A stunning dessert, this pumpkin caramel poke cake is so moist and perfectly spiced, and that whipped caramel cream frosting is to-die for!
If you need a showstopper of a fall dessert (pumpkin! caramel!), look no further. This cake comes together in three easy steps, which are detailed in full below!
Make the Cake
This easy one-bowl pumpkin cake batter is whisked together by hand. It comes together fast!
Literally all the ingredients except the flour are mixed together and then the flour is added and mixed until the batter is evenly combined.
Bake the cake in a 9X13-inch baking pan. Many types of pans will work: glass, ceramic, metal.
For metal pans, it’s preferable to use a light-colored metal pan as dark-coated metal pans can over bake the sides of the cake before the center is done.
Make the Easy Caramel Sauce
While the cake bakes, toss all the caramel sauce ingredients in a small saucepan (except for the vanilla).
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ¾ cup salted butter, cut into pieces
- ⅓ cup milk, preferably not skim (I use 2%) – resist the urge to sub in heavy cream or half-and-half! Surprisingly, the sauce turns out far superior using regular milk.
- Pinch table salt
Once the butter is melted, simmer the caramel sauce for two minutes. Pull off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
For such a simple and quick caramel sauce, this stuff is amazingly divine!
It thickens as it cools and is the perfect consistency for this cake and the frosting, but it is also wonderful for dipping sliced apples, drizzling over ice cream, or wherever else caramel sauce is needed. (Hint: everywhere and on everything.)
Make the Caramel Cream Frosting
Oh, this frosting. It is unbelievably delicious. Caramel + cream cheese + cream.
For what it’s worth, you can hardly taste the cream cheese at all, but it adds necessary structure and creaminess to the frosting (and helps the frosting not to get liquidy if made ahead of time).
- Whip the cream cheese until soft and creamy.
- Add 3/4 cup of the completely cooled caramel sauce.
- Add the heavy cream* and mix until thick and lusciously creamy.
*Heavy Whipping Cream Note: I use heavy whipping cream with 40% fat (Darigold from Costco), which means it thickens well when mixed into the caramel/cream cheese without needing to be whipped on its own first. If you are using heavy whipping cream with less fat, you may need to whip it to soft peaks first before folding into the mixed cream cheese + caramel.
Assemble the Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake
- Poke holes all over the baked pumpkin cake. It can be slightly warm or fully cooled (to room temperature) at this point.
- BEST POKING APPARATUS goes toooooo: my super-sized knitting needle (which I have actually never knitted with 😆). You can use a wooden spoon handle, chopstick, or anything else that will create holes large enough for the thick caramel to soak in (the small tines of a fork will be too tiny for the thick caramel).
- Gradually drizzle 1 cup of the warm (but not hot) caramel sauce over the top of the cake and use a spatula to smooth and gently press the caramel into the holes. If the caramel is taking a while to sink into the cake, wait a few minutes to give the caramel time to sink into the cake, and then proceed until the full 1 cup of the caramel has been used.
- Let the cake and caramel cool completely before frosting. At this point, the cake can be covered and kept at room temperature for several hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cake and sprinkle with toffee bits.
Additional caramel note because I feel it is important to restate things a million times: It is best to spread the caramel sauce over the cake while the sauce is still slightly warm. If the caramel sauce has cooled or been chilled, lightly warm it on the stovetop or in the microwave and whisk to recombine before using. (The portion of caramel sauce used in the frosting should be completely cooled to room temperature.)
There are several additional notes in the recipe below, so make sure to read through it thoroughly before making the recipe!
My friend, Deb, introduced me to this cake. She made it for a holiday dinner with our family and has since made it for several baby showers, and it is always a hit (as in, people are swarming her for the recipe, and I’m begging for an invite even though I despise putting on real pants and leaving my house and have to pretend to know the mother and the baby just to get access to a piece of this cake).
It may look like a long, intimidating recipe, but I assure you, it is straightforward and comes together easily! I changed a few things in the original recipe to make it even more approachable and simple.
The soft, moist pumpkin cake smothered in caramel and topped with that luxurious frosting is absolutely to-die for and so worth it. Get ready for a completely perfect pumpkin dessert!
Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake with Whipped Caramel Cream Frosting
Cake:
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (140 g) neutral-flavored oil, like canola or vegetable oil
- 3 large (150 g) eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup (170 g) (12 tablespoons) butter, cut into pieces
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk, preferably not skim (I use 2%)
- Pinch table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Caramel Cream Frosting:
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (363 g) heavy whipping cream (see note)
- ½ to 1 cup toffee bits, for garnish (optional)
Prevent your screen from going dark
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
-
For the cake, in a large bowl, add the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and ginger. Whisk until very well-combined.
-
Add the flour and mix until the batter is fully combined.
-
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch. (Add time, as needed – exact baking time will depend on pan type and exact oven temperature; don’t over bake or the cake will be dry.)
-
Remove from the oven and let cool until just slightly warm (it’s ok if it cools completely, but the caramel soaks in better if the cake is still a bit warm).
-
For the caramel sauce (make while the cake bakes), in a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, milk and salt. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes without stirring.
-
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool to warm room temperature. You’ll use 1 cup of the caramel sauce for the cake and the remaining 3/4 cup caramel sauce for the frosting.
-
When the cake has mostly cooled but is still slightly warm, poke holes all throughout the top of the cake, making sure to poke all the way to the bottom of the cake. You can use a wooden spoon handle, chopstick, large knitting needle (my “utensil” of choice!) or anything else that you have on hand. The holes need to be large enough for the thick caramel to soak in (so don’t use something as small as the tines of a fork).
-
Gradually drizzle 1 cup of the warm (but not hot) caramel sauce over the top of the cake and use a spatula to smooth and gently press the caramel into the holes. If the caramel is taking a while to sink into the cake, stop pouring the caramel sauce over the top, wait a few minutes to give the caramel time to drizzle down into the cake, and then proceed until the full 1 cup of the caramel has been used.
-
Let the cake and caramel cool completely before frosting. At this point, the cake can be covered and kept at room temperature for several hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
-
For the whipped caramel cream frosting, in a bowl with an electric handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), add the cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup caramel sauce (this portion of sauce should be completely cooled before using). Mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
-
Add the heavy cream (see note before adding!), and mix on low speed until the mixture is evenly combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the frosting is thick and creamy (and can easily be spread like frosting).
-
Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled cake. Sprinkle with toffee bits, cut into squares, and serve.
Heavy Cream: I use heavy whipping cream with 40% fat (Darigold from Costco), which means it thickens well when mixed into the caramel/cream cheese without needing to be whipped on its own first. If you are using heavy whipping cream with less fat, you may need to whip it to soft peaks first before folding into the mixed cream cheese + caramel.
Make-Ahead: this cake can be assembled and refrigerated before serving. It tastes best if served within 1 to 2 hours of assembling the cake. If you want to make it more than two hours ahead of time, I would suggest refrigerating the frosting separately and spreading it over the cake right before serving. The cake can be baked and drizzled with caramel several hours before frosting (cover and keep at room temperature).
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 510kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 341mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 43g
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired by a cake my friend, Deb, made); took the cake layer and adapted it slightly from these pumpkin bars, caramel recipe adapted from allrecipes
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
