Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An easy and delicious pumpkin sheet cake, topped with a cream cheese frosting. A great snacking cake or dessert for a crowd!

Now that it’s officially Fall, it’s time for a little pumpkin! This Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is an easy way to enjoy the flavours of the season.

I love sheet cakes. No layers to fiddle with. Just mix, bake and spread the frosting over-top, all without having to remove the cake from the pan (unless you want to, of course). Garnish with some nuts and you’re good to go. As this one is baked large and a little thinner, it’s a great snacking cake or a lovely addition to a holiday dessert table.

Cook’s Notes

This cake calls for a 15 x 10-inch baking pan (aka jelly roll pan). You’ll want one with sides at least 1 inch high. I happened to have this size cake pan, with 2-inch high sides. If you don’t you could bake in a 9×13. Do note that I haven’t tried this, but my math tells me that a 9 x 13 pan would only take about 3/4 of the batter. So you’d definitely want to hold some of the batter back. A 9×13 cake will be thicker though, for sure, so baking time will be longer. Test in regular intervals until a tester comes out clean in the centre.

If you don’t like walnuts, you can replace with pecans or omit nuts completely. I like to scatter the nuts in the pattern down the middle, leaving a few areas uncovered. That way there’s alway a nut-free piece for those that don’t like the nuts.

If you make this as a 15×10 sheet cake, there is “just enough” for a thin layer of cream cheese frosting. As such, you’ll want to spread carefully to avoid pulling up crumbs. My strategy is to place 3 dollops in the line down the centre of the cake and to spread each out to the edges.

I found the frosting to cake ratio really nice as is, as this cake is thinner than some, but if you really, really love the icing part and just want more, go ahead and double the frosting for a thicker layer.

Use the tip of an offset spatula to create a ridged design to your icing. Simply drag it lightly down the cake in lines, leaving a little space in between for the ridges.

Wondering what to do with the rest of the can of pumpkin after you make this cake? The amount left is the perfect amount to make a 1/2 batch of my Simply Perfect Pumpkin Muffins!

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An easy and delicious pumpkin cake, topped with cream cheese frosting and optionally, nuts.

5 stars from 7 ratings

Print Recipe Pin This Leave a Review

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Yield: 24 servings

½1x2x3X

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 4 large (4 large) eggs
• 1 2/3 cup (333.33 g) white sugar
• 1 cup (236.59 ml) vegetable oil, or canola or other neutral tasting cooking oil
• 2 cups (473.18 ml) pumpkin puree, not pie filling
• 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
• 2 tsp (9.86 g) cinnamon
• 1 tsp (4.93 g) salt
• 1 tsp (4.93 g) baking soda
• 2 tsp (9.86 g) baking powder

For the frosting:

• 4 oz (113.4 g) cream cheese, at room temperature (1/2 standard block)
• 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.93 ml) vanilla
• 2 cups (240 g) icing/confectioners' sugar

For garnish:

• 1/3 cup (39 g) chopped walnuts, optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F. You will need a 15 x 10-inch baking pan with sides at least 1-inch high. If you want to remove your cake from the pan at all, line the bottom with parchment, leaving an overhang over the sides to use as handles to lift it out.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together well the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Spread batter into an ungreased 15 x 10-inch baking pan with sides at least 1 inch high.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
• Once cooled, prepare the frosting by beating together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix in. Add the icing sugar a bit at a time, beating until the frosting is smooth.

Notes

Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Author: Jennifer

Calories: 219kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 212mg, Potassium: 120mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 3405IU, Vitamin C: 0.8mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @seasonsandsuppers on Instagram or tag #seasonsandsuppers.