These Pumpkin Spice Squares are a must make! They are a personal favourite of mine and requested often by my 15 year old. Don’t let fall slip away without making them.
Well, it was inevitable, Pumpkin spice had to hit the blog sooner or later. Desserts like these squares an my Pumpkin Spice Cake and the Single Serve Pumpkin Pies are perfect for this time of year. Halloween is just around the corner and some folks are frantically looking for new treats to try out. These might not have an obvious Halloween theme, but they are totally worth trying anytime of year. I’ve made these at least a half a dozen times and they never disappoint.
ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
- Pinch ground ginger
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 1 1/2 Cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Cup pumpkin purรฉe
- 1 Cup cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Cup icing sugar
REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line with parchment paper a 12 x 8 inch baking pan.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- In three additions, add the flour and the pumpkin purรฉe to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Stir just to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cook for about 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a cooking rack and remove the parchment paper. Leave to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, mix the butter and cream cheese until combined. Sift in the icing sugar until smooth.
- Put the cake on a serving plate and smooth over icing. Cut into desired cake sized squares. Will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes About The Pumpkin Squares
- I always make my own Pumpkin Puree. Not that I make it often, because I don’t cook or bake with pumpkin often. But when I do, it’s the real deal. You may say “Why?”. Again, it simply came down do more products that I couldn’t buy so I resorted to making my own. I recently read an article on things you don’t need to make at home because store bought is just as good. Guess what? Pumpkin puree was on that list. Well, maybe if I could buy it in the supermarket, I would. But for now I will continue slaving away and making my own.
- Recipes can be found at these links for the Slow Cooker Pumpkin Puree and The Oven Roasted Pumpkin Puree. Both will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks for frozen for several months.
- I made them into a large sheet cake this time around but have even made them in cupcakes in the past. Either way works. In the recipe below you will see I said 24 cake squares. Well, this will vary from person to person depending on how big for small you like to cut them. I personally, like them on the small side. You could cut them into cake size portions as a dessert if you like.
Pumpkin Spice Cake Squares
Ingredients
For the squares:
- 1 1/2 Cups flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
- Pinch ground ginger
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 1 1/2 Cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Cup pumpkin purรฉe
For the frosting:
- 1 Cup cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line with parchment paper a 12 x 8 inch baking pan.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- In three additions, add the flour and the pumpkin purรฉe to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Stir just to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cook for about 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a cooking rack and remove the parchment paper. Leave to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, mix the butter and cream cheese until combined. Sift in the icing sugar until smooth.
- Put the cake on a serving plate and smooth over icing. Cut into desired cake sized squares. Will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.