Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
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Sep 20, 2017, Updated Nov 29, 2023
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Table of Contents
This pumpkin sheet cake with brown butter frosting is moist, fluffy and smothered with brown butter frosting. The frosting is nutty, buttery and a perfect balance of salty and sweet.
‘Tis the season to make a pumpkin sheet cake with brown butter frosting! Don’t you think?
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but me and sheet cakes have a thing. It’s not an old relationship at all. In fact, this guy right here was kinda the first sheet cake I’d ever made. But once I made that one, I was like WHOAA. This is WAY better than a big, layered cake because it’s a million times less stress and time. I also think that anyone, AND I MEAN ANYONE, can decorate a sheet cake.
It just takes some swoops and swirls with a trusty off-set spatula and that’s it. I mean, even a butter knife could do the trick.
Here’s the trick—I found—to making those bomb-ass swirls: You gotta plop all the frosting right in the center and then push it out. It really works splendidly. It also takes under 5 minutes. If you mess with it too much then it starts to look too purposeful.
The decorating needs to look casual yet cute. Don’t put too much effort into it, you know.
This combo is A++++, too.
Brown Butter Frosting Is Delicious!
When I first started this recipe, I was set out to make a salted caramel frosting. But then we made the salted caramel frosting and both HATED IT.
It was way too sweet! I wanted gigantic glass of water and a salad after I took a taste of it. But then, Billy got the bright idea to do a brown butter frosting. At that point we set off to make it and never looked back. It was magical.
I always love adding savory elements to sweet things. I think it’s a welcomed tasting note vs. just sugar sugar sugar. It makes things way more interesting and delicious.
The brown butter frosting is delicious and nutty. The pumpkin sheet cake is fluffy with just the right amount of pumpkin spice and pumpkin. Add too much pumpkin and it’ll be heavy and meal-y. Add too little and it tastes just like a spiced cake.
This is Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting is my official love letter to fall. It’s starting early this year. Let me know if you make it on Instagram!
xoxo,
Adrianna
P.S.
Here is the cake pan I love using.
Here is a link to the sprinkles I made!
Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
Equipment
- 1 (9×13-inch) baking pan
Ingredients
One-Bowl Pumpkin Sheet Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup neutral oil, (such as avocado, vegetable or safflower oil)
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Brown Butter Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided (2 sticks are just room temperature)
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line with a sheet of parchment (this makes it easier to remove it from the pan) and set aside. Alternatively you can make cupcakes and cake pans
- In the a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl using an electric mixer), whisk together the eggs, neutral oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out using an offset spatula or butter knife. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then invert it onto a cooling rack. BE CAREFUL IT'S A BIG CAKE.
To Make the Brown Butter Frosting:
- If you’ll notice in the recipe it calls for the butter to be divided so! Two sticks (1 cup) are going to be room temperature. One stick (1/2 cup) of the butter is what we’re going to brown.
- Go ahead and start by adding the room temperature butter to the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (OR a medium bowl using an electric mixer).
- Cube up 1/2 cup of the butter (1 stick). In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, add the cubed butter. Once it’s melted, it will begin to foam up and bubble a bit. Allow it to cook until you begin to see lightly browned specks beginning to form. Give it a stir and cook until it’s browned. You should also start to smell its nutty aroma. Remove it from the pan and continue to stir to cool it down.
- Transfer it to a small bowl (freezer-safe) and place it in the freezer to chill, for about 10 to 15 minutes. We want it to be around room temperature butter. After it gets to that room temperature butter-firmness (it can be a bit softer—that’s ok), transfer it to the bowl with the other room temperature butter.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat the frosting for about 3 minutes. The fluffiness from the heavy cream really lightens up this frosting so be sure to beat it for the full 3 minutes.
To Assemble the Cake:
- Pour all of the frosting on the cooled sheet cake and spread it around, creating cute swoops as you go. Top it with some sprinkles and cut it up and slice! Cake will stay moist for about 3 days when wrapped properly.
Notes
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves This recipe can be made into cupcakes! This recipe will make 24 cupcakes. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. This recipe can be made into a layer cake! Divide the batter into two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Let’s talk about different oils! In the cake pictured, I used vegetable oil. But avocado oil (a very neutral healthy oil) will work great. As will coconut oil, though it will give off a bit of a coconut flavor so beware.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lovely cake! Sure wish that you included a photo of the item on your “Printable” page. 🙁
This looks positively amazing and gorgeous! What a perfect recipe for the fall-season. I cannot wait to try this out. I know my brother will be my best friend if I put this together. Looks far too good to be true. Thank you for sharing it!
I’ve been so eager to make this since I saw the picture on Instagram! 🙂 One question before diving in, though: Where’s the note for the asterisked pumpkin spice? (Fingers crossed that I have all the necessary spices in my pantry!)
Ahh yes I added it to the “notes” if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can simply add a combo of those to the dry ingredients.
Oh heck yes!!!! Pumpkin automatically grabs my attention but, brown butter frosting…you’ve got me swooning here. Adding this to my Fall to-make list now!!! You’ll see my love for pumpkin and harvest veggies in my own recipes over at www.behindtheplates.com . I can’t help myself 😉
the brown butter takes it over the top!
Looks divine! Would you store the leftovers (if any) in the fridge or at room temp?
i would probably just lightly cover the cake with plastic wrap at room temperature!
Swwooooooning over this! I saw it on your instastory a little while ago, and I’ve been looking forward to the recipe ever since! Now I just need Austin to cool down below 95 degrees so I can pretend it’s fall…
LA is like this too in September. there are days when it’s like 65 and you think fall is coming and then BAM 100 degree weather and everyone wants to die. hoping fall comes your way soon!
You had me at brown butter frosting. I’m making this for my daughter’s October birthday. Pinning it!
so sweet, let me know how it goes!
I just made this, and the brown butter frosting is UH-MAZINGGGGG. Seriously. You have to make this NOW if you’re a fan of brown butter.
I’ve been checking your blog daily for this recipe since your first instagram post about it. I can’t wait to celebrate the first fall-feeling day with this!
haha! yay! i was waiting until we creeped closer to fall. 🙂
This really looks amazing, and I’m not even the biggest pumpkin fan!
it definitely tastes like pumpkin but it’s so surprisingly light and fluffy!
This has ‘trans seasonal excuse to stuff my face’ written all over it! This looks so incredibly delicious and I can almost smell its rich and spicy scent! Can’t wait to give this a go!
Gemma
www.fadewindmills.com
it has a good spicy scent haha!