It’s pumpkin season, so I’m coming out with a hot new recipe to celebrate! Let’s dive into this Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Looking to spice up your desserts this fall? Pumpkin sheet cake is the recipe you didn’t know you needed. It has an incredible texture with a moist and tender crumb, complemented by the tasty cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients needed:
FOR THE CAKE:
- all purpose flour
- granulated white sugar
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- baking soda
- salt
- ground cloves
- large eggs
- 15-oz can of unsweetened pumpkin puree (*don’t use pumpkin pie filling*)
- vegetable or canola oil
FOR THE FROSTING:
- cream cheese
- butter
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
How to make Pumpkin Sheet Cake:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
First, let’s take care of the cake portion. Start by preheating your oven to 350° F and coating a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients for your cake: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the eggs, unsweetened pumpkin puree, and oil until combined. Pour this batter into the baking pan and make sure it is spread out evenly before tossing it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes (or until a wooden toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean). Once removed from the oven, set the cake on a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours.
To make the frosting, take a large bowl and use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract. Use medium speed and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency for spreading.
All that’s left is covering the top of the cooled cake with frosting and cutting it into slices. Now you’re ready to serve and enjoy!
This recipe makes plenty of cake (about 36 pieces!) It’s the perfect dessert to serve at upcoming Halloween parties or Thanksgiving with family and friends! In my eyes, anything pumpkin-flavored is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Any Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting leftovers will remain good in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days, so don’t feel obligated to eat it all on day one!
It’s hard to describe how delicious this pumpkin sheet cake truly was. The interior remained perfectly moist and full of great pumpkin flavor, and the cream cheese frosting really topped it all off. So that’s an A+ from me!
PRO TIP:
We sprinkled a little pumpkin pie spice on top to add to all of the warm pumpkin spices!
This recipe is similar to my Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, so be sure to give that a look as well. I highly recommend both as alternatives to your traditional Thanksgiving desserts. If you’re willing to try something new, these will not disappoint.
I’ve had an eventful past few weekends, which have included trips to Central Texas, Las Vegas, and the Texas State Fair! I’ll be going back to Arizona for Thanksgiving with my family in November, but I’m looking forward to the next few weeks of doing schoolwork and watching sports in Dallas. I’m ecstatic that the hockey season has begun because I go to Stars (Dallas’ hockey franchise) games with friends frequently. Outside of hockey, the NBA season started yesterday (my Celtics got a huge win over the 76ers) so I’m also planning on going to a few Mavericks games this year. NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and NCAAF! What a time of year to be a sports fan!
The Best Pumpkin Recipes:
- Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie
- Brown Butter and Maple Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Bars
Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- One 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree (don't use pumpkin pie filling!)
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5½ to 6 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin and oil until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it out evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.
ADD THE FROSTING:
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar to reach your desired spreading consistency. Spread the cooled cake with the frosting. Cut into slices, and serve.
Notes
- Keep leftovers stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days.