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–+ servings
square slice of pumpkin sheet cake in pan
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4.88 from 8 votes

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Pumpkin sheet cake is a fall favorite. This delicious pumpkin cake is baked in a sheet pan, perfect for a crowd.  Make this for Thanksgiving dessert!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin cake, pumpkin cake recipe, pumpkin sheet cake, sheet pan cake
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 279kcal
Author: Nikki Gladd

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter melted
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves

For the icing:

  • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4-6 tablespoons milk

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 13- x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray (I recommend Baker's Joy).  Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, pumpkin, and sugars.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until combined.  Whisk in the rest of the cake ingredients.
  • Pour batter into the pan.  Bake on center rack 15-20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes to avoid over-baking.  If it passes the toothpick test, it's done.

For the icing:

  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.
  • As the cake is baking, melt the entire stick of butter in a pan over medium heat.  Continue to heat until it turns a deep golden brown.  It will foam and pop, so be careful.
  • Pour the brown butter into the bowl with the sugar and stir.  Whisk in the vanilla and 4 tablespoons milk until the mixture becomes smooth and pour-able.  Use more milk as needed, adding 1 tablespoon at a time.
  • Gently pour over the warm cake.  Using a rubber spatula, quickly spread to cover the entire surface.  The icing layer will be thin.
  • Serve immediately or store covered at room temperature up to 3 days.

Notes

  • Helpful tip:  When pouring the icing on the cake, make sure to cover as much surface area as you can so it is easier to spread with the spatula.
  • Nutrition information is an estimate only.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 1997IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg