Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Sheet Cake – easy pumpkin cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, made from scratch and perfect for a crowd.

Tall, elegantly stacked and frosted to perfection – what’s not to love about the layer cakes that typically grace our blog posts? Of course, we all love a good layer cake because there’s simply no beating the presentation. But sometimes, they are not so… practical. Sometimes you need a cake for a large crowd or a pot luck or a school event or simply when you won’t be able to stand guard to cut and serve a towering layer cake. Sometimes a sheet cake just makes sense. Yes, I know, I know. How can I possibly present a sheet cake to you? Especially after the fanciful Pumpkin Spice Cake of 2017. Well… I am. 😬

So often we get questions on our layer cake recipes and cupcake recipes asking if they can be baked as a sheet cake. And the answer is always yes, with some slight modifications. So today I’ve baked our most popular pumpkin cupcake recipe as a sheet cake. And in an effort to break the “sheet cake = boring” mantra, I’ve decorated it with some cute buttercream pumpkins (learn how to pipe the buttercream pumpkins here). I think this would be perfect for the office Thanksgiving lunch or as a nice surprise left in the teachers’ lounge. Whether it’s an over the top layer cake or a quick and simple sheet cake, it still tastes delicious! And those eating it will certainly be grateful.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

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Pumpkin Sheet Cake – easy pumpkin cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, made from scratch and perfect for a crowd.

• Author: Carrie Sellman
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: one 13 x 9 sheet cake
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Cake

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

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Instructions

Make the Pumpkin Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and lightly flour a 13 x 9 x 2 pan.
2. In large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
3. In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
6. Mix in pumpkin puree.
7. Pour batter into cake pan.
8. Bake for 35-38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Let cake completely cool before frosting.

Make the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined.
2. Gradually add in confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
3. Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until combined.
4. Spoon frosting all over cake and smooth with offset spatula. Pipe buttercream pumpkins onto cake, if desired.

Notes

• Cover cake and store in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
• I used this pan which came with a cover. The cover was tall enough that the buttercream pumpkins remained intact and undisturbed. So handy for transporting the cake!
• I used an all butter buttercream for the decorative pumpkins because the cream cheese frosting will not hold its shape as well.

Keywords: pumpkin sheet cake, buttercream pumpkins

MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES TO TRY:

• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
• Baileys Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Spice Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Tiramisu Cake
• Pumpkin Spice Free Printable