Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The softest cake ever! It’s super moist and stays soft for days.
• The frosting is literally next-level. Sweet, salty, nutty, and silky perfection. 
• Versatile Cake! It’s fancy enough for holidays but easy enough for a weeknight bake or dinner party! 
• Simple Ingredients! One bowl, no mixer required for the cake. Minimal effort, max payoff.

Key Ingredients 

(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card) 

• Pure Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling) not only adds pumpkin flavor but makes this an extremely moist cake and adds natural sweetness to the cake. Use any leftovers to make my pumpkin cupcakes or pumpkin cake cheesecake next!
• Pumpkin pie spice blend is a mix of all of the warm spices that brings all of the Fall flavor – cinnamon, a bit of allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Some people even add a little black pepper to their mix for an extra hit of warmth, use at your own risk lol 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use a quality olive oil! I take about this in my lemon olive oil cake recipe. It gives the cake a super moist, tender crumb that stays soft for days. It also adds a subtle richness which attributes to the delicious flavor of the cake.You can also use vegetable oil here too, however, olive oil will give you the best flavor so make sure to use the high quality stuff. 
• Dark Brown Sugar adds a deep molasses flavor that pairs well with the pumpkin and warm spice flavors. You can also, of course, use light brown sugar too!
• Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese makes the frosting silky and rich without being too heavy.
• Brown Butter is nutty, toasty, caramel-like flavor that takes the frosting from good to can’t-stop-eating-with-a-spoon level. If you

Substitutions & Variations

• Pumpkin Swap: use butternut squash or sweet potato purée for a fun twist.
• Oil Options: Olive oil gives great flavor, but you can use canola or vegetable oil if that’s what you have.
• Frosting Variation: Not into mascarpone? Use cream cheese instead for a tangier vibe.
• Make it a Bundt: Bake the cake in a Bundt pan and drizzle the frosting on top instead of spreading it.
• Add Crunch: Stir chopped pecans, walnuts, or even pepitas into the batter for texture.
• Go Boozy: Add a splash of bourbon to the frosting (just saying 👀).

How To Make Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake 

Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside. 

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sugar, maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until combined

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and ground cloves. 

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined and smooth.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow it to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then place onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Step 5: While the cake cools, make the mascarpone frosting. Brown the butter in a skillet and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Step 6: In a mixing bowl, add mascarpone and beat with a hand mixer for about 30 seconds, until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in heavy cream, cooled browned butter, vanilla bean paste, and maple syrup. Mix until combined and smooth. Add the frosting onto the top of the cooled cake and garnish with chopped pecans (optional).