When you think of fall, what are the first two things that come to mind? Cinnamon, and pumpkin. These staples of fall have been great reminders of the season, and with the arrival of the same, many of us tend to admire the many things fall brings with it.Fall is like that one time when everything mellows down, the green leaves turn bright orange, and a soft, cool breeze blows as you walk through the parks bearing your favorite pumpkin spice tea or latte. And another bag carrying your favorite pumpkin spiced munchable.It would likely be a cake or one of the famous American southern chefPaula Deen pumpkin bars.
Table of Contents
Paula Deen And Her Cooking:
Paula Deen, a Southern chef, born in Albany, Georgia in the United States on 19th January 1947, popularized the cuisine of the American South through her rags-to-riches story, distinctive yet cheerful Southern accent, and warm public persona. She has been known for her numerous southern-style recipes for all occasions and holidays.
She released many cookbooks containing amazing, simple, and mouth-watering American southern dishes and recipes that took to many people’s liking. Each of her cookbooks has distinct and equally delicious recipes that are easy, simple, tried, and true to the motto of simple southern cooking.
One of those many recipes is her Pumpkin Bars.
Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars:
To talk about paula deen’s pumpkin bars,it is a recipe of hers that is so simple and easy. A lot of sources have showcased their love for these pumpkin bars. The recipe received rave reviews from critics and the public for being the ideal fall dessert anyone could experience.
Paula Deen pumpkin barsare so easy even a beginner could make it. It is a quick 10-minute recipe with a medium difficulty level, meaning one would be bold in trying this recipe.
This recipe is a flavor and moisture bomb when one tries it out. The house gets filled with the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon, the two best reminders of the fall season among the many other signs.
This autumnal dessert was also recommended by Jamie Deen (in a video from 2021 on YouTube) to be served at Thanksgiving, which was seen as a great idea by Paula, and surely, by the looks of the many comments under the video, the viewers were pleased.
Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars Recipe:
Ingredients:
For Cake:
- 1 cup/85 grams vegetable oil/ melted butter
- 1 ⅔ cup/400 grams of sugar
- 15 oz/ 425 grams of pumpkin
- 2 cups/170 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons/8 grams baking powder
- same amount of ground cinnamon as above
- 1 teaspoon/5 grams baking soda
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz/ 226 grams of softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup/ 113 grams softened butter or margarine
- 2 cups/170 grams confectioner’s sugar/ powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon/5 grams of vanilla extract
Fun fact:
Sugar is considered a wet ingredient for many cooks and professional chefs including Paula herself. The reason is that baking has a specific technique of creaming butter with sugar which ultimately results in a much lighter yet even texture of your baked good. Creaming the butter with the sugar even disperses the sugar throughout the batter. Beat it well enough until you see a nice fluffy texture in the mixture.
Recipe: Before Starting
The first step before starting the recipe is to make sure you preheat your oven to 350°F or 177°C.
It’s always wise to have your dry and wet ingredients worked on separately instead of mixing them into one big batch. Let’s Begin!
For the Cake:
- To a big bowl add your all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon and them thoroughly. In a separate bowl add your wet ingredients, melted butter, sugar, and eggs. Using a beater on medium speed, mix them till light and fluffy.
- Now gradually add the dry to the wet ingredients while running your mixer on a low speed to avoid a big dust cloud. Add a tablespoon of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until it forms a consistent batter.
- Line your baking tray or casserole dish or whatever you’re using to bake cakes with melted butter and parchment. Butter goes down first before the parchment paper which assures easy release of the cake from the baking tray once the cake is done baking.
Pop the cake into the oven and bake for at least 30 minutes. Set a timer to keep track.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
To a bowl add your softened cream cheese, melted butter, and confectioner’s sugar and mix thoroughly using a beater on low to medium speed. Add vanilla and mix again until well combined.
Pro tip:
Add about a pinch of salt to the mixture which will in turn enhance the sweetness of the frosting even more.
Fluffy Pumpkin bars are just minutes away from enjoying.
When the timer goes off, the cakes are ready. But before slathering them with your cream cheese frosting, rest the cake until they’re completely cool.
Once cool spread your cream cheese frosting and enjoy.
Conclusion:
Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars are a perfect dessert that warms the soul. It is a one-of-a-kind recipe that never fails to impress. This recipe isn’t just any recipe, it’s a warm welcoming gesture for the fall season and the others in our lives. Take it with a grain of salt but Paula and her delicious southern-style recipes teach us quite an important lesson that simple is always enough to treat ourselves and others with love and compassion.
