Easy Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Print Pin VideoThis 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!
IMPORTANT: 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
Note 1. If using measuring cups for this recipe, then you want to firmly pack your soft brown sugar. To do this, pack your measuring cup with sugar and using the back of a spoon, press the sugar into the cup with a little bit of pressure (not too much) and then fill the remaining cup with more sugar.
Note 2. If using canned pumpkin, ensure that it's 100% pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling). Although I would recommend using canned pumpkin, fresh pumpkin will work too. You just want to make sure there isn't too much liquid in your homemade pumpkin puree. Here is a great article for how to make homemade pumpkin puree: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pumpkin-puree
Note 3. If using a convection oven that has a fan function, bake at 160 °C (320°F) as the fan function bakes food faster.
Note 4. By gently folding in the ingredients, it prevents too much gluten from forming, thus giving us a softer cake. Only mix until the strands of flour have disappeared and the batter is uniform
Note 5. Only mix the frosting until it's smooth. Once it's smooth stop mixing as over-mixing can result in a less stable frosting. This is because of the liquid in the cream cheese breaking down the powdered sugar.
Note 6. If you have pumpkin pie spice, you can use that in replacement of the spices in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 2797IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg
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.
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