Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars are a moist sheet cake loaded with pumpkin, bold pumpkin spice blend and homemade cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
WET INGREDIENTS
- ¼ c. oil canola
- ¼ c. unsalted butter room temp
- 2 eggs
- 1 c. pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter room temp
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temp
- 3 c. confectioner sugar
- 1 T. vanilla
- ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 9 x 13 (quarter-sheet) baking pan.
CAKE BATTER
- Place butter, oil, eggs in mixer.
- Add the baking mix and beat until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix well.
- Let batter rest 15 minutes and beat again. Pour batter into greased pan 2/3 full.
BAKE
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick in the center comes out clean.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Place butter and cream cheese in mixer and beat together.
- Add in confectioners sugar and vanilla.
- Add egg white and beat until light and fluffy.
DECORATE
- After cake is cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut into squares and cover with foil.
- If you are going to pipe any decorations such as an orange pumpkin in the center of each pumpkin bar, you can stabilize the frosting by adding 1 T. of cornstarch or powdered unflavored gelatin to the confectioners sugar before it is mixed with the cream cheese and butter.
Notes
*To roast a pumpkin for puree: simply half the pie pumpkin (2-3 lbs.), scoop out the seeds, brush with oil, place flesh down on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. Puree in a Vitamix or high-speed blender. NOTE: If you are going to pipe any decorations such as an orange pumpkin in the center of each pumpkin bar, you can stabilize the frosting by adding 1-2 tsp. of cornstarch or powdered unflavored gelatin to the confectioners sugar before it is mixed with the cream cheese and butter.
