Pumpkin Sheet Cake

What You’ll Need

With its cozy spices and rich pumpkin, this pumpkin sheet cake has a lot in common with homemade pumpkin pie. The ingredients are simple, yet they pack this cake full of flavor. Scroll to the bottom of this post for exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card.

• Dry ingredients – You’ll need your baking staples, like all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Spices – Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves infuse the pumpkin cake batter with fall flavor. You could also use a blend, like pumpkin pie spice.
• Butter – I prefer unsalted butter, but salted butter will work. Consider using less added salt if your butter comes already salted.
• Brown sugar – Feel free to swap the light brown sugar in the recipe with dark brown sugar. You could also use a combination of the two.
• Oil – Vegetable oil makes the crumb extra tender. Any neutral-flavored cooking oil, like canola or corn oil, does the trick.
• Eggs and vanilla – Bring the eggs to room temperature and make sure to use real vanilla extract.
• Pumpkin purée – Double check that the cans you’re using are 100% pure pumpkin purée, and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling comes with spices and thickeners already added, and it will not work in place of purée in baking recipes.
• Frosting – I top my pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting. It’s easy to make with room-temperature butter and full-fat cream cheese, with powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little milk or cream to thin it out.
• Chopped pecans – For crunch. Feel free to leave them off to make your cake nut-free. Candied pecans are another easy topping that adds a deep caramel-like flavor and nuttiness.
• Pumpkin candies – Any fall-themed candies or sprinkles will do. Try candy corn, brown, yellow, and orange sprinkles, Reese’s Pieces, or chopped candy bars.

How to Make a Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Decorating the cake is as easy as making it! Here are the steps to make this easy pumpkin sheet cake from scratch.

1. Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350ºF while you grease a large, rimmed baking sheet, like a jelly roll pan.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl and whisk so they’re evenly combined.
3. Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, two at a time, mixing in between.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the vanilla and pumpkin purée until the batter comes together. Don’t overmix!
5. Bake. Spread the pumpkin cake batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake this sheet cake for 12-15 minutes at 350ºF, until a toothpick comes out clean. Afterward, allow the cake to cool completely before you frost it. You can speed this up by placing the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes, if needed.

The Best Cream Cheese Frosting

My homemade cream cheese frosting is super quick and simple to make. I’ve used it to decorate everything from moist banana cake to spice cake and carrot cake! Once your pumpkin cake has cooled, you’re ready to whip up the frosting and decorate:

1. Make the frosting. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Meanwhile, cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add half the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and milk (or cream). Beat the ingredients well before adding the remaining sugar.
2. Frost the cake. Spread the smooth cream cheese frosting over the cooled pumpkin cake. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and decorate the cake however you’d like. Enjoy!

Can I Make the Cream Cheese Frosting 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.

If you’re looking for more easy frosting ideas for this pumpkin sheet cake, try my whipped cream cheese frosting, or you can go the more traditional route with vanilla buttercream, ermine frosting, or even chocolate frosting.

Watch This Pumpkin Sheet Cake Come Together

Check out this quick video to see just how easy it is to mix this pumpkin sheet cake recipe together:

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cake

• 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.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this frosted pumpkin sheet cake drizzled with salted caramel sauce and topped with a scoop of ice cream. My favorite drinks to enjoy with a slice of pumpkin cake include homemade apple cider and homemade eggnog during the holidays.

This sheet cake is also a tasty way to end a fall-themed dinner, potluck, or Thanksgiving feast of turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and honey-roasted Brussels sprouts.

How to Store Leftovers

• Refrigerate the frosted cake. Place the frosted pumpkin cake in an airtight container or cover it tightly 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.
• Freeze. Store the cooled cake on a parchment-lined baking tray and pop it into the freezer for 4 hours or until completely frozen. Then, wrap the cake 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 Cake Recipes

• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Pound Cake
• Pumpkin Cake Roll
• Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake