Every year before Thanksgiving approaches, I have every intention to introduce a unique menu to serve to my family, but usually I give in and turn to my faithful and tested recipes. This year, as menu planning began for the big cooking day, I decided to try a brand-new dessert. That said, I was not going to let pecan pie escape from my dining table.
Although the traditional pumpkin pie is always a crowd-pleaser, I decided to make a pumpkin dessert that families would enjoy after the big turkey dinner or even a little later in the evening.
Pumpkin cake might not be as glamorous as carrot cake or pineapple upside-down cake, but with a little help from pantry friends, a cake can easily be made into a decadent parfait with multiple layers of seasonal flavors. For families, it would be a great time to get children involved in the kitchen as the ingredients are gathered together. It is wonderful to be thankful for helping hands who will later be anticipating every bite of dessert.
There are three ingredients that really can’t go wrong when paired with a dessert: whipped cream, caramel and pumpkin. A quick assembly line makes these parfaits super easy to prepare the night before, or they can be prepared on Thanksgiving and put in the fridge to set. Some delicious Kahlua can be poured over some of the adult parfaits for a more adventurous dessert experience.
This Thanksgiving, why not give another dessert a chance? Of course, no one is telling you to abandon the favorites, just introduce a new dessert for your friends. Have a great holiday!
Pumpkin Cake and Caramel Parfaits
(Makes 6–8 parfaits)
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup cake flour
1 ¼ cup turbinado sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
½ cup coconut oil, melted
⅓ cup water
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin puree
½ cup walnuts, crushed
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two 15×10 jelly-roll pans with parchment paper. Measure flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spice into a large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pumpkin puree, water, coconut oil, eggs and walnuts. Beat until well combined. Divide dough between the two jelly-roll pans. Bake each for 20 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into about 1-inch cubes. Set aside.
Pumpkin Pudding
Ingredients:
2 cups reduced-fat milk
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Method:
Mix the sugar and arrowroot powder in a medium sauce pan. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and milk until well-combined. Heat the sauce pan to medium-high heat and whisk the egg-milk mixture into the sugar mix. Allow the mixture to boil for a minute, constantly whisking so the pudding will not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cool completely or place pudding in a shallow container and flash cool in freezer for 30 minutes.
Spiced Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla powder
⅓ cup powdered sugar
Method:
Whip the heavy cream on high setting until it reaches stiff peaks. Sift in the powdered sugar and add the spices into the cream. Whip quickly until the ingredients are mixed. Refrigerate until assembly is ready.
1 cup Dulce de Leche or Caramel topping
Assembly
Use 1 ½- or 2-cup parfait glasses to assemble dessert. Start with a dollop of whipped cream or pumpkin pudding on the base of the glass, then layer with 4-5 pumpkin bread cubes, drizzle with 1 tbsp caramel, then add ¼-cup pumpkin pudding, following with ¼ cup of whipped cream. Repeat the layers and drizzle with caramel on top of whipped cream.
Assemble the night before or the same day as party.
- Photography: Noelle Kelly
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