This is the best pumpkin poke cake! It's extra moist with lots of pumpkin spice flavor, filled with salted caramel sauce, topped with luscious cream cheese frosting and decorated with little pumpkins. This easy pumpkin dessert is the perfect thing to bake for pumpkin season!
If you're looking for other pumpkin desserts, try my favorite pumpkin recipes: pumpkin cheesecake cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin bundt cake, chocolate pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread or chewy pumpkin cookies. Ahh, fall really is just the best time of year!
Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake
It's full of fall flavors. It has the perfect amount of pumpkin pie spice that compliments the pumpkin flavor exquisitely.
It's a super soft and moist pumpkin cake. This cake is super moist thanks to the pumpkin and buttermilk combination. One bite and you'll see what I'm talking about!
It's frosted with cream cheese frosting. The frosting makes each bite of cake just completely melt in your mouth.
It's filled with homemade salted caramel sauce. Each bite is full of caramel goodness!
It's just the cutest! It's decorated with little pumpkins for just the cutest fall season touch!
It's all homemade! This cake is super easy to make, and it's all from scratch! No yellow cake mix or cool whip here, we're making everything homemade!
Simple Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake
- All Purpose Flour– gives the cake the best, most tender crumb
- Granulated White Sugar– used to sweeten and add moisture to the cake
- Eggs– make sure they are room temperature
- Butter-make sure it is softened
- Buttermilk– makes the cake extra moist
- Canned Pumpkin Purée - not pumpkin pie filling
- Ground Pumpkin Pie Spic- a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and mace is used to add warm flavor to the cake. I love Spice Island pumpkin pie spice!
- Vanilla Extract – adds a sweet note to the cake
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda– helps to give the cake it's fluffy texture
- Salt– helps to bring out all the flavors
- Powdered Sugar– used to sweeten the cream cheese frosting
- Food Coloring- for the optional decorative pumpkins
- Heavy Whipping Cream- used to make the salted caramel sauce
- Cream Cheese- used to make the delicious frosting
- Chopped Walnuts- an optional garnish
Step by Step Instructions
See the pumpkin poke cake recipe card below for complete measurements and baking time.
STEP ONE: Make the caramel sauce by adding the sugar to a pot and heating it over medium heat until all the sugar melts and turns a golden color.
STEP TWO: Add in the butter, then cream, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine everything and remove from the heat to cool completely.
STEP THREE: 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.
STEP FOUR: Add the softened butter and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.
STEP FIVE Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.
STEP SIX: Add in buttermilk and canned pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
STEP SEVEN: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
STEP SIX: Pour batter in to a greased 9 x 9 baking pan.
STEP SEVEN: Bake the cake and then let it cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.
STEP EIGHT: While the cake cools make the cream cheese frosting by whipping the butter on high speed with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Then add in the cream cheese and mix until fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and mix until fluffy again.
STEP NINE: Transfer small portions of the frosting to bowls and dye one with green, one with orange and one with brown food coloring. (You could also use some cocoa powder to make the brown frosting.) Transfer the different colored frostings to piping bags fit with tiny circular tips.
STEP TEN: When the cake is completely cooled carefully turn the pan over to release 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.
STEP ELEVEN: Transfer the cooled caramel sauce to a piping bag. Pipe the caramel into the holes of the cake. Smooth out the caramel if any leaked out.
STEP TWELVE: Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Pipe decorative pumpkins on top of the cake if you wish and sprinkle with chopped nuts and cinnamon.
FAQs
How do I store this cake? Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.
Can I use store bought caramel sauce? Yes, absolutely.
Do I have to use salted caramel for the filling? No, another option would be sweetened condensed milk or dulce de leche!
Pro Tips
For best results, measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. Instead, scoop spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 120-125 grams.
Make sure all your wet ingredients are room temperature. You'll have the best textured cake when the ingredients are room temperature instead of cold. Cold wet ingredients can make any kind of cake batter/donut batter "gummy".
If you make this cake please leave a star review! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Poke Cake
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Pumpkin Cake
- 2 ¼ cups (281 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon ground pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoon (140 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 cup (244 g) canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 2 ¼ cups (293 g) powdered sugar
- orange, green and brown food coloring optional
- chopped walnuts optional
- cinnamon for dusting the cake with optional
Instructions
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the sugar to a medium pot and heat it over medium heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn. (Melting all the sugar takes 10-15 minutes.)½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter
- Then add in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together. (At this point if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Remove the caramel from the heat and transfer it to a small bowl. Let it cool completely.
For the Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 metal baking pan with non stick spray and set aside.
- 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.2 ¼ cups (281 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tablespoon ground pumpkin pie spice, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- 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.)10 tablespoon (140 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.2 eggs, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add in the buttermilk and canned pumpkin puree and mix until combined. (It will look curdled at this point but don't worry. Everything will combine together nicely once the dry ingredients are added!)½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature, 1 cup (244 g) canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake the cake for 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out from the center with just a few moist crumbs.
- Then let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the cake cools make the cream cheese frosting by adding the butter to a large bowl and whipping it on high speed with a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Then add in the cream cheese and mix until combined and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until fluffy again, 1-2 minutes.2 ¼ cups (293 g) powdered sugar
- Transfer ¼ cup (50 g) of cream cheese frosting to a small bowl and dye it orange with food coloring until the desired hue is reached. Add 2 tablespoon (25 g) of frosting to small bowl to dye green and 2 tablespoon (25 g) to another small bowl to dye brown. (You could also use some cocoa powder to make the brown frosting.)orange, green and brown food coloring
- Transfer the different colored frostings to piping bags fit with tiny circular tips.
Assembling the Poke Cake
- When the cake is completely cooled carefully turn the pan over to release 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. Space the holes out about every ½-1 inch.
- Transfer the cooled caramel sauce to a piping bag. Pipe the caramel into the holes of the cake. Smooth out the caramel with an offset spatula if any leaked out.
- Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula.
- Pipe decorative pumpkins on top of the cake with the colored frosting. Sprinkle the cake with chopped nuts and a dusting of cinnamon. Then serve!chopped walnuts, cinnamon for dusting the cake with
I would love to make it.Can I use your brown butter cream cheesee frosting for this cake,?