This Easy Pumpkin Bars recipe makes delicious, moist cake-like little snacks that are perfect for a grab and go treat!
Fall is the time for all things pumpkin flavored! This easy pumpkin cake recipe is the perfect way to usher in the season. Pumpkin spice bars are light and moist and so aromatic when they come out of the oven. They’re hard to resist, and even kids love them, so take this opportunity to get some healthy pumpkin into hungry tummies—the sneaky sweet way!
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Favorite Fall Dessert
- Coffee cake or dessert bars, this pumpkin spice cake recipe goes from the oven to the table in no time at all!
- Made with a basic angel food cake mix, pumpkin puree, and some spices, pumpkin bars are grown-up and kid-friendly!
- Pumpkin bars are so good with a drizzle of homemade Spicy Chocolate Sauce and a little whipped cream!
- Make ahead and take to a work meeting or share with friends over coffee.
- Enjoy pumpkin bars plain or add a festive fall topping of cinnamon chips and powdered sugar!
Ingredients
CAKE MIX: Ready-made cake mixes are the ultimate recipe hack for desserts. So many flavors and so many ways to use them! Using an angel food cake mix makes this cake fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
PUMPKIN: Take care to use pumpkin puree and not pie filling, which has seasonings and sugar already added to it. Pumpkin puree is simply pumpkin, free of sugars and spices.
SEASONINGS: There’s nothing like the smell of pumpkin pie spice! It’s the perfect combination of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Buy it pre-made or DIY and adjust the amounts, as desired. Either way, keep extra on hand for future fall recipes!
Variations
- Pumpkin bars are so good when they’re made with different cake mixes! Use a yellow cake for a rich and deep-colored dessert, or for chocolatey pumpkin bars, use a devil’s food mix.
- Mix-ins can be chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, even shredded coconut or a spoonful of flax seeds for a boost of nutrition.
- Or, make this delectable cream cheese frosting (found in the carrot cake recipe) and turn a snack cake into a special occasion cake!
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
It’s the easiest recipe ever, similar to a one bowl dump cake, this comes together in just two simple steps:
- Combine all ingredients in one bowl and spread evenly in a pan.
- Bake until cake is set, (as per the recipe below).
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Bars
- For best results, bake pumpkin bars in a 9×13 pan so they bake up nice and high.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting.
- Store pumpkin bars covered at room temperature up to 4 days.
- Freeze individual bars by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then placing them in a zippered bag in the freezer up to 3 weeks.
Other Pumpkin Desserts To Try!
- Pumpkin Cranberry Bread – delicious flavor combination.
- Pumpkin Pie Crunch – easy like a dump cake!
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts With Pumpkin Spice Glaze – perfectly spiced.
- Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins – for breakfast or a snack.
- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies – tasty grab and go treat!
Easy Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box angel food cake mix
- 2 ½ cups pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg (nutmeg optional)
- 1 cup cinnamon baking chips optional
- powdered sugar optional, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice using a spatula.
- Pour batter into 9x13 baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon chips if using*.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake is set in the center.
- Cool completely. Cut and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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