Pumpkin Dream Cake.
I know I’m dramatic 105% of the time, but this is the best pumpkin sheet cake of life.
And I’m not exaggerating one single bit.
So here’s the deal.
Yes, why yes, I did make a pumpkin cake last year too! I made this pumpkin coconut cake and it’s been a huge hit. But the thing is that coconut is so polarizing. I obviously love it, but even in this house? Eddie loathes it.
It’s a recipe I’ve received loads of questions over, because lots of you want to remove the coconut. Either you don’t love it, have an allergy or want to serve it to a crowd minus the coconut, and I get that!
But because it’s a coconut cake, there is a lot to swap out if you DON’T want the coconut. Like, it’s easier to just make a whole different cake.
That’s why this pumpkin dream cake was born.
I’ve seen pumpkin dream cakes floating around the internet for years but they are all layer cakes. I love a good layer cake but I love my sanity (and patience!) more.
Pumpkin cake, almost like pumpkin bread, is one of those things that is amazing to make ahead of time for a party or get together or even just a fall weekend. Heck, I’ve even bought the Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread mix before just to have something easy to make on a Friday!
While this cake is homemade, it is so much easier than a layer cake. And let me be real: I wasn’t necessarily planning on calling this plain old pumpkin sheet cake a pumpkin dream cake.
Oh no. I mean, I don’t even worship at the altar of pumpkin. We all know I’m much more of an apple cider girl.
But then I went and covered this in my cinnamon cream cheese frosting. I took the first bite and was basically screaming. Running around for everyone else to try it. They are like me – pumpkin treats are good, but they don’t lose their mind over them, you know?
Everyone. Everyone was freaking out.
As they very well should be. LOOK AT THIS!
This cake is UNREAL! It’s so soft and fluffy. It’s not overwhelmingly spiced. (Feel free to add more if you want!) The blanket of icing on top is so delicious that even the lowest level of icing lovers (like myself) will not be able to contain themselves.
It might be a bold statement, but I am going to make this cake every year for the rest of my life. Maybe (definitely) multiple times a year. I will probably make it on Thanksgiving, over all other desserts.
I might even make it on Christmas. It’s currently rivaling a pumpkin bar that I’ll be sharing in a few weeks, a bar I’ve made for the last two years and have LOVED.
It’s that good. So good! Please please please go make it right now. And save me a piece!
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Pumpkin Dream Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 ¾ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- 2 8- ounce blocks cream cheese
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Note: If you LOVE spice, feel free to add some extra spice in here (pumpkin! allspice! more cinnamon! - you can add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon if you'd like) as this isn't overly spiced.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, yogurt and oil. Once smooth and combined, whisk in each egg one at a time. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until combined and no large lumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Note: every time I’ve made this cake, it has smelled “eggy” in the oven which has scared me. No worries - once the cake comes out and cools, it does not taste eggy!
- Cool the cake completely. Once the cake has cooled, frost with the cream cheese frosting. Slice and serve!
cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Beat in the sugar and cinnamon until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract. Frost the cooled cake! I like to keep the cake in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting, plus we love cold cake!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
That bite is everything.
201 Comments on “Pumpkin Dream Cake.”
this. freaking. CAKE!!!! we love it so much! i made it for thanksgiving this year and used the espresso cream cheese frosting from your banana cake and it was unreal. my entire family raved about it! i subbed coconut oil for the canola oil and it was just perfect. i will be making this a million more times!!!! MAKE THIS CAKE <3333
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit; especially the frosting!! Thanks for the recipe!
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I love that this recipe uses a whole can of pumpkin puree. I’ll definitely be making this cake. Thank you!
I have made this cake twice, each time it has been amazing! Everyone loves this cake.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I have had so many people ask for the recipe.
The frosting is just perfect for this cake.
I gave you the five stars, but you deserve 10, for sure.
Love your recipes but wish you’d give the Nutrition facts – esp Carbs per serving. Thx Jessica!
I made this last year and LOVED it! I was hoping to use it for a layer cake this year. Any suggestions on cake size and cooking time?
Did you ever turn this into a layer cake??
Thank you!
Can I use refined coconut oil in place of vegetable? Do you think It will throw the recipe completely off? Thanks a bunch excited to try!
What can I say but simply delicious! Made it just like the recipe except I added some pumpkin pie spice to the cake and toasted crushed walnuts sprinkled on frosting. We have a local restaurant that make cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and every time we go by it is difficult to not stop and buy some. Upon the first bite of this cake my husband said, omg this taste exactly like the restaurant cupcakes. Definitely not the last time for this making this cake!!
So moist, so amazing!
I just pulled this out of the oven and it smells FANTASTIC. I want to cut out a square so bad but I’m supposed to bring to an event tonight. I hope I can hold off! I’ll post another comment with review after we’ve tasted it. :D
I’m a bit disappointed in the amount of frosting in the recipe, leftover/wasted. I put 1/4 inch on the cake, and there still is sooo much remaining. Honestly one 8oz cream cheese and 1/4 butter. Would be plenty to frost a 9X13. The cake is in every way as described delicious, moist, a taste of Autumn 🍂.
Can I use something else for Greek yogurt?`.
I made this cake and substituted 1/2 cup applesauce for the Greek yogurt and it was delicious!
I substituted buttermilk for the yogurt with great results.
It looks wonderful, haven’t tried it yet. I’m looking for your pumpkin sheet cake recipe. I found part of your recipe in my collection but am missing a page. I can’t find it on your site. I remember making it for a party and we loved it. Want to make this year but can’t find page two.
This is literally one of the best cakes I’ve ever made!! And I’ve been baking for years!! It’s flavorful, moist yet super fluffy and best of all soooo soft and luxurious. I can’t get enough. And super easy to make!!
Can you taste the yogurt? Asking because I really really dislike yogurt. I wish I didn’t, but I do.
not at all! if you dont like yogurt you can replace with sour cream.
This cake is absolutely delicious! I added a little more cinnamon and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice because I like a lot of spice. I also didn’t have any Greek yogurt so substituted 1/2 cup applesauce and it turned out great. Everyone I shared it with raved about it.
What type oil do you recommend? Trying to watch my cholesterol.
Absolutely outstanding recipe! I’m an avid baker and the cake and frosting won over so many people! This is a new fall go-to dessert.
I wanted to make it into cupcakes for the teachers at school, have you tried this as a cupcake? If so I would looove baking time thank you so much!
I am wanting to make this cake for this Saturday, but need to make it early. Would it still be okay if I baked this on Thursday night and waited until Saturday AM to frost? Should I store it in the fridge until time to frost? Just wanted to get your thoughts.
Thanks so much! I made this 2 Thanksgivings ago- it was delicious and such a hit!
yes! i make this all the time a few days early for thanksgiving. you can even frost it on thursday! just cover and refrigerate the entire thing until ready to serve!
Thanks so, so much! Happy Thanksgiving to you + your family!
Could this be baked in a sheet pan (11.5”x16.5”) instead of the traditional 9×13 cake pan, reducing bake time?
I’ve never made a cake before but now, I am going to go full speed ahead! This recipe was so easy and came out exactly as you described. As my first sheet cake, I was a bit worried about it coming out of the pan but no, not a problem at all. My husband thought this was too much frosting and wouldn’t let us put it all on the cake ~ my son had a side dessert ~ but we really could have used it on the edge, to even it out.
Thanks so much ~ it’s going in the family recipe book. :)
Can you use pure pumpkin instead of pumpkin puree
This is my second time making this cake. My DIL wanted a fall cake for her summer birthday so I made this as a layer cake and it worked beautifully. I used two 9” pans and cut the time down about 5 minutes. I did have frosting left over, I was concerned it my melt a bit so I went a little lighter, but still plenty for the cake. The leftover is delicious smeared on a graham cracker! This is an easy cake to make, that is just as delicious.
Is this recipe high altitude (that’s what I googled). Thanks!
So good!
This cake is AMAZING. Moist, flavorful, fluffy. I was nervous about the icing – I made it in a rush before a party and I’d microwaved the butter and cream cheese and it … did not taste good warm. BUT it was delicious after being in the fridge 30mins! I also was short an egg so used 1/4cup applesauce. Delicious!
Oh my goodness this recipe is sooo delicious. I made buttercream for filling and put some nutmeg with cinnamon together for the filling. Iced it in buttercream. Forgot to mention that I made it into 2 8”cakes.
Loved this recipe! I added a bit of ginger and more cinnamon.
For the frosting, I added a cup of walnuts, rum, orange juice and zest.
It was a hit at our luncheon.
Maggi
Hi, can I use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt? Plain greek yogurt is hard to get where I currently live.
Looks Amazing and plan to make it for a dessert gathering at my house. I have a question…. has anyone added chocolate chips? I love pumpkin and choc together and am wondering about doing that with this cake. But, I don’t want to mess up what looks like a classic.
We made this cake for the holidays. We only made half the frosting. It was absolutely delicious! We won’t be serving pumpkin pie again!
I made this last week and I’m making another one right now! It’s so good and it’s easy to make. I used 2 tsp of cinnamon and no other spices due to personal preference and I added a cup of raisins. Also 1/2 of the frosting recipe was plenty.
I just retired last week and have a bucket list of what I want to do that includes learning how to cook and bake. My husband is such an awesome cook (you know, the person who never measures anything?!), plus makes amazing white chocolate cheesecake and bananas foster among other desserts, so I have had a fear of the kitchen, LOL. He loves anything pumpkin, so when I saw this recipe, I just knew it was something that I could make and feel pretty confident that it would turn out well. Mission accomplished! Even a friend visiting today (who loves to bake) agreed that this rated a 10 out of 10 (and the friend took home several pieces). I am excited to add this to my list of “repeat” recipes and it has really boosted my confidence that I can beat my fear of making desserts!
How many stars is this really?
Hi, the bottom of my cake looks like it didn’t bake, but the rest of did. Any thoughts?
Made this today, cut recipe in half and used a 9” round cake pan. I added 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and subbed sour cream for yogurt. I made 1/4 of icing recipe and it was enough to cover well . Very moist and delicious!
Hi, does the butter and cream cheese need to be at room temp for the frosting?
I made this for Sunday family dinner yesterday and this was a huge hit. I subbed 1:1 gluten free flour for the AP flour due to some dietary concerns of some of the guests and it was still prefection. Noone knew the difference. Will make this again and again
This cake is AMAZING!! If I could give it 100 stars I would! I sub’d melted butter for the vegetable oil and I added 1 1/2tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the batter. It had just the right amount of spice! The cake turned out so soft and moist but not dense at all. Definitely a must try!
Great recipe. I did use a lot more spices. So easy, great flavor and texture. Absolute winner!
If I bake this in 9×9 circle pans will it still be moist and be the same. (I know i may have to play with the time)
The BEST pumpkin cake ever! I made this cake for my birthday and everyone LOVED it. I think I should add a bit more spice next time, but it was so so moist and delicious. I made it in 9×9 circle pans so I could make it pretty and decorate it. I cooked it for 25 minutes and it was perfect! Definitely making again!!!
This cake was so easy and so so delicuous. No overwhelmingly cinnomany/spicy or sweet! And I appriciate that you yse the entire can of pumpkin pure instead of 3/4 of a cup of it like most recipes! Thank you very much.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve made this recipe – cake & cupcakes. For the 3rd year I’ve brought cupcakes to work the day before Thanksgiving. All day long….”those cupcakes are amazing.” BECAUSE THEY ARE, Y’ALL. Make this!
This cake was amazing. I loved the cinnamon frosting! I have celiac and substituted King Arthurs Baking Flours cup for cup and it turned out great. Very moist in the middle still.
The pumpkin dream cake with cream cheese frosting was by far the best thing I made for my Thanksgiving holiday table, and there was a lot of competition for first place! It was an instant family favorite and will definitely being making a return appearance. Thank you!
I am now an addict of this cake. It was a sneak attack because I was never a pumpkin spice person. I only went searching for a pumpkin cake recipe after on a whim buying canned pumpkin puree from Costco. Well, here we are…incapable of thinking of much else but this darn cake. The old me has vanished and now this pumpkin dream cake fanatic lives in this snatched body. Thank you, you’re an angel for giving us this gift!
I just made this cake and am waiting for it to cool. When I checked it, the middle of it sunk. What did I do wrong?
Hi! Love this cake. Making it for Easter wknd actually! Would it be possible to do this in a Bundt pan I hope?! What adjustments should I make? (Aside from the icing..), but specifically for the cake. Any major adjustments? Thanks!