Pumpkin Sheet Cake

5 from 2 votes
11 Comments

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This Pumpkin Sheet Cake is a crowd pleaser! Rich pumpkin cake and dark chocolate chips are topped with a cream cheese icing. It’s always a fall favorite.

Fork cutting into a slice of Pumpkin Sheet Cake. Mini chocolate chips on the side.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in Pumpkin Sheet Cake
  2. Health Benefits of Pumpkin
  3. Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
  4. Additions and Substitutions to this Pumpkin Cake
  5. Frequently Asked Questions about Pumpkin Cake
  6. More Pumpkin Recipes
  7. How to Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake
  8. Pumpkin Sheet Cake Recipe

This chocolate chip pumpkin sheet cake recipe is perfect for parties, potlucks, and get togethers over the holidays! Everyone loves the rich pumpkin flavor paired with chocolate morsels and luscious cream cheese frosting.

Because it’s one of the easiest pumpkin cakes to make, it is one of our most popular pumpkin desserts. You can frost the cake completely, or make it more decorative as pictured below.

Slice of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Sheet Cake on a white plate


Ingredients in Pumpkin Sheet Cake

All you need is a sheet pan and a few pantry ingredients, and you will soon have a gorgeous dessert for any fall occasion.

  • Pumpkin puree – A 15-ounce can of pumpkin is perfect, or you can use homemade pumpkin puree.
  • Sugar – Regular white sugar is what I used for sweetness.
  • Vegetable oil – Corn or canola oil works too!
  • Sour cream – This gives the cake such a moist texture.
  • Large eggs – Whisk four eggs and then add to the pumpkin mixture.
  • All-purpose flour – Combines the ingredients and creates a thicker batter.
  • Baking soda – Always helping baked goods rise while in the oven.
  • Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg – These spices are the perfect combination of fall! They all blend well with pumpkin treats. You could also sub these for pumpkin pie spice. Other spice options are cloves and allspice.
  • Salt – Helps enhance flavoring with the ingredients. A pinch of salt goes a long way!
  • Mini chocolate chips – (optional)
Pumpkin, mini chocolate chips, flour, sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and spices to make Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

There truly are great health benefits that come from eating pumpkin – and this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake uses real pumpkin. While my favorite pumpkin recipes are desserts, pumpkin is also delicious in soups and casseroles.
A couple of my favorite pumpkin recipes to make in the fall are Dinner in a Pumpkin and Pumpkin Cobbler. Pumpkin has a squash-like taste and texture, and adds a lot of flavor to recipes. It’s worth giving it a try to get the boost of vitamins and antioxidants pumpkin provides. Additionally, here are just a few of the health benefits of eating pumpkin:

  1. Better Eyesight – One cup of cooked pumpkin contains more than 200% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A. Additionally, Vitamin A aids vision, especially vision in dim lighting.
  2. Weight Loss – One cup of cooked pumpkin has three grams of fiber and only 49 calories! This makes you feel a little better when you eat that slice of pumpkin pie, right? Fiber makes you feel fuller longer, so you eat less.
  3. Cancer and wrinkle prevention – According to the National Cancer Institute, beta-carotene may play a role in cancer prevention, and pumpkin is chock full of beta-carotene. Health Magazine also reported that the carotenoids in pumpkins can also help keep skin wrinkle-free.
  4. Energy – Pumpkin contains more potassium than bananas! Potassium restores electrolyte balance after a workout and keeps muscles functioning at their best.

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

For the frosting, use a hand mixer to whip the unsalted butter and room temperature cream cheese together with vanilla extract and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

  • Butter and cream cheese – Soften both ingredients ahead of time to make it easier to cream together.
  • Vanilla – Adds a hint of flavor to the creamed mixture.
  • Powdered sugar – Makes the frosting smooth and rich with flavor.
Two plates of Pumpkin Sheet Cake slices. Mini pumpkin son the side.

Additions and Substitutions to this Pumpkin Cake

  • If you love chocolate and pumpkin together, add chocolate chips! I like to use mini chips because they distribute more evenly and give you a little chocolate in every bite. Larger chocolate chips can turn large parts of the cake brown and consequently, don’t distribute as evenly.
  • Add your favorite chopped nuts to the top of the cake. Pecans or walnuts are delicious options.
  • You can spread the entire cake with the soft cream cheese icing, or make it more decorative. Spoon the frosting into a Ziplock bag and cut a small hole in one corner, then squeeze the frosting in a decorative pattern on top of the cake.

“The smells coming from my oven right now can NOT be beat by anything but a newborn baby’s head. 😂 Making this for a family gathering tomorrow. Thank you for sharing!!”

-Robin
Fork holding a piece of Pumpkin Sheet Cake.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pumpkin Cake

How should I store leftover pumpkin cake?

While this pumpkin spice sheet cake can be stored at room temperature, I like to keep it in the fridge. As a result, the frosting holds its shape better.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes! This pumpkin sheet cake can be made up to five days ahead of when you want to serve. Just keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Can pumpkin cake be frozen?

You can bake the cake and freeze it, but do so BEFORE you frost it. I would suggest frosting the cake after it thaws and before you serve. Cream cheese frosting doesn’t freeze well.

More Pumpkin Recipes

If you are in the mood for more pumpkin treats, try some of these delicious pumpkin recipes.

How to Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Side view of two slices of Pumpkin Sheet Cake on serving plates with spoons.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

5 from 2 votes
This Pumpkin Sheet Cake is a crowd pleaser! Rich pumpkin cake and dark chocolate chips are topped with a pretty cream cheese icing. It's always a fall favorite.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Video

Equipment

  • Baking Sheet

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

Other Ingredients:

  • 1 bag mini chocolate chips (optional)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the wet ingredients in a large bowl and stir together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. 
    Bowl of wet ingredients for Pumpkin Sheet Cake with a whisk.
  • Add the dry mix to the wet mix and thoroughly combine. Stir in chocolate chips (optional).
    Bowl of Pumpkin Sheet Cake with mini chocolate chips. Whisk on the side.
  • Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter in and bake for 25 to 30 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    Sheet pan of Pumpkin Sheet Cake batter spread evenly.
  • Beat together the cream cheese frosting ingredients.
    Bowl of Pumpkin Sheet Cake frosting. Mixing beaters on the side.
  • When the cake is completely cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cake. Keep cake refrigerated.
    Sheet pan of frosted Pumpkin Sheet Cake.
  • Option: Spoon the cream cheese frosting into a frosting bag with a tip, or into a resealable plastic bag and a tip cut off of one corner. Decorate the top of the cake in a pattern. You can see how I decorated it in this photo.
    A pumpkin sheet cake with icing on it.

Notes

Make Ahead Pumpkin Sheet Cake 

  • This pumpkin sheet cake can be made up to five days ahead of when you want to serve. Just keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Storing Leftover Cake

  • While this pumpkin spice sheet cake can be stored at room temperature, I like to keep it in the fridge, so the frosting holds its shape better.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 414kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 225mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 1gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 1799IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Emily Walker

Emily lives in Meridian, Idaho, with her husband, Beau, a physician assistant, and her three incredible children: a son and two daughters. Travel is one of her favorite ways to experience new cultures and cuisines, and she has a love for all things Disney.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The smells coming from my oven right now can NOT be beat by anything but a newborn baby’s head. 😂 Making this for a family gathering tomorrow. Thank you for sharing!!

  2. 5 stars
    I just made this cake for a friend’s birthday and it was AMAZING. Instead of a bundt cake, I decided to make a multi-tier 9-inch round cake. Doubling the recipe produced two 9-inch round cakes. I cut those in half and stacked three on top of each other. You can then use the other half to make some cake pop toppers or mini cakes. Hope this helps!

    1. A sheet cake usually has 30-40 small servings. It really depends on how big of eaters you have and/or if there are any other desserts present (i.e. a potluck) Hope this helps!