Fluffy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
These pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are the perfect fall dessert! They're soft, warm-spiced, and topped with a spiced cream cheese frosting that is truly heavenly.
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- ¾ cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup milk of choice (regular or dairy free)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice SEE NOTES
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups flour SEE NOTES
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened ( 4 oz) (regular or dairy free)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Bars
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 rectangular pan with cooking spray and place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl of a standing or handheld mixer, beat together butter and sugars. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and beat until just combined. Add in the pumpkin puree and mix again.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the bowl of the standing mixer and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl every so often.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It will be thick, so spread it out evenly throughout the pan with a spatula.
- Bake the cake bars for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before adding the frosting. Don't worry if it looks a bit lumpy, Don't worry if it looks a bit lumpy, it will be covered in frosting!
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer or using the wire whip attachment in a standing mixer, whip together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla and cinnamon and mix until incorporated.
- Add in the powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often until desired consistency is reached. Add more if needed!
- Scoop a large dollop of spiced cream cheese frosting on top of the bars then spread it around using an offset spatula or regular spatula. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Measuring Flour: I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. If you aren't using a scale, use the scoop and level method. Too much flour will make the bars dry and crumbly.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can use the following combination of spices: 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, and 1/2 tsp ground allspice.
Storage: Once the cake has cream cheese frosting on it, it should be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 day. If the temperature is very warm where you live and the frosting seems to be melting, refrigerate them right away instead.
If you aren't going to serve the cake right away, refrigerate the cream cheese frosting, then frost the cake right before serving!
Nutrition
Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 2440IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg