Everyone’s favourite— cake
bars with seasonal carrot
and pumpkin— get versatile
variations. Try ’em out!
PHOTOGRAPHS JASON DONNELLY |
FOOD STYLING CHARLIE WORTHINGTON
Pumpkin Bars
prep:
25
minutes
bake:
25
minutes
cool:
2
hours
oven:
175°C
IN G R ED IE N T S
2
cups all-purpose flour or
maida
\ l/z
cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2
tsp ground cinnamon
1
tsp baking soda
V
2
tsp salt
y
tsp ground cloves
4
eggs, lightly beaten
450 gm pumpkin purée (take 1 kg fresh
pumpkin; peel, de-seed, chop, steam
and purée it)
1
cup vegetable oil
1
recipe Browned Butter Frosting
(below)
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 175°C. In a large bowl
stir together flour, sugar, baking powder,
cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Add
eggs, pumpkin, and oil; stir until combined.
Spread batter evenly into non-greased
15x10* 1-inch baking pan.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25
to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted
near the centre comes out clean. Cool in the
pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.
3. Spread with Browned Butter Frosting. Cut
into bars. Store bars in the refrigerator (bars
can be stored for up to 3 days).
Makes 36 bars.
Browned Butter Frosting: In a small
saucepan heat % cup butter over low heat
until melted. Continue heating until butter
turns a light golden brown. Remove from
heat. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of
powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk, and 1 tsp
vanilla. Add some browned butter. Then
beat with an electric mixer on low speed
until combined. Beat only on medium speed
until it spreads some consistency, you can
add some more milk if necessary.
Makes about
V
/2
cups.
Per bar:
178 cal,
8
gm fa t (2 gin sat fa t), 28
mgchol, 109 mg sodium, 25 gm carb, 1 gm
fibre,
2
gm pro.
A. N utty Caram el Pum pkin Bars
Prepare as directed in Step 1. In a bowl stir
together 1
y
2
cups chopped walnuts, toasted,
and
'/3
cup caramel (or butterscotch) ice
cream. Spoon nut mixture over pumpkin
batter in pan. Continue as directed in Step
2. Use only half of the Browned Butter
Frosting (freeze the remaining frosting and
use it to frost any cupcakes). Stir enough
milk into frosting to make it a drizzling
consistency. Drizzle over cooled bars.
B. Apple Sauce-Cranberry Bars
Prepare as directed, except substitute
450 gm apple sauce for the pumpkin purée
(peel, chop, and cook 1 kg apples with the
juice of a lemon over medium heat till soft.
Mash or purée to make apple sauce) and
replace
y
2
cup of the sugar with honey. Stir
1 cup dried cranberries and/or dried tart
cherries into the batter. Lightly sprinkle top
of the frosted bars with ground cinnamon.
C. Cream Cheese Sw irl Pum pkin Bars
Prepare as directed in Step 1. In a medium
bowl combine half of 240 gm cream cheese,
softened, and % cup sugar. Beat with an
electric mixer on medium speed until
combined. Beat in 1 egg and 1 tbsp milk.
Drizzle cream cheese mixture over pumpkin
batter in pan. Use a knife to gently mix the
mixtures together. Sprinkle
y
2
cup miniature
semi-sweet chocolate pieces over batter
before baking. Continue as directed in
Step 2. Omit the Browned Butter Frosting.
ADDITIONAL INPUTS: RADHIKA BHATIA
