Pumpkin Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

This moist flavorful fall Pumpkin Sheet Cake is full of spices and topped with a fluffy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. A sprinkling of chopped pecans, cranberries, and candied ginger on top adds more flavor and crunch. This is a perfect cake for Thanksgiving.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 540kcal

Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar packed
1 cup canola oil
15 ounces pumpkin puree
4 eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces White chocolate bar chopped and melted
12 ounces cream cheese
12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened butter
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Topping

Instructions

How to prepare the Pumpkin Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F. and Prepare an 18" x 13" baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and dust with sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugars, pumpkin puree, beaten eggs, oil, and vanilla. Whisk the mixture until totally combined and the mixture is smooth.
Instead of a whisk you can also use an electrict mixer and beat at medium speed.
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.
Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until the flour is completely combined, using a whisk or a mixer.
Spread batter into a greased and sugared pan. Make sure to push the batter into the edges of the sheet pan.
Bake for 20 minutes then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool.

How to prepare the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave. Do this by breaking the white chocolate 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 go ahead and put the bowl back in the microwave for maybe 12-second intervals to get everything melted.
In a large mixing bowl beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter with a mixer until smooth.
Add the melted white chocolate and beat to combine.
Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the icing is smooth and creamy.
Spread frosting on the cooled cake.

The Crumbled Topping

On a large cutting board place the pecans, candied ginger and dried cranberries and chop all together to get small pieces. Sprinkle this mixture on the frosted cake.
Since this cake has a cream cheese frosting, make sure to refrigerate any leftovers. You can let this cake sit out at room temperature for up to 8 hours, but then stick it in the fridge.
Since this cake has a cream cheese frosting, store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Notes

The topping is optional for this cake. Feel free to leave it off or add your favorite topping.

Use good white chocolate such as Ghiradelli, Lindt or Valrhona.

This cake freezes well. Place the cut squares in a freezer container in a single layer and freeze. To serve remove from the freezer and let thaw for two hours.

Nutrition