Description
Paul’s Pumpkin Bars are moist, flavorful, and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, making them a perfect treat for fall or any time pumpkin cravings strike. With a blend of warm spices and a smooth, sweet topping, these bars are easy to prepare and delightfully satisfying.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cake:
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 2/3 cups white sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect all the cake and frosting ingredients to ensure you have everything prepared before starting.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) so it reaches the right temperature by the time the batter is ready.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Using an electric mixer, beat together the pumpkin puree, sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a medium bowl until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to ensure even distribution of the leavening and spices.
- Combine Batter: Gradually stir the sifted dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until the batter is thoroughly mixed without lumps.
- Prepare Pan and Bake: Pour the batter evenly into an ungreased 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake bounces back when lightly pressed.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan so the frosting doesn’t melt when applied.
- Prepare Frosting: Beat softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Add sifted confectioners’ sugar gradually, beating until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the Cake: Spread the prepared frosting evenly over the cooled pumpkin cake.
- Serve: Cut the frosted cake into 24 squares and serve as delicious pumpkin bars.
Notes
- Use a light hand when mixing the batter to avoid overworking the flour, which can make the bars tough.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
- For added texture, consider folding in chopped nuts or chocolate chips into the batter.
- You can substitute part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a healthier twist, but the texture may be denser.
- Store the pumpkin bars covered in the refrigerator to maintain freshness for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (1/24 of recipe)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
