Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin bars
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250 g
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 1 can pumpkin puree 15 oz / 425 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- ground cinnamon for dusting
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 10 x 15 inch rimmed baking pan and line it with parchment.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and both sugars until smooth, then whisk in the oil, pumpkin and vanilla.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely in the pan, at least 1 hour.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars, dust with cinnamon, and cut into 24 squares.
Notes
9 x 13 pan: bake 32 to 38 minutes; the bars will be thicker, like cake.
Clean cuts: chill the frosted bars 30 minutes and wipe the knife between cuts.
Storage: refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze frosted bars on a tray, then wrap, up to 3 months.