkin Spice Battenberg Greg DuPree Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Battenberg This beautiful cake is like a present for your table, but the real surprise is the multi-colored sponge cake layers once you cut it open. 15 of 19 Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart with Honey Swiss Meringue Jody Horton Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart with Honey Swiss Meringue A toasted pecan crust is a festive base for this multi-layer dessert that's definitely photo worthy. One of the best parts about this recipe is that you can prepare it up to Step 6 the night before to get a head start for Thanksgiving. 16 of 19 Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting Alison Gootee; Styling: Suzonne Stirling Recipe: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting Not only is this pumpkin spice cake from New Orleans food blogger Joy Wilson delicious, but the ribbons of caramel in the frosting make it absolutely gorgeous. 17 of 19 Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans Photo: Jennifer Causey Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans When in doubt, we can always rely on our Bundt pan for a pretty dessert that won't require intricate decorating. A drizzle of homemade brown sugar icing and a sprinkle of candied pecans take this pumpkin spice cake from everyday to special occasion. 18 of 19 Pumpkin Crisp Southern Living Recipe: Pumpkin Crisp This is the perfect dessert to feed a crowd at dinner. This seasonal crisp is the utterly irresistible combination of moist cake, sweet pumpkin, and crunchy pecans. With only eight essential ingredients, this recipe couldn't be easier to make—or more delicious after dinner, for a midday snack, or as a midnight nibble. 19 of 19 Praline-Pumpkin Torte Southern Living Recipe: Praline-Pumpkin Torte We first published this layered beauty in 2001, and there's a reason we keep going back to it almost 20 years later. Praline lovers will swoon over these cake layers with praline crusts. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit