The Best Pumpkin Bars Recipe

Yay, for pumpkin spice season! Am I right? I know, everyone thinks their recipe is the best, but please trust me when I say that this pumpkin bars recipe really lives up to being the best! The recipe is from my friend/family member Katie Mac. I have no blood relation to Katie, but I consider her my family because my cousin is married to Katie’s daughter. I’m not only close to my cousin and his wife but, lucky for me, to their extended family as well. So I love Katie like she’s my own aunt and I’m so grateful for her and our relationship.

One way I’ve grown close to Katie is by attending the same church. And let me tell you, Katie’s Pumpkin Bars are actually very famous at Whittier Area Community Church! I was so happy when she gave me permission to share her recipe on my blog. I call this recipe “the best” not only because they taste so good, but because the recipe is easy, it never fails and it’s very versatile. You can make the recipe as bars, a sheet cake, a layered cake or even cupcakes. In all the different forms, the result is a light, fluffy and moist pumpkin cake that you, your family and your friends will love.

Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients for Pumpkin Bars/Cake

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven at 350°. In medium bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl using a mixer, beat together eggs, oil, pumpkin and sugar until light and fluffy (will be very liquidy at first). Slowly mix in your dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

For bars, spread in the ungreased half-sheet pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and frost (see recipe below).

For sheet cake, spread in a ungreased 10″ x 15″ pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and frost (see recipe below).

For layered cake, spread in two ungreased 9″ round pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and frost (see recipe below).

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting

• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Directions

In a medium bowl using a mixer, mix together cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Add sifted powdered sugar a little at a time. Beat until smooth. Frost cake once cake is cool.

As stated before, the recipe also works for a delicious cake. I used it last year to make a layered cake for a family event we celebrate at Thanskgiving and call Harvest Fest. The icing was a little too thin to try to do the naked cake trend, but it was a good beginners try. The custom cake topper was made by the very talented Letter To You and saved my cake from looking like a complete disaster.