Another monthly dessert challenge! This month was a fitting pair: pumpkin and cream cheese. My cream cheese of choice is Tofutti but there are a few other brands on the market.
I was thinking of just frosting these bars with the cream cheeze frosting but I was a bit ahead of myself when I was baking them pulling out ingredients so I made a swirl instead. Unfortunately I also forgot to take a photo and had to save a corner piece for the job.
Since the swirl doesn’t make the top gooey these are perfect for bringing to friends. No frosting stuck to the top of the container!

Carrot Pumpkin Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp margerine softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup or close to half of a 15 oz can pumpkin
- 1/2 cup carrot finely shredded
Cream cheese topping
- 2 oz tofutti cream cheese softened
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp almond milk - add more milk if needed
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350º. Grease 8x8 pan.
- In small bowl combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder & baking soda.
- In larger bowl beat sugar, brown sugar and margarine until crumbly. Add oil, pumpkin and carrots.
- Beat until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until well blended. Spread onto greased pan.
- Mix together cream cheese, sugar and almond milk until thoroughly blended.
- Drop teaspoon-fulls of topping over pumpkin batter and swirl mixture with a butter knife.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake tester (inserted in center) comes out clean. Cool in pan completely on wire rack before cutting into squares.
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These look wonderful…so moist. I would love to have one for an afternoon snack…or evening…or breakfast!!
these look so moist and wonderful. pinned it !
Gerat minds think alike. Glad you posted in time for the linky. Yours looks absolutely scrumptious, of course.
These sound great! Thanks for the idea!
These look so good and moist! I love the idea of not having the frosting on top, but the cream cheese swirled throughout. You’re right, a great way to avoid the frosting sticking to the top when taking somewhere! I’m glad I started the dessert challenge this month!
How cool! I love the pretty swirls of cream cheese on top, and yet it’s dairy-free!
Mary @ Fit and Fed recently posted…Cauliflower Mushroom (Sparassis crispa) ‘Noodles’
This cake look so good!
My neighbor is vegan and she is always a great sport about trying out my recipes. I will have to look and see if I can find your brand of cream cheese so I can make something that she can eat and not break her diet for! Sweet blog name by the way, Love it!
Krista Low recently posted…Nutella Swirl Banana Bread
That’s totally awesome of you to think of your neighbour Krista! You rock!