These Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are light, fluffy, and smothered with tangy whipped cream cheese. They’re a perfect fall dessert to serve for parties or weekends at home.
If you are looking for even more pumpkin desserts, you may also love this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin Rice Pudding, or No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
These ooey-gooey pumpkin bars will soon be a family favorite. They’re soft and fluffy with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting that pairs perfectly with the flavors of pumpkin and fall spices.
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More on the cakey side, these pumpkin bars are best eaten with a fork. I love serving them when entertaining guests for the holidays or serving to someone who prefers cake over pie. Best of all, they only take a few minutes to throw together.
Key Ingredients
- Baking Powder: This helps the cake rise and become fluffy.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are used in this recipe, but you could also substitute pumpkin pie spice.
- Butter: Melted butter is used in this recipe instead of oil because everything is better with butter! The melted butter helps keep the cake moist.
- Eggs: eggs give the cake that spongy consistency, but they also hold the batter together while it bakes.
- Pumpkin: you can use canned puree or homemade pumpkin puree. Just be sure to weigh your pumpkin using a kitchen scale if you are using homemade pumpkin puree.
- Cream Cheese: Regular, full-fat cream cheese is what the recipe calls for, however, low-fat cream cheese also works great here.
- Powdered Sugar: This gives the frosting sweetness without any sugar granules.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the batter. Mix your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients in separate bowls, then add the wet to the dry. Mix with a rubber spatula until well-combined.
- Bake. Pour into a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the cake comes out clean.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Whip together the butter and soft cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low, then increase speed and beat again until fluffy.
- Frost the squares. Spread a thick layer of frosting on the cooled pumpkin cake, then cut into bars or squares.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yup—you can freeze these pumpkin bars. Just be sure to do it without the frosting on it. You can bake it on a large baking sheet. Let the pumpkin bars cool, wrap the entire pan with plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer. Before you’re ready to serve, make the frosting and spread it on the pumpkin bars. It will be easier to spread the frosting before it thaws. You can spread the frosting before or after the pumpkin bars are thawed.
You can store extra cream cheese frosting in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight and pull to room temperature to re-whip before using.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerator: store Pumpkin Bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Pumpkin Bars can be wrapped well with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, then stored for up to 1 month in the freezer. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight. I recommend pulling out to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Easy Pumpkin Bar Recipe
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 16 ounces pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
- 4 large eggs
- 1? cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, and sugar. Beat until the ingredients are combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. Pour the batter into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, then remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely while you make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the soft cream cheese and beat again until light and fluffy again. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low, then increase speed and beat until fluffy.
- Spread evenly over the cooled pumpkin cake and cut into pieces. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast
- No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Rice Pudding
- Homemade Pumpkin Puree
- More Fall Recipes
- More Holiday Recipes
These are easy Pumpkin Bars with a Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. It’s the perfect fall treat. It is a soft and fluffy pumpkin bar and has a thick and rich cream cheese frosting recipe.
