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.
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
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.
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!
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