3 Spots in NYC for Pumpkin Cake

Fall is in full swing in New York City. Changing leaves and crisp air. Goblins, ghouls, and pumpkins adorn store windows. Although snowflakes and ornaments are already sneaking onto shelves, to my chagrin. There are also a plethora of fall treats hitting menus.

I’m a sucker for pumpkin, and I have set out to find the best pumpkin specials in NYC….

Here are 3 spots in NYC for pumpkin cake to check out.

3. City Cakes

The pumpkin butter cake at City Cakes features 3 layers of pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and a layer of pumpkin butter. The pumpkin butter layer added a delightful rich, gooeyness and the slice wasn’t totally engulfed in cream cheese icing. (I wish it had two layers of pumpkin butter… just saying…)

The cake itself has a subtle pumpkin flavor, but I made an egregious error of not eating it all in one sitting. As the cake reached room temperature, it completely dried out. Good at first. Bad in the end. Perhaps not worth $10…

2. Little Cupcake Bakeshop

Little Cupcake Bakeshop is a Soho institution serving up devishly beautiful baked goods. I popped in for a pumpkin spice slice and was not disappointed. The pumpkin cake is light yet moist with a hint of pumpkin. The cream cheese icing is thick and sweet, complimenting the delicate cake.

It’s sturdy slice. Well executed. Tastes delicious. You get a sense a little loved was baked in.

However, it’s a few tweaks away from greatness. Spiced pecans? More cinnamon? Perhaps even coconut? It needs something special to take it to the, “I’d go get it again!” level.

1. Milk Bar

Milk Bar is a chain dessert spot that’s famous for it’s birthday cake and compost cookies. I always avoided it… a chain? Gross! But I worked an event for Cheetos that featured a Milk Bar Cheetos cake that totally knocked my socks off, so I decided to pop in for a slice of the pumpkin coffee cake cake.

And WOW is it good.

The layers of cinnamon and pumpkin are perfectly sweet and the streusel topping adds in a crunch. I appreciate the fact that the cake is vanilla. Often, pumpkin desserts are way too pumpkiny. Not the case for this beauty!