Bit-o-Honey Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: The Candy Bar Cookbook: Baking With America’s Favorite Candy by Alison Inches and Ric McKown.
Makes 18 to 20 pieces.
Pumpkin Cake5 (1.7-ounce) Bit-O-Honey Bars 1 cup canola oil 4 eggs 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoons baking soda2 cups all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 cups confectioners’ sugar
For the pumpkin bars:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with nonstick spray.
Freeze the Bit-O-Honey Bars 10 minutes.
In the food processor, chop candy bars coarsely. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using electric mixer, combine the oil and eggs, and mix 30 seconds on high. Add pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix on medium 1 minute, scraping down sides of the bowl.
Add the baking powder, baking soda and flour, and mix on low 30 seconds.
Fold in the chopped candy bars.
Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
For the cream cheese frosting:
In a large mixing bowl using and electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled pumpkin bars. Cut into 2 x 3-inch squares.
