A friend of mine brought a version of these Pumpkin Dessert Bars to my annual pumpkin party years ago. Ever since I have been playing with the recipe here and there trying to make a "from scratch" version. Well, I think I have finally cracked it, a little spicy, a lot pumpkiny, and the pecan and whipped cream put it over the top!

Pumpkin Dessert Bars cut and topped with whipped cream

What you need

The ingredient list is fairly simple, I know it looks a little long, but that is just cause I like to really spice it up. I typically keep all of these spices in my drawer anyway so it is easy to amp up the flavor with them.

The recipe, when broken down, is a pumpkin custard bottom layer, the cake mix layer on top with some sprinkled on pecans and some butter. I am not really sure that I have ever made a true "dump cake" but a friend tells me that is what this is. Whatever it is, I call it delicious!

The custard is made up of pumpkin, eggs, milk, and sugar, simple ingredients that blend together to make THE BEST texture. Then you have what is essentially a spice cake mix that gets layered on top. The butter on layer makes the cake get a little crunch to it and toasts the pecan perfectly.

When it comes to baking, I like to use a very square pan so that I get nicely defined edges. THIS PAN is professional quality and one that you will reach for the rest of your life. It is an essential size in my opinion and every kitchen should have one!

Now if you want to roast your own pumpkin for these, I have a great tutorial on that HERE. And for all the PUMPKIN goodness you could ever want, share in my love for the autumnal gourd by checking out my PUMPKIN SECTION of the blog with all my favorite recipes.

Single Pumpkin Dessert Bar with whipped cream topping

These Pumpkin Dessert Bars one of my very favorite pumpkin recipes and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

📖 Recipe

Pumpkin Dessert Bars

I have been picking these bars apart and perfecting them for years. Every time I make them people swoon over them. I think I finally got them JUST RIGHT, enjoy!

Ingredients

15oz Pumpkin Puree, not pie mix
1, 12oz can Evaporated Milk
3 lg Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 cup AP Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Cinnamon ground
1 teaspoon Nutmeg freshly grated
1 teaspoon Ginger ground
½ teaspoon Allspice ground
¼ teaspoon Cardamom, ground
¼ teaspoon Cloves ground
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup Light Brown Sugar tightly packed
1 ½ cup Pecans, chopped
12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
1 cup Heavy Cream + ¼ C Powdered Sugar, whipped for topping
Pie Spice, for dusting

Instructions

Heat oven to 350˚F and grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Whisk together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and pie spice until smooth and pour into the bottom of the pan.
Create the dry cake mix by combining the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cardamom, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar in a bowl. Whisk together until evenly combined.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin mixture and top with the pecans. Pour the melted butter evenly over top.
Bake 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. When in doubt, cook this one 5 minutes longer than you think, just to be sure that it is completely cooked through. Cool completely before cutting.
Cut the cake into bars, dollop with whipped cream, and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice to serve.

Notes

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

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