If you are one pumpkin spice latte away from a total squash overdose—if even the prospect of the fluffiest, most moist pumpkin spice cake you’ve ever tasted cannot tempt you—I have a compelling reason why you should bake this Pumpkin Sheet Cake anyway.
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Cream cheese frosting.
One of my less-polite habits is wiping all but the thinnest layer of frosting from my slice of cake, because I find most frosting recipes to be overly sweet or even greasy.
I’ve even gone so far as to demonstrate this behavior at weddings, which is usually the point in the evening when, if he didn’t already at the sight of my attempted line dance to “Cotton Eyed Joe,” Ben pretends he doesn’t know me.
But this cream cheese frosting recipe?
I could eat it on a slice of cardboard. IT’S THAT GOOD.
Seeing as we have an extra fluffy, super moist pumpkin sheet cake available as our frosting vehicle, however, let’s enjoy it that way instead, shall we?
- As with my Healthy Pumpkin Bread, this pumpkin sheet cake is taking us back to the pumpkin fundamentals. It’s soft and springy, packed with warm spices, and only takes one bowl to make.
- While many pumpkin spice cakes are on the heavier side (a product of the density of the pumpkin puree itself), this pumpkin cake is refreshingly light and delightfully tender.
5 Star Review
“So delicious and easy to make! It’s the perfect fall weather treat! I love how subtle the pumpkin is in this recipe, and the frosting tied it all together.”
— Amelia —
How to Make Pumpkin Sheet Cake
I chose to do this pumpkin spice cake as a sheet versus layer cake for maximum ease and portability.
In addition to being faster and easier to make than their fussier layer cake cousins, sheet cakes travel well and are especially simple to slice and serve at parties and potlucks.
Forget pumpkin sheet cake with cake mix. This recipe is easy and worth making from scratch!
The Ingredients
- Flour. I replaced half of the regular flour with white whole wheat flour. Its mild taste is completely undetectable, and you can go in for that extra slice with confidence, knowing you’re squeezing in a little extra fiber.
- Pumpkin Puree. If you’re worried that this recipe will taste like a pumpkin pie sheet cake, don’t fret. While the pumpkin flavor is present, it’s in a cozy, subtle way that doesn’t overpower the cake. Plus, adding the pumpkin gives the cake a boost of vitamins and antioxidants.
- Greek Yogurt. A healthier swap for oil.
- Brown Sugar. A little brown sugar is a must-have for sweetness and moisture.
- Honey. Instead of using only refined sugar, I opted to use some honey as a natural sweetener. It tastes fabulous with the pumpkin and spices too.
- Eggs. Helps the cake rise to fluffy perfection.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. The special ingredient that gives pumpkin-flavored treats like this cake warmth and pizzazz.
- Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting. The ulimate topping for our healthy pumpkin sheet cake! To keep things light, I swapped Greek yogurt for part of the butter and cream cheese. I love the extra bit of tang the yogurt adds to the frosting, and it makes it extra creamy and smooth too.
The Directions
- Beat the wet ingredients together.
- Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the flours.
- Pour the batter into a parchment-lined baking pan. Bake pumpkin sheet cake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool.
- Make the Greek yogurt frosting. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. DIG IN!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Cover and refrigerate cake for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze. Freeze cake in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Pan. I love the carry-everywhere lid!
- Stand Mixer. This hand mixer is excellent for making healthy pumpkin sheet cake too.
- Parchment Paper. Makes cleanup a breeze!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can certainly experiment!, I recommend swapping the flours in this recipe for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour like this one. Be sure to check out my gluten free Paleo Pumpkin Bread and Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins too.
While I love this as a pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting, I think it would be delicious with other frosting flavors.
Try the frosting from this Fresh Apple Cake for a pumpkin sheet cake with caramel frosting. For a pumpkin sheet with brown butter frosting, use the frosting from these Banana Bread Brownies.
Absolutely! For those who want a pumpkin chocolate sheet cake, you can add chocolate chips to the cake batter. You’ll love this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread too.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Video
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Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sheet Cake:
- ½ cup canola oil or melted cooled coconut oil
- ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ¼ cup honey plus 2 tablespoons
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder I recommend aluminum free
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
For the Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 ounces 1/3 reduced-fat cream cheese also called Neufchatel; do not use fat free
- 3 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly coat with baking spray.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, beat together the oil, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, and honey until well blended and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating between each. Beat in the pumpkin puree.
- Sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice over the top. Mix to combine. Then, sprinkle in the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. By hand with a wooden spatula or spoon, stir the batter, just until the flour disappears.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then with an offset spatula or spoon, smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the cake on a wire pan to cool completely.
- To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, butter, vanilla extract, and salt at medium speed for 2 minutes, until fluffy and well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, increasing the speed to medium as you go. Beat for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cooled cake. Let the frosting set for 10 minutes (you can pop the cake into the refrigerator if you are in a hurry), then slice and serve.
Notes
- TO STORE: Cover and refrigerate cake for up to 4 days.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze cake in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition
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More Healthy Pumpkin Desserts
hey girl this looks amazing! yummy!
Thank you so much Shawnna! Have a great weekend :-)
I’ve been really loving honey lately, so I love you added it in here! And Greek yogurt is my everything- it looks scrumptious in this frosting :)
Lovely dish for Halloween, I love these kind of cakes because they are so simple to do.
I do too! Thank you!
This sounds great and I love the healthy changes too :)
Thank you so much!
Could I leave the butter out of the frosting, I bothers my acid reflux like crazy!!??? This sounds so YUMMY! THanks.
Hi Kristin! The butter adds both flavor and consistency. If you don’t mind not having the flavor, you can leave it out, I would substitute an extra 2 tablespoons of cream cheese to make sure it isn’t too runny. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
can you freeze this cake without the cream cheese frosting
Hi Nuala! Yes, I actually think it would freeze best this way. Simply freeze the cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil. When you are ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then top with cream cheese frosting prior to serving.
Hi,Erin I will be making this cake to take as my contribution to the Thanksgiving table it looks divine I was thinking of adding some roasted,chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake and maybe sprinkling some on top of frosting but,what do you think??
I think either would be delicious Kathleen! Feel free to add up to 1/2 cup to the batter, than another 1/2 to 1 cup to sprinkle on top, depending upon how “nutty” you’d like it. I also suggest toasting them first to bring out their flavor. I hope you all love it!
Hi Erin,
I would like to make this for an event in attending. Could I make it the night before the event and then just put it in the refrigerator until the next day? Thanks!
Definitely Macy! I hope you all love it.
Hi Erin! I love your beautiful blog!! Your Pumpkin Sheet Cake looks and sounds deee-licious! And I could definitely eat that Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting with a spoon! lol :) Perfect fall dessert recipe!
Thanks so much, Alia! The frosting is definitely tempting to eat straight out of the bowl. ;)
I made four of these last week for a large gathering and they were a huge hit! Perfect for a potluck and was easy to double if you are looking to feed a crowd. I did not have enough honey on hand and subbed some pure maple syrup – turned out great.
I am so so happy to hear that Celeste! Thanks so much for taking time to leave this lovely review. It really means a lot! Also, FOUR CAKES? You are a baking champion!
I just recently made a cheesecake using the greek yogurt (room temp and drained extra water off) since I was short on cream cheese. Was going to make a half a recipe but thought I’d give it a try. I just adapted the original recipe and made the whole recipe. So half the cream cheese as normal. I always cut the sugar at least some in any CC recipe. Find it’s better less sweet. It was most excellent and I can see making this in a similar fashion. Thanks for the ideas.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Chris! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Hello, for your pumpkin sheet cake, it ask for 1/3 reduced-fat. Can you use regular cream cheese? Also, for the pumpkin pie spice. If I don’t have that, are you saying to mix all those spices together to substitute the pumpkin pie spice if you don’t have it.. Thanks!
Hi Stephanie! You can use regular cream cheese (the reduced fat version was just to help lighten it up). And, yes, you can mix all those spices together to create your own pumpkin pie spice. I hope you love the recipe!
These all sound good and delicious. It’s just my husband and myself so I don’t like to cook to much food we can never eat before it goes bad but I think these recipes can go a long way for our church group of put a lot in their tummies woman. Every one says they don’t eat much but can
Thank you for taking the time to leave this kind comment, Patricia! I hope you love the recipe if you give it a try!
My daughter made a trial healthy pumpkin cake for her 2 yr old’s birthday that was way too heavy. When I arrived the day before the party, I said “Let’s try Well Plated. Erin has a perfect mix of tasty and healthy.” Sure enough, it was a winner! I even changed it to high altitude for Denver and it was light and flavorful! Someone at the party asked for the recipe and I also told her about your cookbook coming up. She wants to buy one for a gift for her sister!
This recipe saved the birthday party! Thanks for another winning recipe. Can’t wait for the cookbook to come out!
Susan, this truly MADE my day! I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Back in Denver and getting ready to make it again for my 1 yr old granddaughter’s birthday. Now it’s a family favorite! This time I will make it as cupcakes. I still have my high altitude changes that worked great last time!
Do you think this would work with GF flour??
Hi Sarah! I’ve only tested this recipe as written, so it would be hard to say. If you decided to experiment I would use a 1:1 baking flour. Let me know how it turns out if you decide to experiment.
Can you make it in a 9×9 or 8×8 for smaller size?
Hi Sara! In order for you make it in a small cake pan you might need to cut the recipe in half, although I haven’t tried it myself. Placing the batter in a smaller pan will only result in a very thick cake which would require a longer cook time. Hope this helps!
So delicious and easy to make! It’s the perfect fall weather treat! I love how subtle the pumpkin is in this recipe and the frosting tied it all together. I have always enjoyed recipes from Well Plated and this one is definitely a must try!
Hi Amelia! So glad you enjoyed the cake! Thank you for this kind review!
Has anyone subbed something for oil to make fat free? More yogurt or? Or not recommended?
Hi Frances! I’ve only tested this recipe as written so it would be hard for me to advise on making this fat free. If you decide to experiment with any substitutions, let me know how it goes!
This was so yummy and easy to make! I sprinkled a little pumpkin spice on top of the frosting as well. My whole family loves it and it was nice to share with our neighbors for a fall treat. Will definitely be making it again and again!
Hi Kristin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this yesterday for a dinner party and everyone seemed to really like it. Yay! I especially appreciated that the cake was not sweet but the frosting was; it was a good and satisfying combo. The frosting was delicious (the yogurt adds such a zing!) tho a bit runny, but was easy to re-spread prior to serving. I’m guessing that’s because I used regular rather than Greek yogurt in the frosting. Toasted pecans in the cake and on top were a nice extra touch. Added an extra teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the batter to jazz it up a bit and that worked well. Thank you for this wonderful new recipe.
Hi Laurie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Would give this one more than 5 stars if possible. :-) Perfect fall treat! Thanks Erin
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Can I use vanilla greek yogurt, and regular all purpose flour instead of whole wheat?
This looks wonderful, I am going to try and half the recipe to use up my left over pumpkin puree.
Hi Sue! Yes that should work! Hope you enjoy it!
I made this recipe and loved it! It struck the perfect balance between being an indulgent sweet treat and not being over the top rich. I followed the recipe exactly as written and all went very smoothly. When it was done I topped it with candied walnuts, cut it into pieces and brought half to my neighbor for a group coffee date (yup we ate it before noon with coffee). Everyone agreed that it this recipe is a keeper.
Hi Cassandra! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Erin, this cake was such a big hit with my family! Moist, delicious and pleasant pumpkin flavor!
Thank you so much!
Hi DT! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious and perfect as is! Very light and fluffy cake.
Hi Christa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Easy recipe that makes a moist and delicious cake! Not too sweet. Perfect for the fall
Hi Jenn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’ve made it twice, once exactly as written and one much more simplified, more spices, and a bit healthier, and they were both perfect, fluffy, and delicious but the second one was more moist! The second time, I mixed all ingredients from canola oil through pumpkin (and used the whole can of pumpkin) all at once. I also used maple syrup instead of honey. Then mixed all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, I doubled the spices and used whole wheat pastry flour for all of the flour. Also we ate half the second one without frosting and it was amazing. It’s going to be on a regular rotation!
Hi Anita! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This recipe has me ready at the mixer! I am dairy free, I hate to swap out, but the icing? Any suggestions..that won’t ruin the cake?
Thanks
Birdie
Hi Birdie! You could try a vanilla glaze. that would be super yummy!
Will this work in a disposable aluminum pan (taking it to a big pot luck). And do you put the parchment paper just on the bottom ?
It should work fine in a disposable pan, RS! You could probably skip the parchment paper if using it. Enjoy!
This was so easy to make and got rave reviews at thanksgiving dinner!
So glad to hear it Kate!
I love your recipes. My little town does not have pumpkin puree anywhere. Can I use the pumpkin pie filling and leave out the pumpkin pie spices? Would that work?
Debi
Hi Debi, pumpkin pie filling will be a little thicker and a little sweeter but in a pinch, it should work if you are leaving out the pumpkin pie spices. Let me know how it goes if you decide to experiment.
I want to make this recipe as it looks to be a cake my family would love. HOWEVER the picture showing the finished cake using a 9″x 13″ baking pan looks a bit thin (2-2 1/2″ high?)
I would prefer to use a 10″ x 10″ rectangle pan that has less overall area to achieve a higher cake.
My concern is that the middle of the cake would take too long to cook relative to the outside edges that would end up overcooked to make sure the middle is done. A denser batter could cause this to happen – but the amount of flour used suggests that this is a fairly loose batter.
Your advise would be appreciated
Hi Susan, I think it would work just fine. The cake should be a little thicker in the 10×10 pan but the baking time might have to be adjusted due to it be a different size pan. Let me know how it goes!