Featured comment
After making a recipe 3 times in the last month I figured I should at least comment and add to the amazing reviews. Super easy, even my friend who refuses to cook made these and loved them, and so delicious. We are down to our last two slices so batch #4 may be in our very new future! LOL
Danielle
Time for a quick poll.
Pumpkin Pie: yes or no?
How To Make Our Pumpkin Dessert Bars:
For me?
Pumpkin: Yes.
Pie: No.
But it feels like pumpkin pie is the right thing to do at Thanksgiving, so I usually take a piece and just eat the pumpkin filling, because hi, I’m 8 years old and I pick my food apart. And then even though I don’t love pie in general, I like the apple pie better than the pumpkin pie, which gets confusing because then which piece should I take? And then Grandma sometimes takes us all for a ride by bringing a chocolate French silk pie, which is so overwhelming and wonderful that usually I just end up with multiple slices of pie and the significance of pumpkin pie is lost somewhere between the caramel apple pie filling and the whipped cream with chocolate shavings.
I am totally in love with the idea of pumpkin pie, but I am not totally in love with pumpkin pie.
But this.
This golden brown buttery pan of glory is a staple at our house during Thanksgiving, and no, it’s not a pumpkin pie. It’s a soft, sweet pumpkin-pie-esque base (see the bottom?) topped with a dense buttery yellow cake topping that’s part crumbly, part cakey, part buttery. Oh, wait. Did I say buttery already?
Side note: this weekend I had a phone call with my best friend back home and at least three minutes of our long-distance conversation was spent talking about BUTTER. I.am.not.kidding. This is my life.
But these pumpkin dessert bars. It satisfies every pumpkin-loving bone in my body, and also every butter and cake craving I’ve ever had in my life. It takes Thanksgiving nostalgia to new heights.
Gahhh.
If you’re going to make this, you have to be ready to not have any leftovers. In theory that would be a good thing, but for this, not so much. My Filipino neighbors, who are usually the recipients of my baked goods, are only moderately excited about the taste and texture of pumpkin. That means there’s a lot of individual pumpkin dessert bar hoarding happening right now, right here, in this very apartment.
Even with the palm trees and the hot sun staring me down from the window, I knew it was fall as soon as I had a bite of this in my mouth.
This year I’m thankful for desserts that are easy and insanely good.
Pumpkin Dessert Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
Description
These pumpkin dessert bars are so easy! A yellow cake mix makes this a fast, simple, and totally addicting alternative to pumpkin pie.
Ingredients
- 1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 beaten eggs
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. cloves
- 1 15-ounce box yellow cake mix with pudding
- 2 sticks butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the pumpkin, evaporated milk, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in a large mixing bowl. Pour mixture into a 9 X 13 pan.
- Sprinkle dry cake mix over top and pour melted butter evenly over the top.
- Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the middle is set.
Notes
If you notice the top is browning more than you want during baking, just cover the pan with foil, making a tent shape so that the foil doesn’t touch the topping.This time, I just used a regular cake mix (not one with pudding) and it was still delicious!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 90 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin dessert bars, pumpkin bars, easy pumpkin bar recipe
One thing I forgot to acknowledge: the aluminum cake pan that I’ve been using (for this AND the chocolate cake) since I’m too cheap to buy a real cake pan that I would only use for 6 more months before we move back home.
So, there’s that.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
wow watch baking time as mine was done in one hour or less and was slighty burnt on top..still tasted good!
I want to make this for thanksgiving – just one question! What is ” yellow cake mix with pudding”?
Hi! The Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mixes already contain pudding in the mix to provide a decadent flavor and a moist texture. The pudding is incorporated into the product.
Hi! Is it 1/2 tsp whole cloves we add to the recipe?
Hi! It should be 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Enjoy!
Easy dessert to make. Tastes like a combination between a moist cake and pie. Delicious!
I used a yellow box cake. Do not bake for 1.5 hours! Mine took about 55 minutes in calibrated oven.
I wonder if using spice cake mix with this could even bring that pumpkin flavor to the next level. Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Looked so promising but was burnt to a crisp on the entire top after an hour in the oven. Was checking frequently, but then got busy with my child. I’m thinking a lower temp or less time is needed.
Love the way you think, Laura!
Do you put whip cream on top or something else for the top or is it good as is?
Either works, but whip cream sounds amazing on top! We love that idea, Emily!
I too think that baking time is way too long. 1 1/2 hrs? Even though I tented the bars with foil, they still got darker. I did pull them out 15 minutes early also. Next time I will check at 55 minutes.
Any reason why I can’t make these a day ahead of Thanksgiving as long as I promise not to eat them?
does this need to be refrigerated ?
Yum! Should i use salted or unsalted butter? Thanks!
After making a recipe 3 times in the last month I figured I should at least comment and add to the amazing reviews. Super easy, even my friend who refuses to cook made these and loved them, and so delicious. We are down to our last two slices so batch #4 may be in our very new future! LOL
big hit for two parties!
I was very worried with the 375 deg oven temp so at about the 45 minute mark, I dropped the temp to 350. Turned out great. Thanks.
Can you make this dessert gluten free/gluten free cake mix? I have a few celiac people in my family
Is there a substitution for the eggs in the mixture?
I have made this several times and it’s always a hit! I also adjust the baking time to about an hour. Way better than any pumpkin pie…and my hubby, who isn’t a pumpkin pie fan, loves this dessert! So yummy!
Thanks! love hearing that!
Oh MY YUM!!!
I just made this and covered it with aluminum foil for the last thirty minutes and sprinkles with fall sugar leaves…came out perfect!! Yummy! Thanks so much for the awesome recipe. I did not have a yellow cake mix with pudding so I added a box of pudding mix, chopped up a mixture of walnuts of pecans and added to the cake mix. If I could post a photo, I would…it’s beautiful!
How fun! That’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks so much Pamela.
Kind of disappointed. Thought this was an all natural dessert. Hate box cake.
Hey Amelia! I’ve made this before (and other cake mix recipes) where I’ve just googled “homemade box cake mix” and then used that mix of ingredients in place of the box cake mix.