Pumpkin Sheet Cake

This pumpkin sheet cake is light, fluffy, and generously spread with cinnamon-cream cheese frosting for ultra decadence. It tastes just like fall. Chopped pecans and pumpkin candies make it extra cute and crunchy.

Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Spread with lots of cream cheese frosting, this easy pumpkin sheet cake is the perfect fall dessert. It’s so moist, tender, and cute, you won’t believe how good it is.

Light and airy cake is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves for a bit of earthiness. This helps the pumpkin puree’s natural sweetness shine right through! After all, it needs to be the star of this dessert.

Being a sheet cake, you won’t have to worry about complicated layering or decorating. Leave the cake in the pan and decorate it right there!

A luscious cinnamon-cream cheese frosting adds tanginess and richness. It also helps balance out all the pumpkin-goodness. For extra crunch, it’s topped with chopped pecans. Candied pecans are another easy topping that adds a deep caramel-like flavor without making your life harder. Finally, pumpkin candies are literally the pumpkin on the cake.

What You’ll Need

This pumpkin sheet cake isn’t made with anything you wouldn’t add to a pumpkin-based dessert. Scroll to the bottom of this post for exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card.

For the Pumpkin Sheet Cake

• All-purpose flour – Cake flour is fine too. Don’t use bread or plant-based flours because they won’t provide the structure we need.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground cloves
• Salt – Leave it out if you’re using salted butter in the recipe.
• Butter – I prefer unsalted butter, but salted works too.
• Light brown sugar – Feel free to swap it out for dark brown sugar. If you’ve got light and dark brown sugar leftovers, use them.
• Vegetable oil – Any neutral oil with a high smoke point like canola or corn oil will also work.
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese – High-quality full-fat cream cheese is best. Low fat cream cheese will give you a thinner frosting.
• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar – Also called confectioners’ sugar.
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• Milk or Cream – Heavy cream is my favorite for an extra creamy frosting, but milk is fine for this recipe.
• Chopped pecans – Candied pecans or chopped walnuts add a similar crunch and nuttiness.
• Pumpkin candies – Any fall-themed candies or sprinkles will do.

How to Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Decorating the cake is as easy as making it! Here’s how to do it:

1. Preheat the oven. Grease the baking sheet with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper. Set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set it aside.
3. Cream the butter. Add the butter, sugar, and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer for this.
4. Incorporate the eggs. Adding two eggs at a time, mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure nothing is sticking to the bowl. Do this for all the eggs.
5. Add the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter-egg mixture and incorporate until almost fully combined. You can do this with the stand mixer or using a silicone spatula.
6. Add the pumpkin. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree into the batter. Mix until well combined and then add the remaining dry ingredients. Don’t over-mix the batter.
7. Bake. Evenly spread the batter in the baking sheet and let it bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let it cool. Remove it from the oven and let it come down to room temperature before frosting. If you’re in a hurry, pop the cake into the freezer for 30 minutes.
9. Make the frosting. Sift the powdered sugar to remove any clumps. Add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat over medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add half of the powdered sugar and continue mixing. Add the salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and milk. Stir on low for 30 seconds to combine. Bring the speed back up to medium and add the remaining sugar. Once the frosting is nice and smooth, it’s ready.
10. Assemble and serve. Spread cream cheese frosting over the cake to taste. Sprinkle with pecans and decorate with pumpkin candies. Enjoy!

Tips for Success

Follow these simple tips for an effortless fall-baking project:

• Let it cool. Make sure the cake is fully cooled before adding frosting. If it’s still even just a little bit warm, the frosting will melt and soak into the cake.
• Smooth the batter. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the batter on the baking sheet. This is incredibly important for achieving a flat, evenly baked cake.
• Use parchment paper. It’s hard to salvage a one-layer cake once it crumbles to its doom. To avoid it from sticking to the tray, make sure to line the pan with parchment paper.
• Don’t bake in glass pans. Glass doesn’t conduct heat well, so it takes much longer to heat. This usually results in a badly burned exterior with a raw interior. Use stainless steel baking sheets instead.

Can Cream Cheese Frosting Be Made in Advance?

Yes! You can make the frosting in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It will harden slightly, so leave it on the counter for 10-15 minutes before stirring and using it. You may also have to mix it for 1-2 minutes to get it to the right consistency again.

Serving Suggestions

On its own, it’s great with a drizzle of my salted caramel sauce and a scoop of ice cream. My favorite drinks to enjoy it with are homemade apple cider, caramel blended coffee, and homemade eggnog.

It’s also an exciting way to end a meal after a fall-themed dinner filled with turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and honey roasted brussels sprouts.

How to Store Leftovers

Place it in an airtight container or cover well and refrigerate it for up to 4-5 days.

Unfortunately, this cake can’t be kept at room temperature because of the frosting. If it’s unfrosted, you can store it in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

Can This Cake Be Frozen?

Of course! Place the cooled cake on a parchment-lined baking tray and pop it into the freezer for 4 hours or until completely frozen. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, remove the plastic wrap while the cake is still frozen and let it rest in the fridge until it thaws.

More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes

• Cheesecake Swirl Pumpkin Bread
• The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
• Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
• Pecan Praline Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Easy Pumpkin Cake
• Pumpkin Pound Cake
• Pumpkin Cake Roll

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