These pumpkin cheesecake bars is pumpkin cake topped with cream cheese topping. The bars are packed with warm spices and pumpkin flavor. The pumpkin puree help keeps the cake soft and the maple syrup lightly sweetens it up. Everything is then blanketed by a savory layer of baked cream cheese topping that to take these Pumpkin cream cheese bars to a whole other level.
I know it’s spring but how can you not have pumpkin all year around when you can? Plus, it’s cheaper to buy cans of pumpkin when it’s not in season right?
The other bonus that comes out of baking with pumpkin purees or other fruit purees is that you can use it to substitute fat without compromising on moisture and texture.
I’m not sure how big the cans of pumpkin puree are where you live but the ones here are always 15oz which is always far too much to be used up in one recipe alone. So what can you do with all the extra pumpkin puree?
A soft pumpkin cake topped with a smooth cream cheese topping.
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cups pumpkin puree
115 g cream cheese softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tablespoon plain flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 8×8 inch square pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, and 3/4 cup sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together. Do not overmix.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt together until combined.
Pour in the wet ingredients and fold until a batter forms. Pour the batter onto the prepared baking pan.
In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, egg and 1 tablespoon flour together until combined. Spread the mixture on top of the pumpkin cake batter.
Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
