Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (Video)

Prep Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 15 mins

Servings:

12

A cross between a bar cookie and a crowd-friendly sheet cake, these pumpkin bars are even better than pumpkin pie. They're also simple to make, and the topping of cream cheese frosting takes them over the top. The moist, tender cake is flavored with warm baking spices (cinnamon, of course, but also nutmeg and allspice) and tastes like fall. Serve them at Halloween, share them at a potluck, or savor them as an afternoon treat.

6 Ways to Decorate Pumpkin Bars

We think these pumpkin bars are wonderful plain or dusted with a little confectioners’ sugar. Topped with cream cheese frosting, they are sublime. If you need to gussy them up for a potluck or bake sale, here are some decorating ideas:

Drizzle maple syrup over the frosting right before serving
Dust the frosting with orange sanding sugar or sprinkles
Lightly sift cinnamon over the frosted bars
Decorate with toasted or candied pumpkin seeds
Toss mini chocolate chips over the frosting
Finish each bar with a marzipan pumpkin

Directions

Preheat oven and prep pan:

Heat oven to 350°F. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-by-12-inch cake pan with butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Brush parchment with butter.
Combine dry ingredients:

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
Whisk pumpkin and milk together:

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and milk; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, then flour:

Add eggs, and beat until combined. On low speed add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of pumpkin mixture, and beating until just combined after each.
Pour batter into pan and bake:

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top with spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make frosting:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, and pinch of salt until light and creamy, 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until incorporated.
Assemble:

Unmold cake. Using an offset spatula, spread icing over top of cake. Cut into 12 bars.

How to Store

You can make the pumpkin bars a day ahead. If you make them ahead or have leftovers, here’s how to store them: Use an airtight container, place the bars in one layer in the container, do not stack them. Refrigerate for up to three days.

Pro tip: Use the pan you baked the bars in for storing them. Cover it with plastic wrap.

Freezing

Unfrosted bars can be frozen: Let the cake cool completely before freezing. Wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Frost the thawed cake, then cut it into squares for serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is pumpkin puree the same as canned pumpkin?

Yes, pumpkin puree is the same as canned pumpkin as long as it is canned pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree can refer to cooked and pureed pumpkin made at home, but the term is also used for canned pumpkin puree also called solid-pack pumpkin. All these terms mean 100 percent steamed, pureed pumpkin with nothing added.
Is canned pumpkin pie filling the same as canned pumpkin?

No, canned pumpkin pie filling is not the same as canned pumpkin. It is a type of canned pumpkin, and like canned pumpkin puree it is made from cooked pumpkin puree. The difference is that pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices, while canned pumpkin does not.
Are pumpkin bars the same as pumpkin cake?

Some pumpkin bars can be similar to pumpkin cake. These pumpkin bars are what we might call pumpkin cake bars: a single-layer cake that's baked in a rectangular pan and cut into squares for serving, somewhat like a sheet cake. Cake bars tend to have a denser cake texture than a layer cake. There are other types of pumpkin bars that are less cake-like and more similar to a bar cookie