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Home » Course » Desserts

Pumpkin Bar Recipe

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August 24, 2022

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These deliciously moist pumpkin bars with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are amazing. This easy fall dessert is a crowd pleaser. This pumpkin bar recipe uses yellow cake mix and some add-ins to give it an extra flavor boost.
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Pumpkin pie bar with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

This pumpkin bar recipe is moist and perfectly seasoned for a subtle and sweet pumpkin flavor. With a cinnamon cream cheese frosting and a pumpkin and yellow cake mix recipe it’s easy to make and not your average pumpkin cake recipe. These easy pumpkin bars are the perfect fall dessert recipe.

Pumpkin bar with frosting on a plate.

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❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS PUMPKIN BAR RECIPE

✔️ Notable: Perfectly seasoned pumpkin cake with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

✔️ Main Ingredients: pumpkin puree, yellow cake mix, butter, eggs, pumpkin pie spice. This is a quick cake to make. No need for all-purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, or salt.

✔️ Cooking Method: oven baked

✔️ Cooking Time: 20 minutes. Plus cool time and frosting time.

✔️ Diets: vegetarian

✔️ Special Equipment Needed: sheet pan

Sheet pan with pumpkin bars cut into pieces.
Slice of pumpkin cake with cinnamon frosting.

Table of Contents

  • INGREDIENTS
  • INSTRUCTIONS
  • TIPS FOR THE BEST PUMPKIN BARS
  • HOW TO STORE
  • MORE FALL DESSERT RECIPES
  • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  • Pumpkin Bars

INGREDIENTS

You may have all of these pumpkin bar ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts and print the recipe.

  • Pantry or Dry Ingredients: Yellow cake mix, canned pumpkin puree.
  • Refrigerated Ingredients: Eggs, butter
  • Spices: Pumpkin pie spice (or make your own with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
  • Frosting: Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, heavy cream)
Cake mix package, stick of butter, pumpkin puree, eggs and pumpkin spice.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love pumpkin spice bars then you’ll love our Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.

INSTRUCTIONS

This section shows how to cook pumpkin sheet cake bars. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos.

Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your half sheet pan (18 x 13 inch jelly roll pan). See baking pan notes in the recipe card for thinner cake bars.

Make The Cake: In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, stir to combine cake mix and pumpkin pie spice with the wet ingredients: eggs, butter, pumpkin puree. Do not overmix. Pour pumpkin mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly or with small dry crumbs on it. Allow to cool completely.

Frost Cake: Make our cinnamon cream cheese frosting or buy prepared cream cheese frosting. Frost the tops of the cake. Cut into squares and serve.

Pumpkin bar batter in a sheet pan.
Knife frosting pumpkin bars.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love pumpkin then you’ll love our Mini Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes.

TIPS FOR THE BEST PUMPKIN BARS

Follow these tips to make the best pumpkin and yellow cake mix bars.

✔️ Use pumpkin puree. Make sure you have pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling.

✔️ Make them thinner. For thinner bars, use 2 half sheet pans (or a full sheet pan if that fits into your oven). pour half the batter into each. Adjust bake time accordingly.

✔️ Cool completely. Allow your cake to cool completely before frosting. If you try frosting warm pumpkin cake it will stick to your knife.

✔️ Frosting. Use our Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe for the best frosting!

✔️ Nuts and chocolate. Add a little something extra by adding your favorite nuts or chocolate chips to the batter before baking.

HOW TO STORE

Store leftovers, covered in the fridge, for up to 5 days or freeze in a freezer safe airtight container for up to 1 month.

Spatula lifting one slice of pumpkin cake bars.

MORE FALL DESSERT RECIPES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about baking this pumpkin and yellow cake mix recipe.

Is there a difference between pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree?

Yes! Pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree are very different. For this recipe you need pumpkin puree.

How many calories in a pumpkin bar?

These pumpkin bars have 251 calories each.

Should you refrigerate pumpkin bars?

Yes, you should refrigerate your pumpkin bars. The cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated. You can refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Pumpkin pie bar with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
5 from 48 votes

Pumpkin Bars


Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
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20 pieces
These deliciously moist pumpkin bars with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are amazing. This easy fall dessert is a crowd pleaser. This pumpkin bar recipe uses yellow cake mix and some add-ins to give it an extra flavor boost.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 yellow cake mix
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 15 ounce canned pumpkin puree
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 cups Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (or any cream cheese frosting)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a half sheet pan and set aside.
  • In the medium bowl of a standing mixer, or using a large bowl and hand mixer, beat together all of the ingredients: cake mix, eggs, butter, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times to be sure you incorporate all of the cake mix into the batter.  The batter will be thick.
    Pumpkin bar ingredients in a bowl.
  • Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
    Pumpkin bar batter in a sheet pan.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just a few crumbs remain when tested with a toothpick.
    Baked pumpkin cake in a sheet pan.
  • Cool completely before frosting.
  • Spread cream cheese frosting in a thick layer on top of the pumpkin cake base.
    Knife frosting pumpkin bars.
  • Cut into squares and serve.
    Pumpkin bars cut into squares.

Notes

Storage:
Store any leftovers, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Tips:
  • Use pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling.
  • For thinner bars, use 2 half sheet pans and pour half the batter in each.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. Trying to frost warm pumpkin bars will make them crumble and stick to your knife.
  • Use cinnamon cream cheese frosting or plain cream cheese frosting.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 3344IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

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posted in: American, Cake, Course, Cuisine, Desserts, Diet, Ingredient, Method, Oven, Pumpkin, Vegetarian

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