Giangi's Kitchen

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Chocolate-swirled pumpkin bars. To all my chocolate lovers, do I have a treat for you today?

Imagine sweet, soft, decadent chocolate blended with an even smoother, full-of-flavor pumpkin sponge-like cake… Is your mouth watering yet?

I have had so much fun making this recipe that it will be part of my fall repertoire.

This time of year, when pumpkin is readily available, it is only of order that a dessert on its honor will be created.

I love how not overpowering the cinnamon; ground cloves are blended with the pumpkin, however complimenting the flavor.

You will enjoy the two layers of these beautiful chocolate-swirled pumping bars.

One layer, the bottom one.  is a very soft pumpkin spongy cake.

The upper layer is the cream cheese with the richness of the melted chocolate with extra chocolate chips. Just sinful, as I am a chocolate lover.

Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed

All-purpose flour: My favorite is King Arthur flour. Unbleached and not self-rising.

Baking soda and baking powder: rising agents that will allow your pumpkin bars to be soft and light.

Pumpkin puree: The star of this dessert. It gives it that deep color and flavor.

Eggs: large eggs at room temperature

Vegetable oil: a light and less caloric content than butter.

Semisweet chocolate pieces: I buy a good quality chocolate bar and chop it

Cream Cheese:  Adds excellent texture and creaminess. Please leave it to room temperature to soften it so it will be easier to work with.

Sugar: Granulated sugar

Milk: Use whole milk for all baking. It gives it a rich texture and flavor

Cinnamon and ground cloves: Give that spice flavor that works magic against the pumpkin. You almost cannot have without the other this time of year.

Equipment you will need

Baking sheet with high border

Small and large mixing bowls

Whisk

Small pan

Stand KitchenAid mixer

Hand mixer

Knife

Aluminum foil

Cooling racks

Baking tips and step by step to make this Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Bars recipe:

• Make sure you have the right size with a high-border baking dish, as it will rise. Fill 2/3 of the way up.
• Using your stand-alone KitchenAid will come in handy for mixing the eggs with the pumpkin mix and the four.
• Start mixing all the dry ingredients first. I have done this one time too many, thus reintegrating it again: start slow when you turn on your mixer, as the flour tends to fly into thin air and all over your kitchen counter.
• Add one egg at a time and beat well.  The eggs need to be at room temperature so they will not prevent the rising of your cake.
• I do not own a microwave. Therefore, I used a small pan to melt the chocolate. If you are like me, melt it over low heat and ensure it does not burn around the edges of your pan.
• Wait until the melted chocolate has cooled off before adding it to the cream cheese and sugar mixture.
• Swirl the two layers with a knife blade or a baking toothpick to give it that marbled look. This will infuse your spongy cake with soft chocolate. A divine combination when you are ready to bite into it.
• The remaining chocolate, chop it finely and add to the top.
• Do not open the oven door until most baking takes around 25 to 30 minutes.
• Use a toothpick to make sure it is baked all the way thru. Please remove it from the oven when it comes out clean, meaning no residue on the toothpick.
• Place the pan over a cooling rack. Very important as it allows them to cool off completely and faster.
• The foil will be of help to remove it from the pan.

Storage instructions

Let it cool off entirely, as it will break when you attempt to lift it if it is still warm.

Once completely cooled off, I store my on a cake plate with a glass lid. This way is a lot more accessible to everyone in the family,

However, storing them in a large glass container is the best. Place a sheet of parchment paper between the layers if you need to layer them.

If you enjoy these chocolate-swirled pumpkin bars, look at some of my other recipes!

Pumpkin Tiramisu – A No-Bake Dessert For You

Healthy Pumpkin Ginger Soup – Gluten Free

Miniature Pumpkin-Spice Bundt Cakes

Equipment and ingredients used to make this recipe:

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Originally published on October 22, 2019. Updated on October 31, 2022.