Pumpkin Cake

A soft pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, pumpkin

Prep Time 9

Cook Time 26

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 550kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Equipment

9x13 baking pan

Ingredients

15 ounces pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting

¼ cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, and oil.
Then stir in the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no dry flour is still visible.
Butter or spray (with nonstick cooking spray) a 9×13 baking pan. Then spoon the batter in an even layer.
Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean (no gooey batter on the toothpick).
Allow the cake to fully cool before adding frosting.
To make the frosting, cream together the softened butter and softened cream cheese.
Then incorporate the vanilla extract and powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar). Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.

Notes

I prefer to crack my eggs into a small bowl before adding the mix. I do this in case I have any small shell pieces, then I can easily scoop them out with a larger egg shell piece.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice and don’t want to make it, then for this recipe I would recommend substituting it with 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger.

Do let the cake fully cool before adding frosting, otherwise the heat from the cake can melt the butter and cream cheese in the frosting and make it runny.

Sifting the powdered sugar before adding to the frosting will create less lumps in the frosting.

If you do have lumps in your frosting, add few sprinkles of candy corn—no one will notice now!

To store leftovers, you can cover this cake and refrigerate for at least 5 days. Note the frosting may firm up more during refrigeration.

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