This Pumpkin Angel Food Cake is soft, moist, full of warm fall flavors, and my most-requested cake for the holidays. It's an easy cake mix recipe dressed up with pumpkin, cozy spices, and a citrusy twist, then drizzled with cinnamon maple icing. It's an easy fall dessert, perfect for Thanksgiving, pumpkin season, or anytime.
Be sure to try 2-Ingredient Orange Angel Food Cake and juicy Strawberry Angel Food Cake next!
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This easy Pumpkin Angel Food Cake recipe is one of the easiest cakes you'll ever make. It turns a box of angel food cake mix, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and orange juice (or water) into the moistest, most flavorful cake. The maple cinnamon drizzle is luscious and buttery and the perfect complement to the pumpkin angel food cake. It's perfect as-is or topped with a dollop of cinnamon brown sugar whipped cream.
It's so easy to make, perfectly soft, moist, fluffy, and super delicious, you'll want to bring it to every fall gathering and holiday party. I do. And if you're looking for something to serve alongside it, a friend of mine swears by these pumpkin spice scones.
❤️You're Going to Love This
- Quick and easy recipe. Takes just 5 minutes to mix together with simple ingredients.
- Warm and cozy, but still soft and fluffy. Fluffy texture with warm fall flavors.
- Cake mix shortcut. Turns a box mix into something totally new.
- Perfect after a big meal. Lighter than pumpkin pie, still full of pumpkin flavor.
- That glaze! The cinnamon-maple drizzle is everything.
- Great for sharing. A crowd favorite for Thanksgiving and fall get-togethers.
🎃Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Angel food cake mix. No need to spend your time separating eggs to make homemade angel food cake. I use Betty Crocker angel food cake mix.
- Flour. A little bit of flour helps offset the additional moisture from the pumpkin, so the cake isn't too heavy or dense.
- Pumpkin pie spice. If you don't have any, combine 1 ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves. You can mix up a full jar of your own pumpkin pie spice with my recipe here.
- Pumpkin purée. Canned pumpkin adds moisture and rich flavor. Make sure you don't grab a can of pumpkin pie filling by accident -- it has sweeteners and spices already added.
- Orange juice, optional. Orange juice instead of water adds a sweet, tart flavor to the pumpkin cake. I keep a can of orange juice concentrate in the freezer to mix up small amounts as I need them.
- Powdered sugar. Sift the powdered sugar for the smoothest icing.
- Melted butter. The butter in the icing gives it rich flavor and silky smooth texture.
- Maple syrup. Maple syrup in the cinnamon icing gives this cake serious maple-glazed doughnut vibes.
🥛Variations
- Without orange juice. Instead of orange juice, use the same amount of water.
- Without maple syrup. Replace the maple syrup in the icing with a little milk or heavy cream. Start with 1 tablespoon and add until you get the right consistency.
🥣How to Make Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Icing
Step 1. Mix the batter. Whisk angel food mix, flour, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Add pumpkin and orange juice (or water), then mix until fluffy.
Step 2. Bake the cake. Pour into an ungreased angel food cake pan. Run a butter knife through the batter to pop air bubbles. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350°F for about 35 minutes, until golden and cracked on top (206°F inside). Invert the cake pan and cool upside down for 2 hours. Run a knife around the edges and bottom to release.
Step 3. Make the icing. Stir together powdered sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Step 4. Serve and store. Slice gently with a serrated knife. Serve with a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
🎁Storage
- Store angel food cake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- To freeze an entire cake, gently wrap it in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze individual slices in a freezer bag. Be sure to place them somewhere they won't get squished!
✅Expert Tips
- Mix angel food cake batter in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls can hold onto traces of fat that can deflate the fluffy batter.
- Run a knife through the batter in the pan to prevent air bubbles in the cake.
- Let the cake cool upside down until it's completely cool, about 2 hours.
- A serrated knife works best for cutting angel food cake without smashing it.
❓Recipe FAQs
You can make an angel food cake in a 9 x 13 pan, two 9-inch loaf pans, or make cupcakes in a muffin tin. A Bundt pan isn't recommended because it won't hold the same volume as a tube pan, and it will be hard to remove the cake from the intricate nooks and crannies that Bundt pans usually have. If you use anything other than a tube pan, be sure to allow room for the batter to rise.
The top will be dark golden brown with dry cracks and spring back when gently pressed, and the internal temperature should reach 206°F for a fully baked cake.
Yes! Store it covered in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before drizzling.
Let the cake cool completely. Run a knife around the edges, lift out the center tube, then run the knife around the bottom and center to release the cake.
Cooling it upside down helps set its fluffy structure. If cooled right-side up, it may collapse as it cools.
😋More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Icing
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box 16 oz. angel food cake mix 1-step just-add-water type
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup orange juice or water
Maple Cinnamon Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Angel Food Cake
- Move your oven rack to the lowest position. Heat the oven to 350.
- In a large glass or metal bowl, whisk together the angel food cake mix, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pumpkin puree and orange juice or water. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for one minute.
- Pour mixture into ungreased angel food cake pan. Run a thin knife through the batter to break up any air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown with dry cracks. Internal temperature should reach 206.
- Immediately turn the pan upside down on a rack or a glass bottle and cool completely, about 2 hours. To remove from the pan, run a knife around the edge of the cake and remove the side piece. Run the knife along the bottom of the cake and around the center tube. Gently lift the cake off of the tube and place on a cake plate.
Cinnamon Icing
- Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth. Immediately drizzle over the cake.
- Carefully cut cake with a long serrated knife, using a sawing motion so you don't flatten the cake.
- Store your pumpkin angel food cake tightly covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make angel food cake in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls can have traces of fat from previous uses that can deflate the whipped egg whites.
- Before placing the angel food cake pan in the oven, run a knife through the batter to remove any air bubbles.
- Let the cake cool upside down until it's completely cool, about 2 hours.
- A serrated knife works best for cutting angel food cake without smashing it.
Nutrition
Post updated 5/12/25 with new tips and photos, and revised recipe with more pumpkin and flour for a softer, moister cake with more pumpkin flavor.
Can this be made in a 9x13 pan?
Hi, Laura, Great question! I've never tried it, but I've read you can bake an angel food cake in a 9x13 pan and that when you fill it, make sure to fill it no more than 2/3 full. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
This is my favorite angel food cake, it is so moist and has such good flavor.