Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I don't know what people did with pumpkins before they baked them into bars and topped them with delectable frosting, but I'm sure it was a sad era for humankind. Fortunately we have these bars! Super moist, autumnal spices, tangy-sweet, rich frosting. No better way to plump up for winter.

Note: these would also be very good (dare I say better? ) with Cooked Flour Frosting, which is not as rich as cream cheese frosting and doesn't require you to remember to buy cream cheese.

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease the bottom only of a 10 x 13" pan (allows cake to climb up the sides).

15 oz. pumpkin puree (1 can)
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla

If you are using whole pumpkin, be sure to puree or strain the cooked pumpkin so that it is smooth before use. I used a pink warty Galeux D'Eysines pumpkin, baked for an hour at 350°.

Beat together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl until frothy and fully combined. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk together until well combined but do not overmix. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 35 minutes (add 5 minutes if using a 9x11" pan). Allow to cool completely. For extra-moist cake, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.

To make frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the sifted powdered sugar until fully combined. Add the vanilla and beat again until fluffy.

Frost the cooled pumpkin bars and then watch them disappear! Note: you will likely have extra frosting--better make some banana bread to use it up!

Comments

Thick-cut Pork Chops

These intimidating chops were actually pretty easy to cook. They're called an "Iowa Chop", and they're just a thick-cut, bone-in, center-cut chop. I've discovered that the secret to juicy pork chops is to start with a cold pan and obsessively checking the temperature . I find they're best just under 160 degrees. Pork Chops 2 1-lb. Iowa Chops 2-3 Tbsp. salt 2 Tbsp. white pepper 2 Tbsp. dried sage 2 Tbsp. Smoked (or regular) paprika 3 Tbsp. oil Sauce (optional): 1/2 c. chicken broth 1/2 c. white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) 2 Tbsp. corn starch 1 tsp. white pepper 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/4 c. cold water Preheat the oven to 350. Pat the chops dry with some paper towel. Sprinkle them liberally with the salt and spices and allow them to warm up to room temperature while you start the quinoa and chop the cauliflower. Place the oil in your pan, but do not pre-heat the pan. Add the chops to the pan and place them on the stove. Heat the pan up to medium, turning the chop

Graphic pig pictures below! >>

Miele Steam Oven Pulled Pork

I've been debating whether I should post some of these more niche recipes--now that we have a steam oven and a high powered stove, I am making recipes that not everyone can reproduce with other equipment. I've decided to post some of them 1) for my own records, and 2) because there are very few recipes available online for these devices (especially the steam oven). Perhaps these recipes will be of use to others. I don't have a photo for this one because I decided to post the recipe after the fact. 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast (~3 lb without bone, ~5 lb with) 1 large white onion, 1/4" slices 1 Tbsp. butter 1 chicken boullion cube 1 c. water 2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. whole coriander 1 Tbsp. coarse ground salt 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. celery seed Saute the onions in the butter in a saute pan over medium for 10 min until the onions are somewha

Graphic pig pictures below! >>

Quick Turkey Meatballs

For various reasons, Melanie likes ground turkey more than ground beef, and so I've been making turkey meatballs a lot. Obviously the problem with turkey is that it can be really dry since it's so lean, but one day we made a random hippy turkey burger recipe and it taught us the he secret to making ground turkey not be gross: ground mushrooms! If you grind up the mushrooms and mix them in, they kind of cook away but keep whatever you're cooking moist and give that umami flavor that's also missing from turkey. People who don't like mushrooms won't notice their presence at all unless they're specifically looking for them. This recipe is also designed to cook up really really quickly - you can have these done in the time it takes you to boil the water for the noodles. The spices are loosely based on Lillian's meatball recipe but only use dry spices for convenience. They still come out a little dry, but especially with a wetter sauce (marinara, vodka, etc.

Graphic pig pictures below! >>

Extra Schmaltz!

Search This Blog