Church Supper Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Published: October 8, 2008

Makes 1 cake

CAKE

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons each: baking powder, baking soda and ground cinnamon

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

SWEET CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 box (1 pound) powdered sugar

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the inside of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.

→To make cake, in a medium-size mixing bowl, sift the granulated sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. With an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin and vegetable oil together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the dry ingredients in thirds, beating well after each addition, and continue beating until you have a soft batter. Stir in the walnuts, if using. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

→Bake the cake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.

→When the cake has cooled, make the frosting by beating together the powdered sugar, cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl with the electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.

→Source: "All-American Desserts” by Judith M. Fertig (Harvard Common Press, 2003).

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