Tray Bake Sourdough Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This tray bake sourdough pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting is the perfect fall treat, combining warm, spiced flavors with a light, moist texture. Packed with pumpkin goodness and aromatic spices like cinnamon and ginger, it is a comforting dessert that is easy to make and ideal for sharing. Topped with a rich and tangy cream cheese frosting, each bite is a delightful balance of sweetness and spice. Whether you’re baking for a cozy family gathering or a festive occasion, this simple yet delicious cake is sure to impress.

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What you will love about this tray bake sourdough pumpkin cake:

• Packed with flavor: a delightful combination of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with a sweet earthy flavor of pumpkin. The cream cheese frosting adds a luscious, tangy sweetness that perfectly complements the spiced cake, creating a flavor combination that’s irresistibly delicious. Perfect harmony of seasonal aromas in one cozy dessert.
• Easy to make: this sourdough pumpkin cake is ready to bake in minutes without much effort on your side. All you need is a mixer with a bowl and your cake batter will come together with ease. The cream cheese frosting is simple and easy to top it on the cake once it’s baked.
• Convenience: as a tray bake, this pumpkin spiced cake is a pour in and bake type of recipe. No special techniques or utensils. Bake once and indulge for days. Easy to clean up afterwards is a big plus as well.
• Perfect for a crowd: not only quick and easy to prepare, but a great make-ahead dessert. As a tray bake recipe you can divide the cake in smaller or bigger size bars, depending on the crowd you are feeding. This sourdough pumpkin cake is also easy to double or even triple the recipe to serve at a larger family gathering or event.
• Sourdough goodness: not only you get to use your sourdough discard, but also enjoy the benefits of sourdough. The addition of sourdough discard in the batter will create a chemical reaction that will make your batter soft and moist. If this is your first time using sourdough discard in a dessert, you will be impressed for sure.

Ingredients needed:

For the batter

• Pumpkin puree: 100% pure canned pumkin puree
• Sourdough discard: Fed or unfed starter works. Straight from the fridge is fine.
• All-purpose flour
• Butter: softened
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon
• Ginger (optional)
• Cloves (optional)
• Nutmeg (optional)
• All spice (optional)
• Salt: only if using unsalted butter

For the cream cheese frosting

• Cream cheese
• Butter: softened
• Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• Vanilla extract
• Orange zest (optional but highly recommended)

How to make tray bake sourdough pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting:

Pumpkin batter

1. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Add in the eggs and mix until frothy.
3. Add the spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, and all spice).
4. Mix in the pumpkin puree at the same time.
5. Make sure everything is well blended and turn off your mixer.
6. Using a spatula (or a spoon) mix in the sourdough discard.
7. Add the salt, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and baking powder.
8. Start incorporating the flour into the batter. Don’t overmix.
9. If your batter is too runny, add an extra tablespoon (or two) of flour. No more than that as you don’t want a stiff batter.
10. Let the batter rest while preheating the oven to 350°F (176°C). This will give the batter time to activate and create a fluffy crumb.
11. Prepare a 9″x13″ baking tray with parchment paper.
12. Pour the batter into the tray.
13. Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake to check if the batter is baked. The toothpick should come out clean.
14. Let the cake cool down while you prepare the frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

1. Clean your mixing bowl from the pumpkin batter you made and use it for the cream cheese frosting.
2. Mix all the ingredients together (cream cheese, icing sugar, softened butter, vanilla extract, and orange zest).
3. Add extra icing sugar if you prefer a stiffer frosting. I like mine creamy and soft.
4. Once your cake is at room temperature, layer the cream cheese frosting on top.
5. You can either refrigerate the cake for future use or slice the cake into bars and serve.
6. I prefer serving after it had some time in the fridge as I like a cold cream cheese frosting.

Serving suggestion:

• Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top.
• You can also ground some toasted nuts and sprinkle them on top.
• Toasted shredded coconut also works great for an interesting touch.
• For a special presentation, add some edible gold foil or dusting gold. Your guests will be impressed.

How to store the sourdough pumpkin cake:

You can refrigerate the cake in an air tight container for up to a week. The pumpkin cake will stay moist and soft for days.

You can also freeze the pumpkin cake for up to a month. Defrost at room temperature on the day or in the fridge for future use. I recommend making the cream cheese frosting fresh on the day you wish to serve the pumpkin cake. You can freeze the cake with the frosting but it will alter the texture.

More sourdough discard recipes to make:

Sourdough Double Chocolate Muffins With Orange And Cardamom

Sourdough Banana And Cottage Cheese Muffins

Sourdough Coffee Cookies With Mascarpone Filling

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