Pumpkin Pie Cake Bars from the kitchen

This Pumpkin Pie Cake Bars recipe is super straightforward to mix and a strong match for fall and the holidays! It combines a flavorful cake crust and a creamy pumpkin pie filling that's topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crumble. Dollop on some house-made whipped cream for the ultimate treat!

Grab Your Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make these easy pumpkin pie bars.

• Yellow Cake Mix. You'll need one box to make this method. Remember to reserve 1 cup for the brown sugar crumble topping. As a substitute, you can also try this with white cake mix or spice cake mix.
• Unsalted Butter. One cup total is needed—1/2 cup melted for the cake bottom and 1/2 cup cold and cubed for the streusel topping.
• Eggs. Four eggs total are needed. One for the cake mix bottom and three for the pumpkin pie filling layer.
• Pumpkin Puree. Don't confuse this with pumpkin pie filling, which is completely different. You'll need two 15-ounce cans or one 1-pound, 13-ounce can.
• Light Brown Sugar. This ingredient is also divided. 1/2 cup is needed for the pumpkin pie filling layer, and the remaining 1/2 cup is used for the crumble topping.
• Milk. You can use any dairy milk but recommend whole milk. 2/3 cup is needed.
• Ground Cinnamon. I used Vietnamese cinnamon from King Arthur Baking. It's sweeter than regular ground cinnamon with a little spiciness to it.

How it comes together

1. Make the bottom cake layer. Whisk together the yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping), 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch pan.
2. Make the pumpkin pie layer. Beat together the pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, milk, cinnamon, and the remaining 3 eggs. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the top of the cake mix layer.
3. Make the crumble topping. Blend the 1 cup of reserved cake mix, the remaining 1/2 cup cold and cubed Plugra butter, the remaining 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Spread the topping over the pumpkin filling.
4. Bake for 40-42 minutes at 375ºF. Allow it to cool 35-40 minutes before serving, or allow it to cool then keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy!

Questions on this bake

Can Use a different flavor of cake mix?

While yellow cake mix is a house favorite, you can also try this method using white cake mix or spiced cake mix as well.

What size baking pan do I need?

A 9 x 13-inch size baking pan. It can be ceramic, metal, or glass.

Do I have to let the pumpkin pie cake bars cool completely before serving?

Before serving, no, not completely. Let the pumpkin pie cake bars cool for 35-40 minutes before serving. If you prefer to serve them chilled (a house favorite), let the bars cool completely, then place them covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.