Pumpkin Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

It's that time of year to start thinking about all things pumpkin.  Actually, I would be totally happy having my pumpkin latte in May and my favorite Pumpkin Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting any time of the year.  Although I suppose waiting for this cake all year makes it extra special when the weather starts changing and I want my kitchen to smell all sweet and spicy.

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When I think of pumpkin, I also think of spices and this cake has both.  Rich pumpkin puree mixed with fall's favorite spices -- cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. This cake bakes up moist and rich with a delicate, spicy pumpkin flavor. Your kitchen will smell awesome when baking this cake.

To add more flavor, this cake is topped with a creamy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Not only is the icing super simple to make but it is one of my favorite icing recipes ever! It's creamy, not too sweet, and it has a bit of a tangy flavor from the cream cheese and the lovely white chocolate flavor.  Try it and you will understand what I mean. May I just say, YUMMY!

But wait, we're not stopping there.  Add a sprinkling of chopped pecans, cranberries, and ginger on top of the frosting for another layer of flavor that takes this cake over the top.  You're going to wish it was fall all year round.

Jump to:

• What is a sheet cake?
• Ingredients for the cake and frosting
• How to make a pumpkin cake
• Icing instructions
• Pecan, Cranberry, and Ginger Cake Topping
• This is why I love sheet cakes -
• Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes
• One Hot Oven baking tips
• Can you freeze the leftover cake?
• Recommended tools and ingredients
• More to make and eat!
• Recipe

What is a sheet cake?

Sheet cakes are a one layer cake baked in a rectangle pan, like a rimmed cookie sheet or a jelly roll pan. Usually, for this type of sheet cake, the pan sizes are:

Half sheet pan - 18" x 13" x 1"

Quarter sheet pan - 13" x 9" x 1"

Jelly roll pans - 15 ½" x 10 ½" x 1"

Ingredients for the cake and frosting

• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• Canola oil
• Eggs
• Pumpkin Puree
• Vanilla
• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• White chocolate
• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Pecans
• Dried cranberries
• Candied ginger

Cake ingredients

Icing ingredients

How to make a pumpkin cake

Step 1. In a large mixing bowl add the white and brown sugar, pumpkin puree, beaten eggs, canola oil, and vanilla. You can mix this easily with a wire whisk until thoroughly combined.  When done mixing scrape down the sides of the bowl and remix a little if needed.

The great part of making this cake is you can mix everything in one bowl and use a wire whisk.  You can also mix everything in your KitchenAid, or use a handheld mixer, but sometimes I just like mixing by hand, and I realize that not everybody has a big stand mixer or even has room for one. For this cake batter, all you need is a good sturdy whisk.

Step 2. Mix all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Using a wire whisk or a fork makes this easy to mix up.

Step 3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until the flour is completely combined. Scrape the bowl and remix.

Step 4. Prepare the 18" x 13" baking pan. Spray with cooking spray then generously coat the pan with sugar, make sure to tap the pan to remove the sugar that did not stick to the pan. Normally this is done with flour, but the sugar adds flavor and creates a little bit of caramelization on the bottom of the cake.

Step 5. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it out to make sure the edges are filled with batter. Bake in a 350-degree F. oven for 20 minutes. When done remove from the oven and let cool completely before icing the cake.

Icing instructions

Step 1. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave. Do this by breaking the white cholate bar into smaller pieces and put into a microwave-safe bowl and then microwave for 20 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir the chocolate and microwave again for 20 seconds and stir.

Do this one more time. At this point, the chocolate should be melting and the bowl should be warm which will help melt the chocolate.

Keep stirring until the chocolate is melted.  You do not want to put the bowl in the microwave too much as it will cause the white chocolate to seize up. But if needed, put the bowl back in the microwave for maybe 12-second intervals to get everything melted.   I used Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar for this recipe.

Step 2. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until combined, then beat in the melted white chocolate

Step 3. With the low-speed mixer, mix in sifted powdered sugar until all the ingredients are combined and the icing is creamy.

Step 4. Spread the icing on the cooled cake, cut it into desired-size squares and top with the chopped pecans, candied ginger, and dried cranberries.

Pecan, Cranberry, and Ginger Cake Topping

I love mixing candied ginger, pecans, and dried cranberries.  This mixture can be used on so many different baked goods as a topping like bread, muffins, or pies; and, it is super tasty on top of a hot bowl of oatmeal.  I love it because it adds color, flavor, and texture.

For this recipe adding this mixture to the top of the white chocolate frosting makes this cake pop and pairs perfectly with the pumpkin flavor. I also added this mixture inside this Banana Cake Roll and on top of the cake. Like I said, I love the mixture.

Just give this mixture a good chop so everything is in small pieces, then sprinkle it on top of the frosted cake.

Frost the cooled cake

Cut the cake into squares

Sprinkle the chopped pecans, cranberries, and ginger on top.

Now grab a plate and serve this moist, tender, and delicious pumpkin cake

This cake makes the perfect Thanksgiving dessert, and if you are at my house on Thanksgiving, we sometimes have a slice for breakfast with our tea.  I have been known to make two of these cakes because everyone loves it and they want to take some home with them.

This is why I love sheet cakes -

•  Sheet cakes are one-layer and are served directly out of the pan, so there is no depanning or leveling out the top of the cake.
• Frosting a sheet cake is easy since you just spread icing over the top of the cake.
• Simply cut the cake into the desired size squares to serve.
• Be creative and add fun and festive toppings over the frosting.
• The icing-to-cake ratio is perfect.  Every bite, you get the perfect amount of cake and icing, which is super important!!!
• Sheet cakes are easy to transport to parties, potlucks, or cookouts; they seem to always to a real crowd-pleasing dessert.

This is the simplest cake to make. Mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients, spread into a sheet pan, and bake.

Other cake toppings to sprinkle on your frosted pumpkin cake

• A sprinkling of cinnamon
• Chopped pumpkin seeds
• Chopped pecans or walnuts or both
• Chopped dried cranberries

Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes

• When you don't want to roast a great big turkey, this Turkey Roll-Up Casserole is perfect for a small gathering. The deli roasted turkey is rolled with stuffing and cranberry sauce inside, then covered with gravy and baked. It's really good.
• Everyone loves a good side dish, and this recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples is simple and delicious.
• You can't have turkey without Cranberry Sauce, and this recipe only takes three ingredients.
• If you serve a Thanksgiving brunch, bake these Mini Cheese Quiches.
• Another favorite pumpkin recipe is this Cranberry Pumpkin Bread; bake a loaf and top it with a creamy orange glaze. This bread has some serious flavor.

One Hot Oven baking tips

• You can also bake this cake in a 13" x 9" pan; just increase the baking time to about 30 - 35 minutes. Always test with a toothpick.
• This recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.  You can add even more spices if you like and omit one or two. You can also use pumpkin pie spice.
• Sometimes pumpkin puree can be hard to find, I get mine at Trader Joe's, Libby's, or Organic 365 brands are all good, but you can also make your own from fresh pumpkins.
• Since this cake has a cream cheese frosting, make sure to refrigerate any leftovers. Let this cake sit at room temperature for up to 8 hours, then stick it in the fridge.

Can you freeze the leftover cake?

If you have leftover cake (we never do, but if you do), this cake is easy to freeze.  Cut the cake into squares and place them in an airtight freezer container in a single layer.  When ready to serve, take the cake out of the freezer and let sit for two hours to defrost.

Freezing the cake slices is perfect for small families. I like to send the slices home with my mother so she can freeze them, and then pull a slice out when she wants a homemade dessert. After all, she would never make a big cake like this for herself.

Recommended tools and ingredients

I own lots of whisks for all different uses, and a good sturdy whisk comes in handy for mixing and whipping ingredients; this 9' Oxo Good Grips Whisk is not expensive, and I love the handle for good gripping.

Spreading icing over a large sheet cake is easy when you use an angled icing spatula. This 13' icing spatula is what I use, and because it's angled, the knife won't get into the icing.

There are several options for the white chocolate baking bars, which come in the 4-ounce size needed for this recipe. Ghirardelli and Bakers Choice are readily available.  Candy melts do not work as a replacement, so please get a bar of good-quality white chocolate.

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Recipe

First Published: January 6, 2015... Last Updated: March 30, 2023

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About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California,  my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven, sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.