Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven (too low and the crust will burn).
For the crust, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the melted butter, vanilla and egg. Stir to combine (I use my hands at the end to combine the dough into a cohesive ball).
Press the dough into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch pan.
For the filling, you can use the same bowl that was used for the crust as long as there aren’t any large clumps of dough remaining in it. Whisk the eggs until light and creamy. Stir in the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and pumpkin. Whisk to combine. Stir in the evaporated milk or cream.
Pour the filling over the crust.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Don't overbake or the crust will be too tough.
Cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with sweetened whipped cream.