Name: Pumpkin Cake Bars
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 18 servings
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 cup vegetable oil; 2 cups granulated sugar; 15 oz. can pumpkin puree; 2 cups flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1/2 tsp. salt; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. ground ginger; 1/2 tsp. ground cloves; 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg; 1/2 c. butter softened; 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened; 4 c. powdered sugar; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/3 c. milk

Pumpkin Cake Bars

Pumpkin Cake Bars are a delicious fall treat with a light and fluffy pumpkin spice cake mix topped with decadent cream cheese frosting!

Prep20 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total45 minutes

Serves18

Published 26 Oct 2023

Pumpkin Cake Bars with cream cheese frosting are an easy and delicious fall dessert recipe with a light and airy pumpkin spice sheet cake topped with decadent homemade frosting!

Easy Pumpkin Bars

With the weather cooling off, its the perfect excuse to make these easy pumpkin bars with a rich cream cheese frosting. It’s an old recipe that my family has been making for generations, but withstands the test of time.

A light and airy cake like bar is topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting for a decadent sheet pan cake perfect for fall.

Cake Bars for a Crowd

My Mom will often make these Pumpkin Cake Bars when family is coming home or the guys are busy farming. It makes such a large sheet pan, that it is great for a crowd or large family gathering. Don’t worry, they are so light and delicious, you they won’t stick around for long!

The cake in these pumpkin bars is moist and firm enough to hold up to eating these with your hands. Just serve them up with a napkin and you have an easy treat for a crowd.

Another popular pumpkin recipe with our family is this Pumpkin Cheesecake. While cheesecakes sound intimidating to some people, they are incredibly simple to make. They are also fantastic desserts for a crowd because a thin slice of the rich cheesecake goes a long ways.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Can I use a cake mix?

While it is tempting to look for a recipe for Pumpkin Cake Bars that uses a cake mix, I promise you these are just as easy and will taste a million times better. Moreover, they won’t dry out and become stale so quickly.

By time you add the extra ingredients to the cake mix, it is no more work to just measure out the basic pantry ingredients like flour, sugar, oil, etc. to make these Easy Pumpkin Bars.

Can I use pumpkin spice?

If you don’t keep a well stocked spice cabinet, it is possible you may not have cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.

If this is the case and you don’t want to have to buy some spices that you may not use again, simply substitute 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie mix for all of the spices. By purchasing pumpkin pie spice you will only have to buy one small container.

pumpkin cake bars frosted with cream cheese frosting on cooling rack

What is pumpkin pie spice?

Pumpkin Pie spice typically contains ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Sometimes it will include allspice as well.

If you do decided to pick up a jar of pumpkin spice, here are some more sweet and savory seasonal recipes that are a great way to use it.

Pumpkin Coconut Granola – For all the great flavors of fall, but in a healthier recipe, try this delicious granola

Fall Cupcakes – Get the great flavors of pumpkin spice without pumpkin in these incredibly moist cupcakes

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Bars – Get all the goodness of a creamy pumpkin pie in these easy bars with a crust you don’t have to roll out!

Thanksgiving Dessert Idea

Are you the odd man out who isn’t a big fan of traditional pumpkin pie for your holiday dessert or maybe you just don’t like the pain of making a Homemade Pie Crust?

These Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are a great alternative!

Homemade Pie Crust

Easy Holiday Dessert Recipes

If you are looking for more holiday dessert recipes that are an easy way to impress your guests, check out some of these sweet treats!

Cranberry Orange Custard Pie – This hugely popular recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

Pressure Cooker Apple Crisp – If you don’t have any oven space left, this is a great way to make this classic dessert!

Cranberry Orange Cheesecake Bars – This tangy twist on cheesecake is perfect for the holidays.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake – Put a tart winter spin on the classic cake!

Notes

OPTIONAL: Dust the top of the bars with a bit of freshly ground nutmeg and or cinnamon for a finishing touch. *You can substitute canned cream cheese frosting in a pinch.

Ingredients

Bars

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups granulated sugar

15 oz. can pumpkin puree

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c. butter softened

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened

4 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. milk

Steps

Preheat your oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin.

Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined.

Pour into a greased and floured half sheet pan (12"x18").

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and continue beating until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled bars.