A moist pumpkin cake topped with a deliciously creamy buttercream, these Pumpkin Squares with Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream Frosting are a fall favorite!
I first made these Pumpkin Squares last fall when my sister Maureen sent me the recipe and said, “you absolutely have to try these!” She said they were my niece Ally’s favorite. Well, all I can say is that Ally’s got great taste, and now they’re one of my favorites. The cake is incredibly soft and moist, with the wonderful flavors of pumpkin and cinnamon. As soon as I feel fall is in the air, I whip out my half sheet cake pan, and plan a little dinner party just so I can make them, and not eat them all myself!!
I’ve made them several times with cream cheese frosting, but this time I decided to change it up a bit, and I made my homemade Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. I’m a huge cinnamon fan, especially during the fall season. Cinnamon and fall just seem to go hand in hand for me, and it’s just the perfect complement for these pumpkin squares. I love the little flecks of cinnamon in the icing.
I also decided to step up my game in the icing department and try my hand at icing roses. I have seen so many gorgeous cakes with icing roses on Pinterest and other awesome blogs that I just had to give it a go. I’ll be honest, I’m not very talented in the cake decorating department, but with some encouragement from my good friend Hakeem, the pastry chef, and a little help from an online tutorial, I did it! They may not look perfect, but since the cake is, (thanks Ally!) all my guests loved it!
As Natasha says in the online tutorial, use a Wilton 2D tip to pipe the roses and practice first on a baking sheet until you get the hang of it. I thinly iced the sheet cake first, then cut them into squares, and finally piped the roses on top of each square.
Take it from my niece Ally, you don’t want to miss out on making this simple and incredibly delicious fall dessert. It’s sure to impress!
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- Icing Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter 3 sticks, softened
- 5 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Spray a half sheet cake pan (11x15) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin at medium speed with electric mixer until fluffy.
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In medium bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
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Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients at low speed until well combined.
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Spread batter into prepared pan.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of cake.
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Let cool before frosting.
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For icing:
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In bowl of stand mixer combine butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Beat on low speed until blended, about one minute.
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Add the vanilla and cream and increase speed to medium and continue to beat for 4 minutes until smooth and creamy.
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Add more cream, if necessary, for good spreading consistency.
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Lightly frost the top of the cake.
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Cut into small squares and place on serving tray.
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Pipe a rose on top of each square.
Cake adapted from Paula Deen. Cinnamon Buttercream by Mary Ann Dwyer.
Yum! So craving pumpkin right now and these squares look perfect. Love your cinnamon icing. So pretty :)
I’m in full pumpkin swing right now! Thanks so much Jennifer! Enjoy your week!
These little squares of pumpkin, cinnamon and buttercream lovin’ look divine, Mary Ann! And, your icing roses look preeeetty dang perfect, if you ask me! I am going to have to take your advice and make these for my next dinner party, because I am pretty sure I can’t be trusted with an entire pan of these all to myself! Pinned! Cheers, lovely!
I know right?! Who can resist pumpkin treats this time of year Cheyanne! Enjoy!
Your rosette is perfect Mary Ann! Good job! It’s harder than it looks, right? It’s early, but my mouth is watering already for these delicious pumpkin squares. They are perfectly baked, iced and cut! Your guests were luck to be able to sink their teeth into these beauties! I’m with you on the cinnamon… I buy in bulk so I can stock up and get a good price. It can get expensive. I love it when family and friends are looking out for our culinary prowess. Your pastry friend and sister are super sweet to help out in the effort. Delicious my dear! Have a great week!
Thanks so much Traci! I know, my friend Hakeem is always a great help! He is so talented, and always gives me confidence when baking in the kitchen! You have an awesome week too!
These look absolutely delicious! Perfect for Thanksgiving this year! (Pinned them) :) :) Thanks for sharing…
They would be perfect for Thanksgiving Linda! Great idea! Thanks so much for the comment and the pin!
This cake looks delicious- I love pumpkin and this looks perfect!! I absolutely love your roses on top!! What a great way to make a sheet cake fancy! They came out so good and that frosting sounds like it goes perfectly with the cake. Pinning!!
Thanks so much Jessica! They always looked so beautiful in photos, and I never thought I could do it. They were way easier than I thought. It’s such a pretty way to dress up a cake and make it look special! You’re going to love this pumpkin cake too! So moist and perfect with the buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!
The iced roses on top looks gorgeous!
Thanks so much Nicole!
Congratulations on those perfect roses you made with your buttercream frosting on your delicious looking pumpkin squares. It looks elegant and festive.
Thanks so much Gerlinde! When the temps get cooler for you, and you feel like pumpkin, you should give this one a try!
Absolutely beautiful! You piped perfect little roses :) I’m so happy fall is here, and I’m so excited to get my hands on any new pumpkin recipes. I can’t wait to try this and especially that cinnamon vanilla frosting!
Thanks so much Kathleen! Me too. I always enjoy fall baking! Maybe on a cooler day in Dubai you can whip these up!
Move over matcha mini donuts, these look more yummy. I love the piped rose on top also with the little specs of cinnamon!
You’ve got to try these squares Linda! They’re so easy to whip up and so hard to resist! Thanks so much for commenting!
Mare, you out did yourself! I want to pick one up and eat it! I can’t wait to try these next week at a girl’s night!
Thanks Rose! They will be a hit! The roses took some practice, but they weren’t as hard as I thought!
These look AMAZING!!!! Do you think swerve can be used as the sugar in this recipe?
Hi Kari. Thanks so much! I have never used Swerve, but I got on to their site and they say you can use Swerve just like you use sugar. So the cake calls for 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar, so you just use 1 2/3 cup Swerve! Enjoy!
OK these are too pretty to eat. Wait I lied..I will down two in a second.
Thanks Zainab! Ha! I ate more than two!
Oh wow these are so so so so gorgeous! I want pinning this fast and in a hurry!
Thanks Jocelyn! Hope you enjoy!
Oh my goodness I am in love with these! They look so beautiful! And that frosting?? Amazing!
Thanks Kelley! I was so excited to finally try icing roses! They really made the cake look special!
These look amazing and so perfect for fall! I am obsessed with anything pumpkin, and I know these would hit the spot. Your frosting roses are gorgeous! Pinning to try these beauties soon!
Thanks so much Erin! The roses were actually easier than I thought! And that pumpkin cake….so moist and delicious! Enjoy!
These look stunning, Mary Ann, thanks for sharing! I’ll definitely give them a try, I can’t resist cinnamon, especially during fall, either.
Thanks so much! You are really going to love these! They are so easy and so moist and delicious! Perfect as a little Thanksgiving dessert!
This looks so good! Do you use this frosting for any other recipes?
You can use the frosting for cupcakes or layer cakes too. Enjoy!
THanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi Vanessa. You can keep the cake in the fridge for up to five days. Enjoy!
Hi Mary Ann!
This is my absolute favourite for thanksgiving and fall dessert. It’s truly delicious!
I wanted to make these ahead but am not sure how to store them? My guests will be over Friday & Saturday, I wanted to make them on Thursday. Please let me know the best way to store them with icing already on.
thanks so much!!!
Hi Megan! These are our favorite too! I make them all throughout the fall for family and friends and everyone loves them. You can make them ahead and store them in your fridge covering the pan tightly with foil. I would remove them from the fridge just a bit ahead of serving so they soften up a smidge. Enjoy! And thanks so much for following!