These easy pumpkin spice squares are one of the first signs of fall. Tender pumpkin cake is baked with caramel-coated pecans, creating gooey pockets of caramel throughout.

When we start loading up our pantry with extra cases of pumpkin purée, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and allspice, all bakers recognize that pumpkin spice season has arrived. If you love this recipe, you’ll enjoy our list of the best pumpkin baking recipes (like our Pumpkin Meringue Pie).

Tips for Making Caramel Sauce

If you do not have a candy thermometer, you can still make this caramel; at the bakery we always make it by look, not by temperature. As the caramel starts to darken and go from clear to light brown to amber brown, be observant. When smaller, more condensed bubbles form on the surface of the sugar, the caramel is close to done. The bubbles themselves will be dark amber. To test, carefully dip a spoon into the mixture, drip a drop on a plate, and check the colour. If it’s ready, move on to the next step; if it requires more time, let it bubble some more. However, do not walk away! Medium brown caramel can shift to burnt caramel faster than you think. Another recipe that demonstrates how versatile caramel sauce is is our Nutty Caramel Popcorn. ––

Caramel Pumpkin Spice Squares

Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderhem

These pumpkin spice squares bake pecans into a tender pumpkin cake, creating gooey pockets of caramel beneath a simple icing-sugar glaze.

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Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cloves
1¼ cups pure pumpkin purée
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup canola oil
3 large eggs
¾ cup toasted pecans roughly chopped
¼ cup caramel sauce (see recipe below)

Glaze

½ cup icing sugar
1 to 1½ tbsp warm water

Caramel Sauce

1½ cups granulated sugar
⅓ cup water
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup whipping (35%) cream room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Pumpkin Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan with canola oil cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves into a large bowl and stir together.
In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin purée, sugar, canola oil, and eggs until the sugar is dissolved and no oily film remains around the edges.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the ingredients are fully incorporated and no dry flour remains. Scoop the batter into the prepared cake pan and, using a small offset palette knife, smooth out the top.
In a small bowl, stir together the chopped pecans and caramel. Drop teaspoonfuls of caramel pecan mixture evenly over the batter to cover as much surface area as possible. Do not mix it in. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

Glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and water until smooth. Drizzle the glaze diagonally over the cooled cake in a zig-zag pattern.
Cut the squares using a serrated knife. Wipe the knife clean with a warm cloth between each cut to get nice clean cuts.

Caramel Sauce

In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, water, and lemonjuice until the sugar is dissolved. When the sugar is mostly dissolved, bring toa boil over high heat without stirring. The lemon juice is acidic and will helpkeep the sugar from crystallizing. Boil on high heat, without stirring, until thetemperature reaches at least 345ºF (174ºC) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Watch for a dark amber tone (not too dark, though; if it is blackor the mixture smokes, you have gone too far).
When the caramel is a rich amber colour, carefully remove the pot fromthe heat and place it on a heat-resistant surface. Slowly pour the creaminto the mixture in small additions, stirring carefully after each additionand backing away once it begins to climb the sides of the pot. Stir in thevanilla bean paste and salt. Leave the caramel in the pot and cool toroom temperature. The cooling process may take 3 to 4 hours

Notes

Make Ahead

The cake can be baked ahead and stored, un-glazed and wrapped in beeswax or plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
You can make the caramel ahead and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
The glazed squares are best enjoyed at room temperature on the day of baking but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for
up to 2 days.

Keyword candied pecans, pecan squares, pumpkin bars, pumpkin spice, pumpkln squares

Excerpted from Cake & Loaf Gatherings: Sweet and Savoury Recipes to Celebrate Every Occasion by Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham. Copyright © 2023 Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham. Photography and illustrations by Nickey Miller. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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