Published: August 30, 2020 · Modified: October 13, 2024 by Cindy Gibbs

This Pumpkin Sheet Cake is the most flavorful and moist cake you’ll ever eat, and it’s simply loaded with fall flavors. It takes only fifteen minutes to prep and when it bakes your kitchen will smell like fall. Top it with my brown butter cream cheese frosting and watch it disappear!  

Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

If you love pumpkin desserts, you’ll love this Pumpkin Sheet Cake. It’s so easy and delicious, and it’s the perfect take along dessert for a party, or if you’re visiting someone for Thanksgiving.

Fall is my favorite time of year!  Crisp cool air, changing leaves, bonfires, oversized sweaters, warmly spiced lattes, and fall desserts like this easy pumpkin sheet cake. If you’re taking a cake to a fall party, this cake is a perfect take along dessert.

Wanna know something else I like about this recipe. It calls for 1 whole can of pumpkin puree. You won’t be wondering what to do with any leftover pumpkin.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

How To Make This Easy Cake

  • In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.
  • Add eggs, sugars, butter, oil, and pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet.  Do not over mix.  Over mixing produces a tough cake.
  • Pour the filling into the greased pan and gently shake it to level out the batter and remove air bubbles.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake springs bake when touched with your finger.  If the indent from your finger remains in the cake, that means it isn’t quite done and needs an additional minute or two.  Recheck the cake after 1 minute.  You can also use a toothpick to test the cake for doneness.  If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the pan until it is room temperature before frosting.  To speed the process, I place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

Pro Tips for This Recipe

  • Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree from a can. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling. It already has the spices and sweeteners added to it.
  • Measure the flour correctly. Don’t simply scoop up the flour from the flour bag or container. Flour is compacted. Use a fork to lightly toss and aerate the flour, then spoon the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife edge. Too much flour results in a dry cake.
  • Don’t over mix the batter. As soon as the dry ingredients are incorporated with the wet, stop mixing. Over mixing lends to a tough cake.
  • Don’t over bake this cake. As soon as a toothpick test comes out with slightly moist crumbs the cake is done.

Making the frosting

  • Add the butter to a small pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and allow it to brown. Either stir the butter slowly but constantly with a wooden spoon or swish the butter around in the pan every few seconds. You should see little brown bits form in the bottom of the pan. The melted butter will turn a golden brownish color. See picture above. Make sure to not over brown and burn the butter. Allow the butter to cool a few minutes before adding to the other frosting ingredients.
  • Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer.  Mix the cream cheese on medium-high speed until it is very light and creamy.  Add the butter, vanilla, and salt and mix for about 1 minute to incorporate.  Sift in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix until the frosting is thick and creamy.  If the frosting appears to be too thick for spreading or piping, add a tiny bit of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until you get a perfect consistency.
  • Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake. If you prefer, you can sprinkle chopped nuts over the top.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake.
  • Cover and refrigerate the cake until about 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor and freshness of the frosting.  This cake will be fine if you want to leave it out of the refrigerator for a few hours, but if you’re not serving it until the following day, I highly recommend keeping it in the fridge.  The frosting is also rich and most all of my friends like eating it cold.Add
Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

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Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Cindy Gibbs
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 15 servings 1x
  • Category: cake
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Pumpkin Sheet Cake is the most flavorful and moist cake you’ll ever eat, and it’s simply loaded with all the flavors of fall.  It takes only fifteen minutes to prep and when it bakes your kitchen will smell like fall.  Top it with my melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting and watch it disappear!  It’s a great take-along dessert, and you might want to make two.


Ingredients

Units Scale

CAKE

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice***
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)*

BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  • 1 stick real unsalted butter
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk, if needed
  • Chopped nuts for sprinkling over the frosting, optional


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet, (approximately 13 x 18″), and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.
  3. Add the eggs, sugars, butter, oil, and pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet.  Do not over mix.  Over mixing produces a tough cake.
  4. Pour the filling into the greased pan and gently shake it to level out the batter and remove air bubbles.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake springs bake when touched with your finger.  If the indent from your finger remains in the cake, that means it isn’t quite done and needs an additional minute or two.  Recheck the cake after 1 minute.  You can also use a toothpick to test the cake for doneness.  If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
  5. Allow the cake to cool in the pan until it is room temperature before frosting.  To speed the process, I place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  1. Add the butter to a small pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and allow it to brown. Either stir the butter slowly but constantly with a wooden spoon or swish the butter around in the pan every few seconds. You should see little brown bits form in the bottom of the pan. The melted butter will turn a golden brownish color. See picture above. Make sure to not over brown or burn the butter. Allow the butter to cool a few minutes before adding to the other frosting ingredients.
  2. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer.  Mix the cream cheese on medium-high speed until it is very light and creamy.  Add the butter, vanilla, and salt and mix for about 1 minute to incorporate.  Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix until the frosting is thick and creamy.  If the frosting appears to be too thick for spreading or piping, add a tiny bit of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until you get a perfect consistency.
  3. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake. If you prefer, you can sprinkle chopped nuts over the top.
  4. Cover and refrigerate the cake until about 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor and freshness of the frosting.  This cake will be fine if you want to leave it out of the refrigerator for a few hours, but if you’re not serving it until the following day, I highly recommend keeping it in the fridge.  The frosting is also rich and most all of my friends like eating it cold.

Notes

*There’s a difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling.  Pumpkin puree is pure pumpkin pulp with no added sugar or spices.  Pumpkin pie filling has sugar and pie spices added to it, and it’s made ready to pour into a pie shell.  For this recipe we want to add our own spices, so we’re using pure pumpkin puree.

*** If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice don’t worry.  You can make your own.  Use equal amounts of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice.  Mix together then measure out how much you need for your recipe.