Keep things simple and so delicious by mixing up this 3 ingredient Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake with amazing cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Moist and airy, without falling apart, this Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake brings together the best parts of fall and your favorite cake! All you’ll need is an angel food cake mix, pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree to create the mouthwatering cake and a few pantry staples for the decadent cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Simple Pumpkin Bliss
In this house, dessert is super important, and thankfully it’s not about how long was spent making it but how incredibly amazing it tastes, so this Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake is a huge winner. For both the cake and the frosting, I just dump delicious ingredients into a bowl and mix and after a little baking, we get to enjoy a light pumpkin cake with a cinnamon frosting that is so good it should be illegal. I always have pumpkin puree on hand just for this reason. While the pumpkin spice brings in the feeling of fall, the lightness of this cake makes it a perfect year round dessert.
Other Recipes to Serve with Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake
- Ice cream always goes well with cake but so does a milkshake, like a Bourbon Pumpkin Milkshake– you should always go big with dessert!
- Are we having this cake with breakfast? I’m not judging, I’m totally on board and in that case, you need to whip up an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte for a super powered up day.
Ingredients
For the cake: Pick your favorite boxed angel food cake mix but don’t worry about getting the additional ingredients mentioned on the back. You won’t need them. Instead, you will need a can of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
For the frosting: To make the frosting, you will need softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake
STEP ONE: Grease a 9×13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the angel food cake mix and pumpkin pie spice, and then add the pumpkin puree. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated, and then pour the batter into the cake pan.
STEP TWO: Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges of the cake are slightly golden brown and the center springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before frosting.
STEP THREE: In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Drizzle in the vanilla extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and then mix in the cinnamon. Beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
STEP FOUR: To serve the cake, you can either spread the frosting over the entire cake before slicing, or slice the cake into squares and pipe the frosting onto individual pieces. Both are delicious and beautiful options!
Tips for Success
- As with any angel food cake, whether from a mix or homemade, the key is not to overmix the batter. Once the ingredients have been mixed and there are no clumps, stop stirring and pour the batter into the pan. Overmixing leads to a flatter, more dense cake.
- While this cake will not have the height of a traditional angel food cake, since you’re using a cake pan and not an angel food cake pan, the texture will be that of an angel food cake. If you want to use an angel food cake pan, follow the directions on the back of the box for angel food cake pan/Bundt pan cooking times.
- The cinnamon cream cheese frosting is too amazing for words, but if you’d like to use a whipped topping instead, then go for it, it’s a tasty option!
How is angel food cake different from other cakes?
Angel food cake differs from other cakes in a couple of ways. First, this cake does not use any butter and secondly, cream of tartar is needed to help the eggs get frothy, neither of which is common in cake baking. The whipped egg whites give an angel food cake its airy, spongy texture and are the largest part of what makes an angel food cake. The pan used to make an angel food cake is also different, with its height and the fact that it needs to be inverted to release the cake, similar to a Bundt cake pan.
Can you cook angel food cake in a Bundt pan?
Due to the spongy, more delicate texture of angel food cake, cooking it in a Bundt pan is not a good idea. Typical Bundt cakes are pretty hearty, as far as cake goes, so the intricate, non-stick design of Bundt pans works for Bundt cakes but would make getting an angel food cake out of one less than pretty. An angel food cake needs the uncoated sides of a tube pan to stick to as it rises and a smooth bottom surface to easily release from, rather than getting stuck and tearing in the designs of a Bundt pan.
Enough pumpkin sweet treats to last you all year long
- Classic Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Pie Truffles
- Caramel Pumpkin Blondies
- Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Cheesecake Filled Pumpkin Bundt Cake
*This post was originally posted on 09/20/2014.
Ingredients
Cake
- 16 ounces angel food cake mix (1 box)
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the angel food cake mix and pumpkin pie spice. Then stir in the pumpkin puree until well combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are slightly golden brown and the centers springs back to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. (If the cake isn't cooled all the way, the frosting will melt.)
Frosting
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Beat in the powdered sugared 1/2 cup at a time before adding the cinnamon. Continue to beat until everything is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, you can cut it into 12 slices and pipe the frosting onto each slice, or simply spread the frosting over the entire cake before cutting.
Christine says
Ok so I was sceptical when making this as other recipes called for water and sometimes even a bit of flour. After reading some of the comments on how some didn’t turn out, I went for it anyway. Delicious! I think the key is to remember that angel food cake should not be over mixed and baked on the bottom rack of the oven. My new fall go-to dessert. I think I’ll do a whipped cream icing on top just to keep it light.
madeleine says
I also made this and it came out flat with a weird texture. The frosting was great but not the cake.
Miss Kelkie says
Mine did not come out fluffy? Looks more like brownies… Did I do something wrong? Smells great tho! Still waiting on the cool down for the taste test! 🙂
Tina says
Use a can of Pumpkin pie mix instead, just pumpkin pie mix, and angle food cake. 2 ingredients, it’s life changing.
Debbie says
plain pumpkin pie just doesn’t stand a chance with this around. can’t wait to try
joyce says
any suggestions for other flavors to add to angel food cake mix?
thanks
Erika says
I made this as a trifle with the cream cheese frosting and pecans as a crunch factor. I followed the directions loosely as I cook better than I bake and got to chatting with my sister. It turned out very good! I love it!!! I ripped up the cake put it in a serving dish, layered it with a small amount of frosting then topped that with pecans and repeated the layers until it was full. I think it will be a big hit for thanksgiving tomorrow. Thanks good recipe!
Tracy says
HI Carrie,
I can’t wait to try this! I’m thinking of cutting it horizontally once it’s done baking and then spreading a layer of home made pumpkin puree in between!
Sandra Krytus says
I want to try this in a typical angel food cake tube pan. Are you aware of any reason why this might not work?
Carrie says
It *should* work, Sandra. Just be sure to follow the directions for baking the cake in the tube pan on the box. I know there is a specified time that an angel food cake baked in a traditional pan needs to cool afterwards inverted.