This pumpkin sheet cake has a special place in my heart. It's so soft and incredibly easy to make and it's topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting. It reminds me on my childhood and the best memories of all my trips to Washington D.C for every Thanksgiving.
This pumpkin sheet cake, so soft and so simple! What makes it even better is the smooth cream cheese frosting! It is decorated with a simple cute pumpkin design. It is completely optional, but makes for a festive look. I love how easy this cake is and taste absolutely amazing!
This season is my favorite and I absolutely love it! There is golden, reds and orange colors everywhere, pumpkins stacked on everyones front porch, and seasonal food and treats in every stores. It’s amazing to see all of the different foods and treats that gets created. I love seeing how everyone celebrate this season with so much love. That love for autumn is what as inspired me ever since. I look forward to welcoming the season every year.
For more sheet cake recipes, try Lemon Pistachio Cake, Chocolate Mascarpone Cake and Birthday Blondie Bar.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Easy to make: This recipe takes no time to make! That one of the amazing things about sheet cakes. It's a no fuss kind of cake.
- Pumpkin: There is a whole can of pumpkin purée in this amazing pumpkin cake.
- Cream cheese frosting: The pumpkin sheet cake is topped with most silky smooth cream cheese frosting.
- Perfect for fall: This sheet cake has the flavors of fall. Its simple cute pumpkin frosting design also makes for a festive look.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin purée: It has a whole can of pumpkin purée in this cake.
- Spices: All of the spice can be switched out for 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice.
- Brown sugar: The brown sugar gives a deeper flavor and lots of moister to this cake.
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola or rapeseed oil.
- Eggs: Take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Butter: Take it out of the fridge 10 min before making the frosting. Cut the butter into cubes.
- Cream cheese: Take it out of the fridge 10 min before making the frosting.
- Orange and green gel food color: Make sure to use gel food colors, instead of water based food color, for the best result.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE
Here is how make and bake this pumpkin sheet cake. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. You will also need a 22x33 cm sheet pan lined with baking paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 22x33 cm (9in x 13in) sheet pan with parchment paper.
STEP 1: In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, and vanilla extract. In a bowl, sift and mix together the flour, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
TIP: Alternatively add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice instead of all of the spices if you have it.
STEP 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer add the oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix for 2 mins on medium/high speed. Add the pumpkin purée and mix it in until well combined.
STEP 3: Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg at a time and mix until combined on a low speed. Scape down the sides of the bowl again, to make sure it has all combined.
STEP 4: Continue by alternating between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ½ of the milk mixture, ending on the flour mixture. Mixing in each addition until just combined.
STEP 5: Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and bake for 32-35 min or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Once the cake tin is cool to touch take the cake out of the tin and let the cake completely cool down on a cooling rack.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - FROSTING
TIP: If you live in Europe place your cream cheese between a few pieces of paper towels to remove any excess water.
STEP 1: Take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 10 min before starting. Cut the butter into cubes.
STEP 2: In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 5 min on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 min. Add the cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, mix the sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts, letting the powdered sugar mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix for 2 min.
STEP 3: Take the bowl off the stand mixer and with a spatula or wooden spoon, beat it well by hand to make sure to remove the air bubbles in the buttercream.
STEP 4: If you want to decorate it with pumpkins, set aside 2 big tablespoons in two different bowls. Add orange gel color paste in one and green gel color paste to the other. Mix in the color in each bowl and transfer each colored buttercream to a piping with a small piping tip e.g. Wilton 8 and 3. Make the brown buttercream out of any of the left over orange buttercream, adding some brown gel color to it. Transfer it to a new piping bag with a e.g. Wilton 5 piping tip.
STEP 5: Add the remaining buttercream on top of the sheet cake and spread it out evenly. With the orange buttercream, draw a pumpkin, with the brown make the stem and with green make a little swirl.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PUREE
Preheat the oven at 200ºC conventional oven. Half a hokkaido pumpkin and place it upside down so it sits flat on the baking tray with baking paper and bake until soft, about 30 min. Scape out the pumpkin and weigh out 400 g of pumpkin purée. Blend the pumpkin purée until smooth. You can either blend it in a blender or add it to your stand mixer and with the whisk attachment, whisk it on low speed until smooth. Let it cool down so it’s room temperature.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, follow the recipe and then divide the batter into either 2 or 3, 20 cm baking pans. If divided into 2 baking pans bake them 25-30 minutes. If divided into 3 baking pans bake them 20-25 minutes.
Yes, this cake last well and keeps moist in an airtight container, stored in the fridge. Before enjoying the cake, let it come to room temperature.
I recommend using a cake tester. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
STORAGE
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge. Before enjoying the cake, let it come to room temperature. Can last 2-3 days in the fridge.
Other Sheet Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
PUMPKIN CAKE
- 80 g milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 350 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon all spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 165 g vegetable oil
- 400 g pumpkin purée see notes on how to make homemade pumpkin purée
- 3 eggs
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 180 g butter
- 90 g cream cheese
- 350 g powdered sugar
- orange, green and brown gel color
Instructions
PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE
- Preheat the oven at 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven and prepare a 22x33cm (9in x 13in) sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a measuring cup, combine milk, and vanilla extract. In a bowl, sift and mix together the flour, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.350 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon all spice powder, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, ¼ teaspoon ginger powder, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 80 g milk, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix for 2 mins on medium/high speed. Add the pumpkin purée and mix it in until well combined.200 g brown sugar, 100 g granulated sugar, 165 g vegetable oil, 400 g pumpkin purée
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg at a time and mix until combined on a low speed. Scape down the sides of the bowl again, to make sure it has all combined.3 eggs
- Continue by alternating between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ½ of the milk mixture, ending on the flour mixture. Mixing in each addition until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and bake for 30-35 min or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Once the cake tin is cool to touch take the cake out of the tin and let the cake completely cool down on a cooling rack.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- If you live in Europe place your cream cheese between a few pieces of paper towels to remove any excess water.180 g butter, 90 g cream cheese
- Take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 10 min before starting. Cut the butter into cubes.
- In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 5 min on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 min. Add the cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, mix the sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts, letting the powdered sugar mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix for 2 min.350 g powdered sugar
- Take the bowl off the stand mixer and with a spatula or wooden spoon, beat it well by hand to make sure to remove the air bubbles in the buttercream.
- If you want to decorate it with pumpkins, set aside 2 big tablespoons in two different bowls. Add orange gel color paste in one and green gel color paste to the other. Mix in the color in each bowl and transfer each colored buttercream to a piping with a small piping tip e.g. Wilton 8 and 3. Make the brown buttercream out of any of the left over orange buttercream, adding some brown gel color to it. Transfer it to a new piping bag with a e.g. Wilton 5 piping tip.orange, green and brown gel color
- Add the remaining buttercream on top of the sheet cake and spread it out evenly. With the orange buttercream, draw a pumpkin, with the brown make the stem and with green make a little swirl.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge. Before enjoying the cake, let it come to room temperature. Can last 2-3 days in the fridge.
Iben Nielsen
Easy cake to make. Super soft and delicious.
Yijun
Best pumpkin cake.