Pumpkin Skillet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

By Erin Jeanne McDowell

Updated September 27, 2018

  • John Kernick for The New York Times. Food stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
About 40 minutes
Rating
5(437)
Comments
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Fall in simple skillet cake form, this easy pumpkin cake that can be made in one bowl. The frosting is fluffier and comes together more quickly with the help of an electric mixer, but it can be mixed by hand in a pinch. It's also great without a drop of frosting.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

FOR THE CAKE

  • Unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the skillet

  • ⅔ cup/160 milliliters vegetable oil

  • 1 cup/220 grams light brown sugar

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 ⅓ cup/170 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 1 ¼ cup/300 milliliters pumpkin purée

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 4 tablespoons/55 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 4 ounces/115 grams cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 2 cups/245 grams confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Pinch of fine sea salt

  • 1 ¼ cups/150 grams chopped candied pecans (or plain or toasted pecans), optional

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)

65 grams carbs; 84 milligrams cholesterol; 609 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 38 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 297 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 48 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch oven-safe skillet with butter. In a large bowl, whisk the oil and light brown sugar until well combined (you may need to switch to a rubber spatula after a bit). Add the eggs one at a time and mix after each addition until well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract.

  2. Step 2

    Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well to combine. Add the pumpkin purée and mix until the batter is homogeneous. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and spread into an even layer with a spatula.

  3. Step 3

    Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs), 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.

  4. Step 4

    While the cake cools, make the frosting: In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula or electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar about ½ cup/60 grams at a time, mixing well to incorporate between additions. Add the vanilla and salt and mix to combine.

  5. Step 5

    Frost the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting in an even layer. If using, sprinkle the pecans evenly over the frosting.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
437 user ratings
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Comments

LMinSC

I've made this two times now. Used 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Plenty sweet and moist. Also, from years of experience I know that cream cheese frosting can be made with much less sugar and still be delicious For easier mixing, next time I will mix the pumpkin puree in with the eggs, sugar and oil and mix the dry ingredients separately before adding.

brenda

Why do you need a skillet? Can't you just use a 10" springform pan

McKenzie Bourque

I made this for Thanksgiving and it came out great! Guests said it was better than the pumpkin pie. I used allspice in place of cloves. I used a 15oz can of pumpkin puree and didn't bother mentioning. I changed up the frosting. I only used half the confectioner sugar (1 cup) and then drizzled some pure maple syrup until desired sweetness. I sprinkled some cinnamon on top to decorate. YUM. Will make again.

Aarti

I made this in a 12” cast iron skillet, reduced the sugar by about a third but not the oil, and added cardamom and nutmeg instead of the cloves. Served with a smear of mascarpone and the cranberry pulp left over from Vaughn Vreeland’s Cranberry Cookie Butter Cheesecake. A not too sweet but decadent breakfast treat!

Nina

I followed the suggestions of others and reduced sugar and oil to 1/2 cup each and cut down the sugar in the frosting to 1 cup. Big hit with my pumpkin-pie loving husband. Texture was great and delicious overall, but still edging toward the sickly sweet side for me. Sprinkled the top with dry-roasted pecans (not candied) -- the nuts were critical for balancing the very sweet frosting. Used Bob's Red Mill 1-for-1 gluten free flour, worked great.

Taylor

A perfect recipe!

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