Low Carb Pumpkin Bars Recipe with a Gluten Free Option

Lovely low carb pumpkin bars topped with sweet cream cheese frosting. These frosted pumpkin cake bars are a delicious snack that all will enjoy.

When the weather got cooler and it began to feel like autumn, I started craving some pumpkin. However, all the grocery stores I shopped at were out of canned pumpkin.

I discovered that the canned pumpkin shortage was due to bad growing conditions in the state of Illinois where the Libby brand of pumpkins are grown. I figured I better stock up so I ordered a case of 12 organic cans of pumpkin online which was cheaper than going to one of the local nature food stores.

The grocery stores are hoping to have plenty of canned pumpkin back on the shelves for the holidays since the weather was better this year. I wish I had planted my own sugar pumpkins in the yard this year. Pumpkins will certainly be planted next year!

This is the first year that I’ve had trouble getting canned pumpkin. It’s amazing how much the weather in one state can have such a huge effect. Maybe the farms need to be a bit more spread out!

I chose to make the cake for my low carb pumpkin bars recipe in a jelly roll pan. This is because I’d like to make a pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving and wanted to see if this cake would work for that.

I think it would, but the pan would have to be lined with parchment or something nonstick so that the cake would be easier to take out of the pan and roll. I only sprayed the pan with oil and the cake did stick a little, but not a problem with the small squares that I cut it into.

I frosted the low carb pumpkin bars with a stevia sweetened cream cheese frosting, but the cake is moist and delicious as is. It’s also wonderful topped with stevia sweetened whipped cream.

The recipe for the cream cheese frosting I used is right below the cake recipe in this post. If you like spiced pumpkin, you are sure to love this one!

Do you love pumpkin? I sure do. Want some more low carb pumpkin recipes? Check out this collection!

Low Carb Pumpkin Bars Recipe

5 from 1 vote

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Low Carb Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

A lovely pumpkin spice cake topped with sweet cream cheese frosting. This low carb snack cake is sure to please.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword low carb cake, pumpkin

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 20 servings

Calories 151 kcal

Author Lisa | Low Carb Yum

Ingredients

CAKE:

• 1 cup Carbquik (see Note)
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup Steviva Blend or 1 cup erythritol plus 1 teaspoon stevia extract
• 1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses optional (for authentic flavor)
• 4 eggs , beaten
• 1 15- oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon sugar-free vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup coconut oil

FROSTING:

• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon stevia glycerite
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar free vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

CAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In medium bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin, molasses, extract, and oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour into greased jellyroll pan (15x10x1) and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Cool on rack.
5. Cooled cake can be topped with whipped cream, frosted with cream cheese, or eaten as snack cake squares.

FROSTING:

1. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add stevia, heavy cream and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy.

Recipe Notes

Carquik may be substituted with any low carb baking mix or use a mix of 3/4 almond flour and 1/4 coconut flour. Xanthan gum can be added to improve texture.

Carbs per square for cake: about 2.2g carbs

About 15 g carbs in entire frosting recipe

Nutrition Facts

Low Carb Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Amount Per Serving (1 bar)

Calories 151 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g 26%

Saturated Fat 11g 55%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 55mg 18%

Sodium 124mg 5%

Potassium 118mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 6g 2%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 1g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 3%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 5%

Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.