Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake – An Extra Soft and Moist Fall Dessert

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

This pumpkin spice latte cake is a total crowd pleaser, and every bite tastes like your favorite fall drink turned into dessert.

A soft, moist pumpkin spice cake gets soaked with a sweet, spiced, milky espresso mixture, then finished with a generous layer of espresso cream cheese frosting.

The texture sits somewhere between a classic snacking cake and tres leches, very soft and tender, but not quite as wet as the real thing.

What makes pumpkin spice latte cake so good?

Three separate elements come together in this cake, and each one earns its place.

A soft pumpkin cake with real autumn spice. The base is a tender pumpkin cake scented with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves.

Pumpkin pie spice brings that whole warm blend in one spoonful, and canned pumpkin puree plus buttermilk give the crumb a lush, almost velvety texture. Neither one is optional here.

The puree brings moisture and color, while the buttermilk keeps the crumb tender and gives all that spice something creamy to lean on.

The latte soak. This is the step that makes people stop and ask what is in the cake. A simple mixture of espresso or strong coffee, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract gets poured over the baked cake after it has been poked with small holes.

The cake drinks it up, so the flavor runs through every slice instead of sitting on top. The sweetened condensed milk is what makes the soak silky and lightly sweet, and the coffee is what turns a pumpkin cake into a latte cake.

Espresso cream cheese frosting. On top goes a thick layer of espresso cream cheese frosting. Instant espresso powder is dissolved into the vanilla extract before it goes into the bowl, which spreads the coffee flavor evenly instead of leaving gritty bits behind. The result is tangy, creamy, and rich, and it balances the sweet, milky soak underneath.

Think of it this way: the cake is the pumpkin, the soak is the latte, and the frosting is the espresso whipped cream on top of the cup.

Tips for baking a soft pumpkin spice cake

A few small habits make the difference between a good pumpkin cake and a spectacular one. These are the ones I come back to every single fall.

Bring your ingredients to room temperature. Pull the eggs, buttermilk, and canned pumpkin puree out of the fridge about an hour before you start. Cold wet ingredients can give the batter a gummy consistency, while room temperature ones blend into a smooth, even batter that bakes up light.

Cream the butter and sugar properly. Two full minutes on high speed is not a suggestion. Creaming until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, then mixing the eggs in until the batter is smooth and light in color, is how you work air into the cake. That air is what makes the crumb soft.

Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until everything is combined. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you a dense, heavy cake instead of a tender one.

Weigh your flour. A digital kitchen scale is the single best upgrade for baking. Scooping flour straight from the bag with a measuring cup can pack in far more than the recipe calls for, and too much flour means a dry cake. Weighing takes seconds and removes all the guesswork.

Use a light colored metal baking pan. A 9×9 inch light metal pan bakes this cake evenly. Glass or dark metal pans can brown the edges too quickly and throw off the timing, so if that is all you have on hand, start checking early.

One more note before you start: the batter will look curdled after the buttermilk and pumpkin go in. That is completely expected. It smooths out the moment the dry ingredients are folded through, so do not panic and do not keep mixing to fix it.

Ingredients

You will need three sets of ingredients, one for each part of the cake. Everything below makes 16 slices.

For the Pumpkin Cake

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature

For the Latte Soak

• 1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, cold
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

Set aside about two hours for this cake, and most of that time is hands off. The cake has to cool completely before it gets soaked, so it is a lovely project for a relaxed weekend afternoon. Here is how it all comes together, group by group.

For the Pumpkin Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 inch light metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.
3. Add the softened butter and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream them together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high speed. A stand mixer works just as well.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until the mixture looks pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.
5. Add the buttermilk and canned pumpkin puree and mix on medium low speed until combined. The batter will look curdled at this point, and that is completely normal. Everything comes together nicely once the dry ingredients are added.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then pull up on the parchment paper to release it from the pan. Let the cake keep cooling on the rack until it is completely cooled.

While the cake bakes and cools, you can get the other two components ready, which keeps the whole process moving.

For the Latte Soak

1. While the cake cools, mix together the espresso or strong coffee, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup or something else that pours easily.

That is the entire soak. Keep it in a container with a spout so you can pour it slowly and evenly later on.

For the Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting

1. While the cake cools, add the butter to a large bowl and whip it on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the cold cream cheese and mix on medium speed until combined and fluffy.
3. Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix on low speed until it is all combined, then on high speed for about 1 minute until fluffy.
4. Dissolve the instant espresso powder into the vanilla extract in a small ramekin. Add it to the frosting along with the pumpkin pie spice and mix on medium low speed until combined, then on high speed until light and fluffy again.

When it is finished, the frosting should be light, fluffy, and easy to spread into a thick layer.

Assembling the Cake

This is the fun part. The cake is soft and the soak is thin, so take your time and let the cake drink it in.

1. When the cake is completely cooled, cut a very thin layer off the top with a sharp knife. This makes it easier for the latte mixture to absorb. Transfer the cake to a serving plate and poke holes over the top with a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon.
2. Slowly pour the latte mixture over the cake. It is thin, so it slips into the cake and the poked holes easily, but do be patient and let it absorb.
3. Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of espresso cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice over the frosting, cut into 16 slices, and serve.

Recipe details

Here is the quick overview so you can plan your baking session.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake This pumpkin spice latte cake is a total crowd pleaser, and every bite tastes like your favorite fall drink turned into dessert. A soft, moist pumpkin spice cake gets soaked with a sweet, spiced, milky espresso mixture, then finished with a generous layer of espresso cream cheese frosting.

• Total Time: 128 min
• Yield: 16 slices 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Pumpkin Cake
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature, at room temperature

For the Latte Soak
1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, softened
8 oz cream cheese, cold, cold
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

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Instructions

For the Pumpkin Cake
1-Preheat the oven to 350°F: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 inch light metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
2-In a medium bowl, whisk together the: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.
3-Add the softened butter and granulated white: Add the softened butter and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high speed. (You can also use a stand mixer.)
4-Then add in the eggs and vanilla: Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.
5-Add in the buttermilk and canned pumpkin: Add in the buttermilk and canned pumpkin puree and mix on medium-low speed until combined. (It will look curdled at this point but don’t worry. Everything will combine together nicely once the dry ingredients are added!)
6-Add the dry ingredients to the wet: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
7-Pour the batter into the prepared baking: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake the cake for 35-38 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
8-Let the cake cool in the pan: Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then pull up on the parchment paper to release it from the pan. Let the cake continue cooling on the cooling rack until completely cooled.

For the Latte Soak
9-While the cake cools, make the latte: While the cake cools, make the latte milk soak by mixing together the espresso, milk, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup or something easily poured from.

For the Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting
10-While the cake cools, make the cream: While the cake cools, make the cream cheese frosting by adding the butter to a large bowl. Whip the butter on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.
11-Then add in the cold cream cheese: Then add in the cold cream cheese and mix on medium speed until combined and fluffy.
12-Sift in the powdered sugar a little: Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix on low speed until all is combined, then on high speed for about 1 minute until fluffy.
13-Dissolve the instant espresso powder into the: Dissolve the instant espresso powder into the vanilla extract in a small ramekin. Then add it to the frosting along with the pumpkin pie spice and mix on medium-low speed until combined, then on high speed until light and fluffy again.

Assembling the Cake
14-When the cake is completely cooled, cut: When the cake is completely cooled, cut a very thin layer off the top of the cake using a sharp knife. This will make it easier for the latte mixture to absorb into the cake. Transfer it to a serving plate. Poke holes on the top of the cake using a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon. (I used the handle of a honey dipper for smaller holes.)
15-Slowly pour the latte mixture on top: Slowly pour the latte mixture on top of the cake. It is thin so it should absorb into the cake and the poked holes easily, but do be patient as it does.
16-Frost the top of the cake with: Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of espresso cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top of the frosting, then cut into 16 slices and serve!

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 90 min
• Cook Time: 38 min
• Method: bake