Packed pinch 4 dreamy layers of pumpkin mousse, creamy cheese, fluffy whipped cream, and toasted pecans, this no-bake dessert will beryllium nan deed of Thanksgiving.
Serves9 to 12
Prep35 minutes to 45 minutes
Cook1 minute
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Credit: Kelli Foster
Pumpkin delight is genuinely nan seasonal dessert that has it each — and you don’t moreover person to move connected your oven for this one! Not only does this tall, layered dessert look beautiful and impressive, but it’s besides wholly delicious. Impossibly creamy without being excessively saccharine aliases excessively rich, this dessert has a buttery, cinnamon-spiced graham cracker crust pinch layers reminiscent of no-bake cheesecake and lush pumpkin mousse, positive a heavy broad of whipped cream connected top.
It’s worthy noting that location are a number of steps successful making this dessert, truthful it’s not precisely “quick to propulsion together,” yet I committedness that each measurement is easy to follow.
Following successful nan steps of our summery strawberry delight and caramel pome delight, pumpkin delight is simply a seasonal rotation connected this celebrated no-bake layered dessert. Here, location are 4 gangly layers to beryllium nonstop — five, if you count nan pecan topping.
This dessert is built connected a spiced graham cracker crust and topped pinch layers of sweetened pick cheese, easy pumpkin mousse, and whipped cream. Then, conscionable earlier serving it gets dusted pinch crushed cinnamon and radiated pinch chopped pecans.
Key Ingredients successful Pumpkin Delight
- Graham crackers. This is nan prima constituent for nan guidelines of nan dessert. You tin besides usage graham cracker crumbs arsenic a substitute.
- Unsalted butter. Melted food is what holds nan graham cracker crumbs together to shape a sturdy base.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat pick food is nan champion action for this dessert. It gets utilized for nan bottommost layer, which is reminiscent of no-bake cheesecake, arsenic good arsenic nan pumpkin layer.
- Pumpkin purée. Good news, you won’t person immoderate leftovers. This look uses a afloat tin of pumpkin.
- Powdered unflavored gelatin. A packet of unflavored gelatin stabilizes nan pumpkin layer.
- Heavy cream. Lightly sweetened whipped pick is utilized successful almost each layer. It lightens up nan pick food layer, gives nan pumpkin furniture a mousse-like texture, and makes for a dreamy apical layer.
If You’re Making Pumpkin Delight, a Few Tips
- Use a cookware astatine slightest 2 inches gangly and don’t hide to statement it pinch parchment. This pumpkin delight is tall, truthful it needs immoderate support until it’s afloat chilled. Be judge to usage a modular 8×8 baking dish, which is astir 2-inches tall, and don’t place nan parchment slings. Using 2 parchment slings helps support nan apical layers of nan pumpkin delight, and makes it a breeze to region nan dessert from nan baking dish.
- Allow ample clip to soften nan pick cheese. Plan connected astatine slightest 45 minutes for nan pick food to soften. It’s adjuvant for 2 reasons: it makes nan pick food overmuch easier to whip until it’s ray and fluffy, and makes it easier to evenly fold successful nan whipped pick without wholly deflating it.
- Use pumpkin purée. You want purée, not pumpkin pastry filling (which is overmuch looser) for this recipe.
- Clean nan weapon betwixt slices. The beauty of this dessert is that not only is it positively delicious, but those layers are wholly stunning. Wipe nan weapon betwixt each portion to support those lines cleanable for a perfect-looking dessert.
Packed pinch 4 dreamy layers of pumpkin mousse, creamy cheese, fluffy whipped cream, and toasted pecans, this no-bake dessert will beryllium nan deed of Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces
cream cheese
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter
- 12
full-size graham crackers (about 6 1/2 ounces), aliases 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons
packed ray aliases acheronian brownish sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons
ground cinnamon, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 2 cups
cold dense cream
- 1 cup
powdered sugar, divided
- 4 teaspoons
vanilla extract, divided
- 3 tablespoons
water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons
powdered unflavored gelatin
- 1 (15-ounce) tin
pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pastry filling)
- 2 teaspoons
pumpkin pastry spice
- 1/4 cup
pecans (optional)
Place 16 ounces pick food connected nan counter. Let beryllium astatine room somesthesia until softened, astir 45 minutes. Line an 8x8-inch baking cookware that’s astatine slightest 2 inches gangly pinch 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other, truthful that nan parchment hangs astatine slightest 2 inches complete each 4 sides of nan cookware to shape a sling.
Melt 1 instrumentality unsalted food successful a mini microwave-safe vessel successful 20-second bursts until mostly melted, 40 to 60 seconds full (it will melt wholly arsenic it sits). (Alternatively, melt nan food successful a mini saucepan complete mean heat.) Set speech to cool slightly.
Break 12 full graham cracker sheets into unsmooth pieces and spot successful a nutrient processor fitted pinch a leaf attachment. Add 2 tablespoons packed ray aliases acheronian brownish sugar, 1 spoon of nan crushed cinnamon, and 1/4 spoon of nan kosher salt. Process until nan crackers are nan texture of sand, 20 to 30 seconds. Add nan food and beat to combine, 6 to 8 (1-second) pulses. (If utilizing graham cracker crumbs, conscionable operation 1 1/2 cups crumbs, brownish sugar, crushed cinnamon, kosher salt, and food together successful a mean bowl.)
Transfer nan substance to nan baking pan. Use nan bottommost of a measuring cup aliases your fingers to property nan crumbs into an moreover layer, making judge to scope nan edges and capable nan corners. Refrigerate while you hole nan filling.
Place 2 cups acold dense pick and 1/4 cup of nan powdered sweetener successful nan vessel of a guidelines mixer (or ample vessel if utilizing an electrical manus mixer). Beat pinch nan whisk attachment connected precocious velocity until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to different bowl.
Place nan pick cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of nan vanilla extract, and remaining 1/4 spoon kosher brackish successful nan vessel of nan guidelines mixer (no request to swipe clean). Beat pinch nan whisk attachment connected mean velocity until ray and very fluffy, scraping down nan sides pinch a elastic spatula halfway through, astir 3 minutes total.
Transfer half of nan whipped pick (about 2 cups) to nan pick food substance and mildly fold together pinch a elastic spatula until conscionable combined. Dollop half of nan pick food substance (about 2 cups) into nan baking crockery and dispersed into an moreover layer.
Place 3 tablespoons h2o and 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin successful a mini microwave-safe vessel and whisk good to harvester breaking up immoderate lumps. Microwave connected HIGH powerfulness for 5 seconds. Whisk until nan gelatin is dissolved.
Add nan gelatin mixture, 1 (15-ounce can) pumpkin purée, nan remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pastry spice, and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to nan remaining pick food mixture. Beat pinch nan whisk attachment connected mean velocity until fluffy and smooth, astir 30 seconds.
Dollop complete nan pick food substance successful nan baking crockery and dispersed into an moreover layer. Spoon nan remaining whipped pick complete nan pumpkin furniture and dispersed into an moreover layer. Cover and refrigerate for astatine slightest 2 hours aliases up to overnight.
When fresh to serve, coarsely chop 1/4 cup pecans if desired. Grasping nan excess parchment, transportation nan pumpkin delight slab to a cutting board. Sprinkle pinch nan pecans and particulate pinch nan remaining 1/4 spoon crushed cinnamon. Cut into 12 squares, wiping nan weapon betwixt each trim for cleaner cuts.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers successful an airtight instrumentality for up to 4 days.