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These pumpkin pie cake bars are like two desserts in one. They have a cake-like bottom and a moist pumpkin pie top sprinkled with powdered sugar. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
I’m not sure what I love more. Pie or cake.
Both are delicious, but they call me at different times of the year. In the summer I want pie. All the fruit pie. Cherry pie. Peach pie. Blueberry pie. Give them all to me.
In the winter, I’m a cake girlie. I love a chocolate cake with white frosting. Sometimes, I crave the goodness that only a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting can fulfill. Other times, I’ll gladly take a slice of carrot cake.
You get it. I like desserts.
That’s where this autumnal treat comes into play. It’s the perfect texture combination of both pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake. That’s how it gots its name – pumpkin pie cake bars!
These delicious bars are creamy like pie but still have a soft cake-like crust. They’re the absolute best of both worlds, all wrapped up in pumpkin form.
Ingredients for pumpkin pie cake bars
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Brown sugar
- Kosher salt
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Browned butter
- Cream cheese
- Pumpkin puree
- Pumpkin pie spice
How to make
- Add your crust ingredients to a mixing bowl and blend until the mixture will stick together.
- Press into a parchment-lined baking dish and prepare the filling.
- Mix pumpkin puree and cream cheese and blend until smooth.
- Add in eggs, browned butter, and vanilla extract.
- Finally, mix in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
- Pour over the crust, bake for an hour, let cool, and enjoy!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you use pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix.
- Bake until the center is slightly jiggly, like cooking a traditional custard pie. This will ensure your pie portion is fully set but not overcooked.
- Let the bars completely cool before you attempt to cut them.
- The browned butter should be cooled but not hardened.
- Once cooled and cut, sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar or cover with whipped cream for serving.
More pumpkin recipes
Pumpkin Pie Cake Bars
Ingredients
For crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons browned butter, cooled
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For filling:
- 1-½ cups pumpkin puree
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons browned butter, cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper.
For crust:
- In the bowl of a mixer, add flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add in egg, browned butter, and vanilla extract.
- Mix until the dough sticks together and can be pressed together. When you first start mixing it will be very crumbly looking. Just keep mixing and it will come together.
- Take dough and press into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- Rinse out mixer bowl to use for the filling.
For filling:
- In the bowl of your mixer add pumpkin puree and cream cheese. Mix until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes.
- Add in eggs, browned butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Finally, mix in brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
- When the mixture is smooth and combined pour into the pan with the crust.
- Bake for 60 minutes or until the center is just slightly jiggly.
- Let cool until room temperature, cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I NEED to watch that movie again. It’s been waaaaaaay too long! And speaking of Julia Stiles, “!0 Things I Hate About You” is now on my “to watch” list. Also, these bars sound like the perfect pairing with a fun movie! xx
I wish I lived closer. I totally would’ve crashed 😉 You guys are too funny. And these bars are amazing!
Ummm, that sounds like the most perfect girl time EVA!
And pumpkin AND cake? This is compl-eating my life! Pinned!
Oh My Goodness! I have not thought of Uncle Buck in forever. I loved that movie, and I am sure you DO NOT dance like him. Though that did give me a chuckle. This cake bar pie whatever you call it creation is so amazing.
Oh I love that movie! I need to see it again, it’s been a long time. These bars look delicious!
Whoa, that movie takes me back! I have no dancing skills whatsoever so I just live through her. But I have these pumpkin bars to comfort me. I think I win in the end!
These look AHHH-mazing Brandy!! I will be recreating these GF style ASAP. And I just love, love that first image. {{pinning}}. xo sherrie
Your posts are always fun to read. Real life, yo! Too great!
I’m not a huge pumpkin dessert fan but these do look pretty tempting.
Yes please!! I want these now ~ pinned!
dancing + pie + cake = what more can a girl ask for!?