Pumpkin Delight
This Pumpkin Delight dessert is a delicious holiday alternative to pumpkin pie. It’s light, airy and full of delicious fall pumpkin pie flavour!
So a big change has flown into our home like a giant tornado…we adopted a puppy. A little stinker. A cute little ankle biter Labradoodle named Molly! She’s been with us for one week now, and wow. Puppies are busy! I feel the need to share this news with you because she’s become such an all consuming part of our home. We’re wrapped around her little paws.
But what does she have to do with this Pumpkin Delight Dessert recipe?
Well, let’s just say blogging has become a bit harder to do these days. Because this…
Ummmmmm…puppies licking the props makes for a very difficult time taking pictures. Trying to get a photo of this Pumpkin Delight dessert was a challenge hahaha! But on the bright side, I can now say not only is this dessert family and kid approved, but apparently it’s also puppy approved. Le sigh.
This Dessert is Truly Delightful!
Anyway, back to dessert. For Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving) this year, I didn’t feel like making a traditional pumpkin pie, so I decided to try something new. I wanted the taste of pumpkin pie, but without the traditional pie crust. So when I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Delight on the blog Li’l Luna, I needed to make it. I changed up a couple of the ingredients, and used my own recipe for the crust (it’s the same recipe I use for my Pudding In a Pan recipe), and it turned out SO fantastic! It’s light, airy and full of delicious fall pumpkin pie flavour!
Simple and Delicious
This dessert isn’t complicated, but it takes a little time to prepare. The good news is it actually tastes even better after it has sat for a day or even 2, so you can make it ahead of time. Letting it rest and set for a a day or so, softens the crust and allows for the pumpkin and spices to meld together. So delicious. And who can’t love a dessert that you can make ahead of time, then just pull out of the fridge when you’re ready for it! Takes away so much stress during holiday dinner preparations.
If you’re looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie, you should try this! We all loved it so much!
Pumpkin Delight
This dessert needs at least 3 hours to chill before serving. Use a 9 x 13 pan (like a glass lasagna pan).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
The Crust:
- 1 cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 cup whipped cream
Pumpkin Fluff Layer:
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 3 (3.5 ounce) packages of instant white chocolate or vanilla pudding
- 1 (398 mL) can pure pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup whipped cream
Whipped Topping:
- 2 cups whipping cream
- chopped pecans for garnish
Instructions
Whipped Cream:
- This recipe requires whipped cream for 3 out of the 4 layers of the dessert. I like to use real whip cream for all of my desserts, so for this recipe I used a 1L container of heavy cream and whipped it up so it was ready to use when I needed it.
The Crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixer combine the chopped nuts, flour, sugar and butter.
- Press the nut mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish (I like to use a glass lasagna pan).
- Bake for about 15 minutes. Don’t overcook it or the crust will be too hard.
- Once the crust is done baking, set it aside and let it cool completely.
Cream Cheese Layer:
- Using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth.
- Add the 1 cup of whipped cream and mix.
- Transfer to another bowl, and set aside.
Pumpkin Fluff Layer:
- Using a mixer cream together the milk and pudding mix until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin puree, spices and whipped cream. Mix completely.
- Set aside.
Putting it all together:
- Once the crust is cooled, spread on the cream cheese layer.
- Then spread on the pumpkin fluff layer.
- Spread on the remaining whipped cream.
- Garnish with chopped pecans or dust with ground cinnamon.
- Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight is best.
Notes
This recipe requires using a mixer for each layer, but don’t worry, you don’t need to clean the mixer between each step.
Keywords: pumpkin delight, pumpkin dessert
– – – –
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes to Try!
- Classic Pumpkin Pie
- Easy Pumpkin Pie Dip
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Delectable Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Have a delicious day!
Molly is adorable! I remember the puppy days. I thought i would loose my mind. that desert looks delicious.
Hahaha! I feel like I’m going to lose my mind! Pleases tell me they relax LOL! 😉
Oh my goodness, Molly is beyond cute!
Thank you Shay! We really do love her! 🙂
New family member is a real cutie. Just for your information, dogs LOVE canned pumpkin. i buy the cheap cans at ALDI that are less then $1.00 Sometimes I hide medicine in a dollop of pumpkin and it goes down quickly. I give the dogs a little pumpkin and a few canned green beans regularly. Lily will pick the green beans out but Jack loves both treats.
I just learned that dogs love pumpkin yesterday! I had no idea! I’m definitely going to give her some today!
Wow! This looks soo good! I need something pumpkin pie-ish at Thanksgiving, but I don’t love-love pumpkin pie! This looks perfect! Pinning!
Thank you Kate! It’s a perfect alternative to pumpkin pie! Enjoy
Molly is so cute! I have a Cocker Spaniel, and the puppy days are a combination of fun and happiness and frustration and dare I say, frustration!!! He loves pumpkin, also, and ate most of my daughter’s jackolantern.He’s 5 now, and she was NOT happy with him! Your photo of him with the dessert was precious! I am going to try your recipe, but dog will not get NEAR it! haha!
Too funny! Molly is so adorable, but what a stinker hahaha!
Hi Jo-Ann! Molly is precious! I’m looking forward to adopting a puppy soon, but it has to love chickens! Labs are known to chase and kill them, so it can’t be a lab mix, unfortunately! Your dessert looks delicious! I love how you use whipped cream instead of the store-bought topping! Whipped cream is so much healthier and in my opinion, tastier! Thanks for sharing! Blessings from Bama!
Thank you Felecia – she really is a doll! And yes, I agree there is nothing better than real whipped cream – it just makes a dessert that much more delicious!
That looks absolutely fantastic! And I’m chuckling about your puppy photo problems. I don’t know how many times my dog has tried to get in on my glamour shots for the blog 😉
Thanks for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty link party.
Oh wow this pumpkin recipe looks so goooddddd… Im getting the ingredients in today to have a try at the recipe tomorrow on my day off from work…
Many Thanks
Christopher
Do you sweeten the whipped cream or just pour and whip?
Hi Jennifer! I used unsweetened whipped cream for the cream cheese and pumpkin fluff layer (so whipped up and unsweetened) and lightly sweeten the whipped cream topping layer.
What size baking dish do you use? Thank you! I can’t wait to try this.
Hi Lisa! I used a standard 9×13 pan. Happy baking!
Can’t wait to try. Are you saying use 3 boxes of the pudding mix if you don’t use white chocolate or just one box?
Hi Nancy! It’s 3 boxes of pudding mix, for whichever flavour you choose. For example, when I make it I use 3 boxes of white chocolate pudding mix. But if you can’t find it for some reason, 3 boxes of vanilla pudding mix will work too!
So just to confirm…I whip the cream first and then add the stated amount in? Not add the stated amount of liquid cream?
Hi Sandra! Yes, whip the cream first then add it in! Enjoy!
Thanks! Crust is cooled and I am ready to get mixing!!
Hello! So if you aren’t whip cream making savvy (like myself)…would using cool whip work?
Also, I’m assuming the butter for the crust needs to be softened…not melted, correct?
You are correct! Just soft. Enjoy!
Hi Holly! Yes, cool whip would work great!
Can this be frozen if using whipping cream?
Hi! I wouldn’t freeze this…it won’t freeze well.