This chocolate chip pumpkin sheet cake recipe is perfect for parties, potlucks, and get togethers over the holidays! Everyone loves the rich pumpkin flavor paired with chocolate morsels and luscious cream cheese frosting. Because it’s one of the easiest pumpkin cakes to make, it is one of our most popular pumpkin desserts. You can frost the cake completely, or make it more decorative as pictured below.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Sheet Cake
All you need is a sheet pan and a few pantry ingredients, and you will soon have a gorgeous dessert for any fall occasion.
Pumpkin puree – A 15-ounce can of pumpkin is perfect, or you can use homemade pumpkin puree.Sugar – Regular white sugar is what I used for sweetness. Vegetable oil – Corn or canola oil works too! Sour cream – This gives the cake such a moist texture.Large eggs – Whisk four eggs and then add to the pumpkin mixture.All-purpose flour – Combines the ingredients and creates a thicker batter. Baking soda – Always helping baked goods rise while in the oven. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg – These spices are the perfect combination of fall! They all blend well with pumpkin treats. Salt – Helps enhance flavoring with the ingredients. A pinch of salt goes a long way!
Health Benefits of Pumpkin
There truly are great health benefits that come from eating pumpkin – and this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake uses real pumpkin. While my favorite pumpkin recipes are desserts, pumpkin is also delicious in soups and casseroles. A couple of my favorite pumpkin recipes to make in the fall are Dinner in a Pumpkin and Pumpkin Cobbler. Pumpkin has a squash-like taste and texture, and adds a lot of flavor to recipes. It’s worth giving it a try to get the boost of vitamins and antioxidants pumpkin provides. Additionally, here are just a few of the health benefits of eating pumpkin:
Better Eyesight – One cup of cooked pumpkin contains more than 200% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A. Additionally, Vitamin A aids vision, especially vision in dim lighting.Weight Loss – One cup of cooked pumpkin has three grams of fiber and only 49 calories! This makes you feel a little better when you eat that slice of pumpkin pie, right? Fiber makes you feel fuller longer, so you eat less.Cancer and wrinkle prevention – According to the National Cancer Institute, beta-carotene may play a role in cancer prevention, and pumpkin is chock full of beta-carotene. Health Magazine also reported that the carotenoids in pumpkins can also help keep skin wrinkle-free.Energy – Pumpkin contains more potassium than bananas! Potassium restores electrolyte balance after a workout and keeps muscles functioning at their best.
Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
For the frosting, use a hand mixer to whip the unsalted butter and room temperature cream cheese together with vanilla extract and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Butter and cream cheese – Soften both ingredients ahead of time to make it easier to cream together. Vanilla – Adds a hint of flavor to the creamed mixture. Powdered sugar – Makes the frosting smooth and rich with flavor.
Additions and Substitutions to this Pumpkin Cake
If you love chocolate and pumpkin together, add chocolate chips! I like to use mini chips because they distribute more evenly and give you a little chocolate in every bite. Larger chocolate chips can turn large parts of the cake brown and consequently, don’t distribute as evenly.Add your favorite chopped nuts to the top of the cake. Pecans or walnuts are delicious options.You can spread the entire cake with the soft cream cheese icing, or make it more decorative. Spoon the frosting into a Ziplock bag and cut a small hole in one corner, then squeeze the frosting in a decorative pattern on top of the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pumpkin Cake
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you are in the mood for more pumpkin treats, try some of these delicious pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Mousse
Pumpkin Cobbler
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