PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS — These moist and delicious pumpkin bars feature a ribbon of cheesecake filling throughout. They taste like the famous pumpkin roll, but without all the work!
If you love the famous pumpkin roll that is so popular this time of year, then you’ve got to try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.
I confess, I have tried to make that beautiful pumpkin roll so many times, and I just can’t seem to get it to work. I always end up with a dessert that is a total mess, but still tastes delicious.
Which is why I love these pumpkin bars. They have all of the same flavors of that tricky pumpkin roll, but in a simple, horizontal form that I’m able to manage.
Admittedly, this version of pumpkin cake swirled with cream cheese is not as impressive, but then, my pumpkin rolls never were impressive, so I like to stick with this easier (but just as tasty!) version.
Trust me, after one bite, no one will mind that you didn’t roll this dessert into a pretty spiral.
Even my husband, who isn’t a big fan of pumpkin desserts (because why would you make a dessert out of a vegetable?) went back for seconds.
He does love cheesecake, so maybe that ribbon of sweetened cream cheese won him over.
If you have pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute a tablespoon in place of the spices that are listed.
Sometimes it’s hard to find pumpkin pie spice at the store though, so I like to use the individual spices.
If you make one pumpkin dessert this fall, it’s got to be these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars! In fact, I’m planning to make them all year long!
Be sure to save this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Canned pumpkin
- Flour
- Spices: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Vanilla
- Cream cheese
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the cream cheese filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth.
- Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin/butter mixture and combine until well blended. Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the pumpkin batter.
- Dollop the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese batter and spread out as evenly as possible. Use a table knife to swirl together the cream cheese and top layer of pumpkin batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the pumpkin batter springs back when touched. Cool completely in pan, then cut into bars.
Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Ingrid over at 3B’s, via My Baking Addiction.
25 comments
Gerbie
Can you freeze these bars?
Danelle
I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could.
Patricia Hale
These pumpkin bars are fabulous. I used the 3 eggs not 2. The flavor turned to 5 stars the next day after they combined. So much easier to make than a pumpkin roll.
Gerbie
How long will these keep in the fridge? Wanted to make several in advance before Thanksging
Danelle
Thanks so much Patricia!
Christina
just an FYI: in the ingredients it lists 2 eggs, but in the instructions there is a total of 3….