Martha Stewart's 'Quintessential Fall Dessert' Is Packed With This Spiced Seasonal Ingredient

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The one ingredient that screams “fall”? Pumpkin, of course — and bakers go wild embracing the winter squash, making it the star of a variety of desserts from cakes and cheesecakes to pies. Among them: Martha Stewart, who has created the quintessential — and likely most delicious — fall dessert we’ve come across yet: pumpkin bars topped with cream cheese frosting.

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On Oct 7, Stewart shared her go-to fall recipe with the caption reading, “Say hello to the quintessential fall dessert: pumpkin bars topped with cream cheese frosting. The moist and tender pumpkin spice cake is lavished with cream cheese frosting for a fall treat that’s simply irresistible. They’re perfect served as individual bars or as a crowd-friendly sheet cake. Get the recipe at the link in our bio. 📷: @krautter.”

For Stewart’s mouthwatering Pumpkin Bars, you’ll make everything from scratch, including the frosting. But before we get baking, you’ll need to gather a few essential tools, including an 8-by-12-inch cake pan (where you’ll pour your pumpkin batter), an electric mixer (where you’ll make your pumpkin bar batter), a wire rack (where you’ll cool your cake), and an offset spatula (which you’ll use to spread the 1-1/2 cups of icing atop your moist, just-cooled cake).

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Now it’s time to bake — and good news: Stewart’s Pumpkin Bars are surprisingly easy to make.

To start, you’ll make your batter, which boasts a symphony of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Combine those with your pumpkin puree, sugar, bugger, eggs, and more, and pour into your cake pan. Bake for just over half an hour and let it cool. Then, after you’ve made your frosting (which includes cream cheese, butter, salt, and confectioners’ sugar), spread it atop your cake, cut into one dozen bars, and enjoy!

“They’re perfect served as individual bars or as a crowd-friendly sheet cake!” Stewart says.

Get the Pumpkin Bars recipe at Stewart’s website.

If you want to cook more this year, snag yourself Martha Stewart Living’s cookbook, Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes on Amazon if you want to treat yourself.

Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes

Price: $26.00 $26

Buy On Amazon

Before you go, check out our slideshow below:

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