Monday, October 5, 2009

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


Originally called Pumpkin Bars, I changed the name because they didn't really turn out like "bars," but rather a delicious and moist cake. Maybe if you baked it in a 10x15 baking sheet you could call it "bars," but in a 9x13 pan it definitely was a cake. Regardless, it was wonderfully delightful even though I used a squash called Golden Perfection rather than pumpkin. I suggest you try this soon, and be sure to invite friends because it's terribly fattening and you wouldn't want to eat it all yourself, right?

Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I substituted 1/2 cup pearsauce for 1/2 cup oil and it was wonderful!)
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes (I had to bake mine for an additional 10-15 minutes, possibly because I used a 9x13 pan rather than a 10x13). Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

2 comments:

  1. Yum! This is the time of year I really start to crave pumpkin. This recipe looks fabulous!

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  2. I made this for our dessert last night. Instead of making frosting, I served it with whip cream. This is a delicious cake!

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