This simple and easy to make pumpkin sheet cake is one of my favorite pumpkin recipes to date! It’s super moist, packed with flavor and infused with heaps of cosy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Topped with the most incredible cinnamon cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect fall dessert for cozy nights it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft & Moist: This pumpkin cake recipe has an incredibly moist texture and a wonderful soft crumb. I use a combination of white granulated sugar and soft light brown sugar in this recipe, which provides extra moisture and flavor. Additional moisture in the batter comes from the pumpkin puree, milk and oil used in the recipe, making for a phenomonly moist cake!
Bold Flavor: This recipe is packed with so much flavor! It’s infused with heaps of warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and all spice) and has a good amount of pumpkin puree in the batter too to so you still get that pumpkin taste! Vanilla extract/essence helps to provide a bit of extra sweetness and aroma too. If you have a pumpkin spice blend on hand, feel free to use that in replacement of the spices in this recipe 🙂
Easy to Make: This pumpkin sheet cake is adapted from my original pumpkin layer cake recipe. It has the same amazing flavor and texture (with only a few slight adjustments to the recipe), but is simpler to make (no fancy cake layers or cake decroating tools needed). Want something even simpler? Check out my no fuss pumpkin bread recipe.
What Kind of Pumpkin to Use
This recipe uses canned pumpkin (I use Libby’s canned pumpkin), but you can use fresh pumpkin too. When choosing canned pumpkin, you want to make sure you get 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
If you prefer to use fresh pumpkin puree, then the method you use is important, as you want to reduce the amount of excess liquid in your pumpkin. The BBC has a great article on how to prepare pumpkin puree — you can check out the recipe here.
Looking for another show-stopping pumpkin dessert? Check out my pumpkin roll recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional and lightly grease a 9×13 inch sheet pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper as well (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it’s done).
In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine white sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla. Using a clean whisk, mix until well combined and smooth.
Pour your dry ingredients into your pumpkin mixture and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for about 20 minutes and then turn it out onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Either use a hand mixer or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
Add in the powdered sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch of powdered sugar is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
Next add in the cold cream cheese, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing.
Frosting the cooled cake with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting and garnish with roughly chopped pecans or walnuts (or both!).
How to Store Pumpkin Sheet Cake
This cake can be left at room temperature for the day, however overnight it will need to be placed in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese in the frosting.
Be sure to place the cake in an airtight container before storing it to prevent it from drying out.
Easy Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) soft light brown sugar - firmly packed (see note 1)
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 1¼ cup (300 g) pumpkin puree - I use Libby's 100% canned pumpkin (see note 2 for fresh pumpkin option)
- ¼ cup (60 g) milk - full fat, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- 2¼ cups (285 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- ¾ cup (167 g) cream cheese - cold, use a firm cream cheese (not the spreadable type)
- ¾ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
For Decorating (OPTIONAL)
- ½ cup (50 g) walnuts or pecans - roughly chopped
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 3 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper as well (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it's done).
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine white sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla. Using a clean whisk, mix until well combined and smooth.
- Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix the batter (see note 4).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for about 20 minutes and then turn it out onto a wire rack to completely cool, before frosting with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and garnishing with roughly chopped pecans or walnuts.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Either use a hand mixer or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
- Add in the powdered sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch of powdered sugar is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
- Next add in the cold cream cheese, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing (see note 5).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
24 Comments
I have been cooking and baking for many years and your pumpkin sheet cake w/cinnamon cream cheese frosting sounds wonderful. I will let you know how the cake turns out as I plan to bake the delectable cake soon. Thank you so much for the recipe, Maryam.
Thanks so much Patricia! Hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
Wow, I would give this cake a 10 star rating . I made this for Thanksgiving dessert. The cake had a delicious moist crumb with just the right flavors. The icing was a nice complement to the cake. Thank you for sharing your wonderful cake. It was enjoyed by all.
Awesome! So so happy to hear you and your guests loved the recipe 😀
Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂