This Pumpkin Sheet Cake post was sponsored by Kroger, but all views and opinions are our own. We have teamed up with our friends from Kroger to bring you a little taste of the holidays.
You’ll love this moist cake with cream cheese icing if you’ve been searching for the perfect pumpkin recipes. The fall season is the perfect time for baking all things pumpkin, and this pumpkin cake recipe is no exception.
This is the perfect cake to feed a large crowd and the perfect dessert for the pumpkin season. The homemade cream cheese frosting is the icing on the cake (pun intended). You can even use the leftover pumpkin puree to make the perfect fall dessert for thanksgiving dinner, such as pie filling, a layer cake, pumpkin treats, or pumpkin bread. The options are endless!
The moist texture will be a crowd favorite. This easy pumpkin sheet cake is also delicious as a cooled cake. It’s the perfect balance of pumpkin and cream cheese flavor with a great ratio of cake and frosting. Serve it with a glass of whole milk and you’ll be the talk of the family gatherings this season.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
Pumpkin Cake
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Equipment Needed
For this cake recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- Spray a half baking sheet (13 x 18 inch cookie sheet) with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and pumpkin puree until fully incorporated.
- Slowly add the flour but continue stirring to avoid lumps. Mix until well combined.
- Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set and let cool completely.
Frosting
- Cream together butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
- Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Spread frosting over the cake and sprinkle cinnamon on top, if desired.
Storage Suggestions
Thanksgiving morning is one of the most stressful mornings of the year. It’s difficult to rotate different dishes in and out of the oven. However, with this dessert, you can make it the day before.
- We do recommend refrigerating it until serving, or at least overnight if you are making it ahead of time. It has cream cheese frosting, so to avoid that melting or softening too much, we have found it tastes best when it is cold. You can eat it at room temperature, but we wouldn’t recommend it.
- Refrigerating it will also keep it from drying out. Be sure to cover it with foil or a lid, and place in the fridge until ready to eat. If you want to add something extra to the frosting, sprinkle some cinnamon in and make it a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Enjoy More Delicious Pumpkin Cakes and Cupcakes
We absolutely love pumpkin recipes, especially in the fall and winter. Check out our comprehensive collection of pumpkin recipes here.
- Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Caramel Toffee Pumpkin Cake
- Mini Pumpkin Poppers
- Oreo Pumpkin Delight
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Honey Bun Cake
- Pumpkin Layered Magic Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- Spray a half baking sheet (13 x 18 inch cookie sheet) with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and pumpkin puree until fully incorporated.
- Slowly add the flour but continue stirring to avoid lumps. Mix until well combined.
- Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set and let cool completely.
Frosting
- Cream together butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
- Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Spread frosting over the cake and sprinkle cinnamon on top, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
I recently made the pumpkin sheet cake over the weekend and it was a huge success. We all loved it and the cake was so moist. Will definitely be making this again!!
Can’t wait to try this
What size cookie sheet? I make another sheet cake recipe in my 15 X 10 cookie sheet. Would that work?
Hi Kathi, I just measured our pan and we used an 18 x 13 inch pan.
Should this be stored in the fridge? Could this be made a day early?
This can be made a day ahead. You could store it in the fridge or in a cool place. Be sure to keep it covered.
Have you ever tried this with chocolate chips? If so, how much?
This cake is AMAZING! It makes a lot and anywhere I take it people are in love and ask for the recipe! This is definitely a must recipe for fall!!
Hi Lindsey. We are so glad that you like the Pumpkin Sheet Cake. Have a terrific week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We haven’t tried chocolate chips in this sheet cake, but pumpkin and chocolate cake go great together. If you do add chocolate chips, I would use mini chocolate chips.
My husband has celiac disease so I made this with brown rice flour. I actually liked the rice flour better! Great recipe!
Have you made this recipe for cupcakes?
We haven’t made these into cupcakes. But I’m sure it would work great. Just watch closely for the correct cooking time.
Could this be made in a 9×13 or maybe two 9×13’s?
What is the exact size of a half baking sheet?
Please ignore my question. Thx!
It’s around 18 x 13.
You could cut it in half for a 9 x 13 inch pan or 2 9×13 pans.
Can you make this into muffins?
This is a good recipe & a life saver when I need a lot to take to any function. I had to go back to read the whole story again before I found the size pan you used [ I could have guessed, but rather aviod disaster at my advanced age 😉 ] please oh, please always include the siaze pan, dish, pot, etc. that you use in the recipe… experienced cooks will adapt but newer cooks really need the guidance.. Tahnks so much & keep up the great work.
We have not yet tried this cake in muffin form. But sounds delicious!
Just made your pumpkin cake! It turned it awesome & was so easy!
We love this recipe, have made it 7 times within a year.
Is the height of the half sheet pan 1” or 2”?
This was delicious and super easy! I made the cake exactly as directions said. I got lucky and checked it at 18 mins with a toothpick and it was clean and the top of the cake was starting to brown, so I took it out, it would have been a crisp if I would have baked it for another 7-12 mins. I also halved the frosting recipe and it spread perfectly on the cookie sheet. Lastly I added mini chocolate chips to the batter before putting it into the pan. So good!
1 inch deep.
The recipe needs to be for a full baking sheet. I have a mess in my oven. It sure overflowed the half baking sheet. I wish I would have followed my gut instinct that it was too much batter for that size of pan.
I have since learned what a half baking sheet is. I was using a quarter baking sheet. The cake was so delicious! Thank you, I love your recipes.
I am gonna try this. Sounds so good. Can you freeze for a few days?
Yes, this will freeze great.
Thank you for the recipe. Everyone loved it.
I am excited to try this on our upcoming vacation! One question though… my NEW half sheet pan is in such nice shape. How do you protect it when cutting this cake? A dumb question, I know, but they are hard to keep looking good for any amount of time… Thanks!
You could line the bottom with parchment paper. To keep it nice and shiny, only wash by hand!
My kids absolutely love this. I made it multiple times last year and am about to make it again tonight. Thanks for the great recipe!
My daughter requests this for her October birthday every year. So yummy!!
It is a family favorite for us too! This just made our day!!
How long would I bake half the recipe in a 9×13 pan?
This will help you when cutting recipes in half. Cakes are a little more tricky than cookies. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-cut-a-baking-recipe-in-half
Can you freeze?
Yes, this will freeze great. Just cover properly for freezing.
I made this cake last night to bring to a work function today. Huge success and plenty of compliments given. Thank you!
Can I sub butter for oil? How would it change the cake if I do?
If you substitute butter for oil the result may be a little drier in texture. 1/2 cup of oil = 2/3 cup of melted butter would be the best substitution
Hi can i use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
You can substitute olive oil for vegetable oil – it may alter the taste slightly, so keep that in mind
I have made this recipe a million times! It’s always a hit at family gatherings! I add pumpkin pie spice as a garnish on top of the frosting just to make it look nice.
I made this recipe today. It was delicious. I will make it again.
I love making this in the fall! I just made it for a group of youth at church & they gobbled it up! 10/10 would recommend!
Can this be a Bundt cake?
We have not tried making this in a bundt pan so we can’t recommend it. If you try it, you will need to adjust the recipe and baking time. The most important steps are to make sure the Bundt pan is well-greased, to only fill the pan about two-thirds full, and to bake it at a lower temperature for a longer period. Let us know how it turns out if you try it!