Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

This pumpkin sheet cake is a thin, tender pumpkin cake baked in one big pan and poured over with warm brown butter frosting, made the same way as the old-fashioned Texas sheet cake everybody asks for. It’s easy to make, feeds a crowd, and has that nostalgic fall flavor everyone loves.

 

An Easy Pumpkin Texas Sheet Cake That Feels Like an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Sheet cakes earned their spot at potlucks for a reason. One pan, one bowl for the batter, and enough squares to feed the whole table. This one skips the mixer completely, and the frosting gets poured over the cake while both are still warm, so it settles into a smooth, fudgy layer instead of sitting on top like buttercream. If you’ve made the peanut butter sheet cake, you already know the method.

Browning the butter is what sets the frosting apart. Regular powdered sugar icing tastes sweet. Brown butter icing tastes toasted and a little nutty, and it plays off the cinnamon and pumpkin the way caramel would. Takes about five extra minutes and it’s the whole reason people ask for the recipe.

Fall is when this cake really pulls its weight. Bring it to a church supper, a school function, or Thanksgiving dessert alongside a pumpkin poke cake or a pan of pumpkin dump cake. It travels well, cuts clean, and holds up on a buffet table for hours.

Building the whole dessert table? Start with these easy fall desserts and these easy potluck desserts for recipes that travel well and always get asked for.

FAQs

Ingredients

See the recipe card below that has the printable, full ingredient list and instructions.

For the Pumpkin Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour – Gives the cake its structure.
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon – The main spice flavor here, more forward than the pumpkin itself.
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice – Rounds out the warm spice notes.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda – Helps the cake rise and brown.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder – Works with the soda to keep the crumb light.
• ½ teaspoon salt – Balances the sugar.
• ½ cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled – Brings the butter flavor.
• ½ cup vegetable oil – Keeps the cake moist for days.
• 1½ cups granulated sugar – Sweetens the cake.
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar – Adds a little molasses depth.
• 4 large eggs – Bind everything and give the cake its tender texture.
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree – The flavor and the moisture. Not pumpkin pie filling.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract – Warms up the spices.

For the Brown Butter Frosting

• ¾ cup salted butter – Gets browned for that toasted, nutty flavor.
• 6 tablespoons whole milk – Loosens the frosting so it pours.
• 4 cups powdered sugar – Sweetens and thickens the frosting so it sets.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract – Rounds out the brown butter.
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional – Ties the frosting back to the cake.
• ¾ cup chopped pecans, optional – The traditional finish on a sheet cake.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10 x 15-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ½ cup melted butter, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1½ cups granulated sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar.
• Add 4 eggs, the 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whisk until smooth and completely combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir just until no streaks of flour remain. Don’t overmix.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the center springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Start the frosting about 5 minutes before the cake finishes baking.

How to Make the Brown Butter Frosting

• Put ¾ cup salted butter in a medium, light-colored saucepan over medium heat. A light pan lets you see the color change.
• Cook and stir frequently as the butter melts and foams. Keep going until golden-brown specks appear on the bottom of the pan and the butter smells toasted and nutty.
• Take the pan off the heat. Carefully whisk in 6 tablespoons whole milk.
• Add 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon if you’re using it. Whisk until smooth, then stir in ¾ cup chopped pecans if you want them.
• Let the baked cake rest about 5 minutes.
• Pour the warm frosting over the warm cake. Work quickly and spread it to the edges before it starts to set.
• Let the cake cool and the frosting set before slicing.

Tips

• Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Check the can label.
• Measure every frosting ingredient before you start browning the butter. This frosting sets fast once it’s mixed.
• A light-colored saucepan makes it much easier to see when the butter has browned. In a dark pan you’re going by smell alone.
• If the frosting thickens up too much to pour, whisk in more milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Stir the pecans into the warm frosting for the traditional look and texture.
• Both the cake and the frosting need to be warm when they meet. That’s what gives you the smooth, poured finish instead of spread-on icing.

More Recipes

If you love easy pumpkin desserts like this one, then you’ll also love these fall favorites:

• pumpkin lush
• pumpkin cheesecake bars
• pumpkin dump cake
• harvest cake

Recipe