Pumpkin Snack Cake
Published Nov 15, 2025
This Pumpkin Snack Cake is the perfect fall recipe. Enjoy it as a snack or dessert, this is one of my favorite pumpkin recipes!
Meet pumpkin snack cake! The easiest simple pumpkin cake recipe with a homemade cream cheese frosting.
This is the fall sweet treat of my dreams!
Why we love this pumpkin cake
- Versatile: Serve this as a snack for the kids, dessert, or even breakfast if you want to! I could eat this pumpkin snack cake any time of day.
- Not too sweet: I love this cake because it is not overwhelmingly sweet and the pumpkin flavor shines through.
- Stores well: This cake doesn’t dry out easily and stores wonderfully in the fridge. I like to make a batch of these snack cakes to eat off of for a few days!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Canned pumpkin: Not pumpkin pie filling. I like using Libby’s brand.
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar and brown sugar
- Baking powder and baking soda: the leavening agents.
- All-purpose flour
- Spices: pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt.
- For the frosting: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
How to make pumpkin snack cake
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: salt, baking powder, baking soda, all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: pumpkin, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, and brown sugar.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
Joy’s Tip
I like using a rubber spatula for this step as it makes it easier to combine the ingredients.
Step 4: Pour the pumpkin cake batter into a greased 8 by 8 baking dish. You can also line it with parchment paper instead if you want to.
Step 5: Bake the snack cake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step 6: Allow the pumpkin cake to cool completely before frosting them.
Step 7: To make the frosting, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Step 8: Frost the cooled pumpkin cake with the cream cheese frosting.
Step 9: Cut the pumpkin cake into 12 squares.
I tell you what, I am absolutely drooling over these pictures and craving one of these right now! This is such a yummy pumpkin treat to bake this fall.
The sweet cream cheese frosting pairs so perfectly with the rich pumpkin spice flavor of the cake.
Storing
Store leftover pumpkin cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 15 oz canned pumpkin, I like Libby's
- ¼ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar, see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk together the salt, baking powder, baking soda, all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8 by 8 baking dish.
- Bake the snack cake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting it.
- To make the frosting, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. See notes
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and cut it into 12 squares.
