The pumpkin sheet cake is as easy to make as it is to devour! Soft, moist, and filled with cozy fall flavors, this is an easy one-bowl recipe. It's topped with a tangy orange-zested cream cheese frosting that perfectly balances the warmth of pumpkin pie spice!
It's the kind of dessert that feels festive yet is effortless! Ideal for a weekend treat, a last-minute party dessert, or anytime you want a comforting aroma of a pumpkin cake baking away in the oven!
Sheet cakes were born in Texas. They are baked in large, shallow pans to feed a crowd easily. These are single-layer cakes topped with frosting - simple, homey, and so satisfying. This pumpkin spice sheet cake is a smaller, everyday version that's big on flavor and easy enough for a weekday bake.
Why You'll Love This Cake
✨ One bowl recipe! No fancy steps, no extra dishes - just mix, bake, and frost!
✨ A soft, moist crumb with a wonderful, warm pumpkin spice flavor makes this the best pumpkin sheet cake!
✨ This pumpkin cake is topped with orange-flavored, pumpkin pie spiced cream cheese frosting that tastes absolutely divine!
✨ This eggless pumpkin cake is so easy to make with simple pantry ingredients.
Reader Love ❤️
sheet cakes are my favorite to bake, this was so delish! really good with regular milk as well, though next time i will try coconut milk 🙂 - Katy
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: All-purpose flour gives a lovely, tender crumb. For a heartier cake, use whole wheat or a mix of the two.
Pumpkin puree: Homemade or canned, both give excellent results. You can find the recipe for homemade pumpkin puree in my pumpkin Basque cheesecake post.
Sugar: I’m a big fan of baking with raw sugar, but cane or regular white sugar will also work in the recipe.
Milk: I like to use rich and creamy coconut milk. Feel free to use any plant-based milk or regular milk.
Oil: I used coconut oil here, but you can easily replace coconut oil with any vegetable oil you have in your kitchen.
Pumpkin pie spice: You can use homemade or store-bought. Check out my pumpkin pie-spiced almonds recipe if you want to make a homemade spice blend.
Cream cheese: For that tangy frosting that goes so well with this easy pumpkin pie sheet cake! You can use store-bought or homemade cream cheese.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Step 1: Preheat your oven and grease a 9" square pan.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, raw sugar, coconut milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Step 4: Whisk well until no white streaks remain. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 5: Turn the cake out on a cooling rack. Let it cool completely.
Step 6: While the sheet cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting - Whisk together the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Add fresh orange juice, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it has the consistency of soft whipped cream. Fold in the pumpkin pie spice and orange zest.
Step 7: Spread this frosting over the cooled cake and decorate with walnuts. Slice and serve!
Pro Tips
Canned pumpkin puree works very well in this recipe. Be sure it's pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
You can also make pumpkin purée at home. It's really easy! Just peel, seed, and dice your favorite pumpkin. Then steam and mash it into a smooth paste.
Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature for a smoother batter and frosting.
Don't overmix the batter. Just mix until the ingredients are combined well.
Don't skip the orange zest! It adds a freshness and brightness to the flavor.
Store the leftover pumpkin spice sheet cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
Measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale for better and consistent results.
How To Serve And Store Pumpkin Sheet Cake
This delicious pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting is best served at room temperature. It's wonderful on its own, great with tea, coffee, or even hot chocolate!
This cake will stay well refrigerated for 3-4 days. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge, then frost and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this cake in a different pan?
Absolutely. If you don’t have a 9-inch square pan, try an 8-inch one. It will give you a thicker sheet cake, but that just means there’s more to enjoy in each slice. You can also make this in a pie dish or a round cake tin.
How do I know when the pumpkin cake is done?
When the cake is golden and springy to the touch and when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, your cake is done! Please note – the color of the cake will vary based on the type of pumpkin you use for the purée.
Can I use another frosting for this pumpkin cake?
Yes, you can top it with chocolate ganache like I did for my chocolate sheet cake or a chocolate cream cheese frosting on my mocha cupcakes. Brown butter frosting on my banana blondies will also be wonderful!
Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others.That’s why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead & drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this pumpkin sheet cake as much as we do!
Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Butter a 9" square pan. You could also line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, raw sugar, coconut milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract.3/4 cup Pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup Coconut milk, 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup Coconut oil, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.2 cup All-purpose flour, 1 3/4 tsp Baking powder, 1/2 tsp Baking soda, 1/4 tsp Salt, 2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
Whisk well, until no white streaks remain.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 180 C / 350 F for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Turn the cake out on a cooling rack. Once its cooled completely, spread the frosting over the cake.
Decorate with walnuts. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar and more orange zest.
Slice and enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Whisk together the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness. Thin with fresh orange juice, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it has the consistency of soft whipped cream.Fold in the pumpkin pie spice and orange zest.1/2 cup Cream cheese, room temperature, 1/3 cup Icing sugar, 2-3 tbsp Fresh orange juice, 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice, 1-2 tbsp Orange zest
Notes
Canned pumpkin puree works very well in this recipe. Be sure it's pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
You can also make pumpkin purée at home. It's really easy! Just peel, seed, and dice your favorite pumpkin. Then steam and mash it into a smooth paste.
Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature for a smoother batter and frosting.
Don't overmix the batter. Just mix until the ingredients are combined well.
Don't skip the orange zest! It adds a freshness and brightness to the flavor.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
Measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale for better and consistent results.
Ooops! Thanks for the heads up, Julie! Don't know how I missed putting this in the recipe card. I used 1/2 cup coconut oil. I've updated the recipe as well. 🙂
I love using coconut milk in my bakes, they keep the goodies moist and also give that lovely coconutty flavor. It was a wonderful one indeed! Lots of love
Neha says
Hi Natasha, I am going to be trying this recipe. Do you have a recipe for pumpkin spice or should I get it premade from the store? Thanks
Natasha Minocha says
Hello Neha, there is a link for homemade pumpkin pie spice on the blog. I'm adding it here in case you have missed it - https://www.tashasartisanfoods.com/blog/pumpkin-pie-spiced-almonds/?swcfpc=1#pumpkin-pie-spice-recipe
Hope this helps! xx
Neha says
Thank you!
Jmk says
How much oil do you use?
Natasha Minocha says
Ooops! Thanks for the heads up, Julie! Don't know how I missed putting this in the recipe card. I used 1/2 cup coconut oil. I've updated the recipe as well. 🙂
Katy Cassarella says
sheet cakes are my favorite to bake, this was so delish! really good with regular milk as well, though next time i will try coconut milk 🙂
Natasha Minocha says
Thank you, Katy! xx
jordan says
This looks incredible!
Natasha Minocha says
Thank you!
Easyfoodsmith says
Love how you used coconut milk for this recipe. It must have been delicious and moist cake.
Natasha Minocha says
I love using coconut milk in my bakes, they keep the goodies moist and also give that lovely coconutty flavor. It was a wonderful one indeed! Lots of love