Okay, we’ve finally seen it all! There’s officially a Texas sheet cake for every occasion. Normally made for simple birthday celebrations and sweet treats during the week, this Thanksgiving Texas Sheet Cake gets fancied up enough to be served at the family’s gratuitous gathering! The cake is sweet, pumpkin-y, and everything you’d hope for in a Turkey Day cake. Topped with a creamy, smooth frosting, you might just slide right past the pumpkin pie for a slice of this instead. Celebrate the right way with Thanksgiving Texas Sheet Cake!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, plus more, to taste, for greasing the pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, to taste, for dusting the pan
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 28 ounces canned pumpkin purée
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups powdered sugar, plus more, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Use the extra butter to coat a 15 1/2×10 1/2-inch deep-sided jelly roll pan, then use the extra flour to coat the greased bottom and sides. Shake the pan and dump out the excess flour.
Step 3 –In a medium bowl, add the remaining 3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pumpkin pie spice, the baking powder, the baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and stir to combine.
Step 4 –In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add 1 1/2 cups of the butter, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar, creaming together by starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high speed, until it is light, fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 5 –Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Step 6 –Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, and beat after each addition.
Step 7 –Scrape down the sides of the bowl and reduce the mixer speed to low.
Step 8 –Alternate adding the flour mixture and the pumpkin purée to the butter mixture until both are combined and the batter is smooth.
Step 9 –Scoop the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and evenly smooth it out.
Step 10 –Bake the cake until the center is puffy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Do not open the oven until the end of the baking time.
Step 11 –Transfer the jelly roll pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
Step 12 –Before serving, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the remaining 1 cup of the butter and whip on high speed until it is very fluffy and soft.
Step 13 –Reduce the speed to medium-low and mix the buttermilk, the vanilla, and the remaining salt into the whipped butter.
Step 14 –Slowly add 5 cups of the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, to the frosting mixture and mix after each addition until it is light and smooth. If it isn’t thick enough, add 1/2-1 cup of the extra powdered sugar and whip until it is smooth.
Step 15 –Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the extra pumpkin pie spice.
Step 16 –Slice and serve.
