Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Bars
Welcome fall with these Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Bars! Super moist pumpkin cake swirled with creamy cheesecake, and topped with caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter very soft
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 15 oz can pumpkin purée
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Cheesecake Swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Topping
- caramel sauce optional
Instructions
Pumpkin Bars
- Preheat oven to 350
- Add butter, oil, sugars, and pumpkin to a large mixing bowl and beat until very well combined.
- Add egg, vanilla, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda and mix well.
- Add flour and mix until combined.
- Spread batter into a greased 13x9" pan and set aside.
Cheesecake Swirl
- In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until very smooth and creamy.
- Add vanilla and egg and mix just until combined.
- Drop cheesecake mixture by the spoonful over the pumpkin bars, making polka dots. Swirl a knife through the batter a few times in semi-circular motions to create a pattern in the bars. Don't overdo it or you won't see the swirls once it's baked.
- Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until tester inserted into the pumpkin batter comes out clean. (Avoid testing bars in the cheesecake portion-aim for the cake.)
- Allow the bars to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.
Topping
- Drizzle bars with warm caramel sauce, after cutting, if desired.
- Store covered bars in the refrigerator.