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Pumpkin Bars With Cake Mix

Pumpkin bars with cake mix bake into a moist, golden-orange sheet-pan dessert with a simple swirl of cream cheese frosting. Finished with a short chill for clean, neat slices.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
chilling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin bars
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) spice cake mix
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.333 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp milk

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin bars
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan (visual cue: pan looks lightly coated, no bare dry metal spots).
  2. Combine spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and stir until smooth (visual cue: batter is uniform with no visible pumpkin streaks).
  3. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan (visual cue: surface is level and reaches the corners).
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (visual cue: edges look set and the center springs back slightly).
  5. Cool completely before frosting (visual cue: bars are fully cool to the touch and no steam rises).
Make and add frosting
  1. Beat cream cheese and unsalted butter until smooth and fluffy (visual cue: frosting looks pale and thick, holding soft peaks).
  2. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk until smooth (visual cue: frosting becomes spreadable with no dry lumps).
  3. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars (visual cue: frosting covers the entire surface in an even layer).
  4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting (visual cue: frosting firms up so the knife makes clean lines).

Notes

Pro tip: cool the bars completely before frosting so the cream cheese layer won’t melt or soak in. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze unfrosted bars for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost). For a lighter option, swap the powdered sugar frosting with a reduced-sugar powdered sugar alternative and keep the same mixing method.