Pumpkin Sheet Cake
A light and fluffy pumpkin sheet cake made in a 9x13 pan, with warm spices, pumpkin, and chocolate frosting perfect for cutting into squares and sharing at fall gatherings.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 282 grams all purpose flour 10-11% protein
- 72 grams almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 149 grams sunflower oil or neutral oil
- 112 grams crème fraîche room temperature
- 220 grams dark brown sugar
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 425 grams pumpkin puree fresh or canned
- 43-64 grams pitted medjool dates finely chopped, *optional
Buttercream Frosting
Topping
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter and flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Mix together using a wire hand whisk to evenly disperse all the ingredients. Set aside.282 grams all purpose flour, 72 grams almond flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Using a separate larger bowl with a handheld electric mixer on medium low speed, mix together the sunflower oil, crème fraîche, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.149 grams sunflower oil, 112 grams crème fraîche, 220 grams dark brown sugar, 200 grams granulated sugar
- Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla, followed by the eggs one at a time to form a smooth liquid mixture. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.4 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract, 425 grams pumpkin puree
- Mix in half the flour mixture at a time on low speed to form a thick pumpkin batter.
- Fold in the chopped dates with a rubber spatula to disperse through the batter.43-64 grams pitted medjool dates
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Level the batter across the pan with an offset spatula.
- Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35-38 minutes. Baking times vary depending on your oven, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. This may take up to an hour. If you’re in a hurry, after 30 minutes you can place the pan in the fridge to help speed up the cooling process.
- While the cake is cooling, make your chocolate buttercream frosting.1 x Double Chocolate Buttercream
- Spread chocolate buttercream across the top of the cake and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.flaky sea salt
Slice Cake
- For 12 pieces of cake, cut the cake in half on the short side. Then, cut each half into half. From there, cut the cake into thirds from the long side
- For smaller servings, just cut the 12 cake pieces in half for 24 pieces as you serve.
Video
Notes
- Oven: This recipe was written for a conventional oven (top and bottom heat). For convection fan ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness 75% of the way through baking.
Weigh your flour: The measurement I use: 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams. This amount can change based on a different baker’s recipe or using a conversion tool. The weight listed in the recipe is how it was tested and should be used for accuracy. Different brands of flour are made with soft or hard wheat and have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high. This can change the final result of a baked good, giving different outcomes on the same recipe. I list the level of protein in the ingredients, the brand of flour tested with and a link to My Baking Ingredients for additional details. When choosing a flour, look at the protein level on the back of the bag and consult the recommended amount for the recipe.