Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Erin Paruszewski, Adapted from Marin Mama

*Note: this is best in a jelly roll pan

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

1 (15-ounce) can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Cup for cup gluten free flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon fine kosher salt

For the cream cheese frosting:

Approximately 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar – this is to taste

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, at room temperature

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together the 4 eggs, 1 2/3 cups sugar, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (you can do this on the stove or in the microwave) and the pumpkin puree until well combined. You can use a hand mixer, standing mixer or just a plain old whisk. In a smaller bowl mix together the 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and the 1 teaspoon salt.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk or stir well to combine. The batter will be thick.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10×15 inch jelly roll pan (I know it sounds strange, but you don’t need to grease the pan). You can get these jelly pans at Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond or your local kitchen store. The jelly roll pan looks like a rimmed baking sheet, except that it has this ribbed bottom. I know it seems weird to bake a cake in something so shallow, but believe me it works great, and the cake rises up without spilling over and the cake is moist, not dense and tough.

Spread out the batter evenly using a spatula, and then pound the pan a few times onto the counter to even it out and get out any air bubbles. You can also use a 9×13 pan for the cake, but you will have to bake the cake a bit longer.

Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean

Let the cake cool and then make the frosting!

Put your softened butter, cream cheese and vanilla into a bowl and get your handy dandy mixer out.

Beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla together on medium speed until well blended.

Slowly add the sifted confectioners sugar to taste. At first, pour in 1/2 of the sifted amount, mix it and give it taste, and keep adding small amounts till you get it to the taste you like. You want it to be sweet but not too sweet. Enjoy!