Sourdough Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, flavorful, and topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting that will easily make these a favorite fall dessert.

Your favorite pumpkin bar recipe just got a sourdough makeover. These sourdough pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are delicious and the perfect fall treat. Moist, flavorful, and topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting that will easily make them a favorite fall dessert. With this step-by-step recipe these are also super easy to make, which makes it perfect for a quick option when you have a crowd to share with!

Whipping the frosting on these sourdough pumpkin bars makes it such a decadent cream cheese frosting! It’s so hard to just have one. If you want to add more fall flavor to this dessert add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the frosting. If you take these somewhere to share don’t be surprised if you come home with an empty pan.

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Sourdough Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• Large Eggs: You will need 4 eggs for this recipe. For best results I like to use room temperature eggs.
• Granulated Sugar: Added sweetness.
• Neutral Oil: I like using canola oil, but vegetable oil or avocado oil should work as well.
• Pumpkin Puree: You can use either canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree for this recipe. Both will work well! See Notes on Recipe Card.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds just the right flavor to your pumpkin bars and frosting.
• All Purpose Flour: I like using King Arthur All Purpose Flour
• Sourdough Starter: You can either long ferment (active starter) or just mix up and bake these pumpkin bars (sourdough discard). Your choice!
• Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon and pumpkin go so well together!
• Sea Salt: Added to round out the flavor.
• Baking Soda: A leavening agent, added to help make these super soft and fluffy.

Frosting Ingredients for Pumpkin Bars:

• Cream Cheese: You want your cream cheese to be at room temperature, so they whip up well.
• Butter: Room temperature butter is also important for this frosting to come together well.
• Powdered Sugar: To sweeten the frosting!
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla just adds the right flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream (optional): I don’t add this unless I have too. It is just in case the frosting is extra thick and not easy to spread.

Tools to Use to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Bars:

• My Favorite Bar Pan: These are by far my favorite, and they even come with a lid. Perfect!
• Kitchen Scale: A simple but helpful tool in the kitchen.
• Danish Dough Hook: This brand makes such beautiful kitchen tools.
• Wire Rack: Stainless steel cooling racks are the only way to go.

Frequently Asked Questions:

More Sourdough Recipes with Pumpkin to Try:

• Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donuts
• Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
• Sourdough Brown Sugar Pumpkin Bread

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Sourdough Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Pumpkin Bar Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup (300g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (225g) canola oil or other neutral oil
• ¾ cup (180g) sourdough starter
• 2 cups (480g) pumpkin puree, canned or fresh*
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ (300g) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½-2 teaspoons (4g) ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5g) sea salt
• 1 tsp (4g) baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 oz (227g) cream cheese, softened
• 4 T (60g) butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup (210g) powdered sugar
• 1-2 T heavy whipping cream, optional (used to get desired consistency)

Instructions for the Pumpkin Bars:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (Wait to do this step if you are planning to long ferment the pumpkin bars.) Grease a 13” x18” cookie sheet or bar pan with cooking spray and set aside. (A jelly roll pan could also work.)
• In a large bowl combine the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, sourdough starter and vanilla extract. Mix well with a spatula or Danish dough hook. Set aside.
• In a small separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. It is okay if there are a few lumps in the batter.

Long Ferment Option:

• If you are planning to long ferment this recipe at this point, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 4 hours. You can also transfer the batter to the fridge after 4 hours to continue to ferment overnight.
• Once you are done fermenting the batter follow the recipe below to finish the pumpkin bars.

If you are not doing the long ferment option continue with the directions as follows:

• Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet, smoothing out the batter with a rubber spatula.
• Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin bars comes out clean.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Instructions for the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• While you let the cake cool you can prepare the frosting.
• In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes on high speed until soft and fluffy.
• If the frosting seems really thick you can add 1-2 T of heavy whipping cream until the desired consistency is reached. Only add 1 T at a time so it doesn’t get too thin.
• Scoop the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Frost and enjoy!
• You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

NOTES:

• *A can (15oz) of pumpkin is 1 ¾ cup you can simply add water to the 2-cup mark to make up the difference. No need to open another can of pumpkin. I use fresh pumpkin puree often and this is a higher liquid content than store bought.

Sourdough Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Sourdough Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are delicious and the perfect fall treat. Your favorite pumpkin bar just got a makeover!

By: Mariah Nienhuis

Serving Size: 30 servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

Pumpkin Bar Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup 300g granulated sugar
• 1 cup 225g canola oil or other neutral oil
• ¾ cup 180g sourdough starter
• 2 cups 480g pumpkin puree, canned or fresh*
• 1 tsp 4g pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ 300g all-purpose flour
• 1 ½-2 teaspoons 4g ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp 5g sea salt
• 1 tsp 4g baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 oz 227g cream cheese softened
• 4 T 60g butter room temperature
• 1 tsp 4g pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup 210g powdered sugar
• 1-2 T heavy whipping cream optional used to get desired consistency

Instructions

 

Instructions for the Pumpkin Bars:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (Wait to do this step if you are planning to long ferment the pumpkin bars.) Grease a 13” x18” cookie sheet or bar pan with cooking spray and set aside. (A jelly roll pan could also work.)
• In a large bowl combine the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, sourdough starter and vanilla extract. Mix well with a spatula or Danish dough hook. Set aside.
• In a small separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. It is okay if there are a few lumps in the batter.
  

Long Ferment Option:

• If you are planning to long ferment this recipe at this point, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 4 hours. You can also transfer the batter to the fridge after 4 hours to continue to ferment overnight.
• Once you are done fermenting the batter follow the recipe below to finish the pumpkin bars.

If you are not doing the long ferment option continue with the directions as follows:

• Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet, smoothing out the batter with a rubber spatula.
  
• Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin bars comes out clean.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
• Instructions for the Cream Cheese Frosting:
• While you let the cake cool you can prepare the frosting.
• In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes on high speed until soft and fluffy.
  
• If the frosting seems really thick you can add 1-2 T of heavy whipping cream until the desired consistency is reached. Only add 1 T at a time so it doesn’t get too thin.
• Scoop the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Frost and enjoy!
  
• You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Notes

*A can (15oz) of pumpkin is 1 ¾ cup you can simply add water to the 2-cup mark to make up the difference. No need to open another can of pumpkin. I use fresh pumpkin puree often and this is a higher liquid content than store bought.

I love making these for church or family get togethers. They come together quickly, and people love them. The long fermentation option is perfect to make ahead of time or if you want to you can make them with sourdough discard too. If you are or aren’t a pumpkin lover I think you will love this Sourdough Pumpkin Bar recipe.