Meet your new favorite, super easy to make pumpkin dessert! This trifle screams fall with layers of pumpkin cookies, cheesecake, and whipped cream. It comes together in no time and the different components can be made ahead. I love to make it with a few homemade ingredients, but you can use store-bought ones and have a last-minute pudding that will delight everyone.
I love trifles. They are delicious, easy to make and there are so many possible combinations! And (and this is a big one) you can use several purchased components to make it even easier to put together.
Most sweet leftovers can find their way into a trifle. I love them with fruit, specifically peach trifle and the easy strawberry trifle and they fall into the easy dessert category where I put fruit crisps.
But it's fall season for most of you reading this post and the holidays are near. So this recipe today is creamy and delicious but with no fruit, just a vegetable, our good old pumpkin. But this post comes with shortcuts to make your life easier!
Ingredients
They are simple, as you can see in the image above. Let's talk a bit about the most important ones:
- Pumpkin puree - you can use canned or homemade as I do. Here's is the easiest and best recipe for pumpkin or squash puree.
- Cream - choose a heavy cream that is fresh and good for whipping. I know that sounds obvious, but dairy products vary in the percentage of water, content among other things. My experience is that the more water the less they hold and the easier they curdle.
- Spices - use your favorite pumpkin spice mix, homemade or store-bought. I make my own with (all ground) 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg. Occasionally, I add a pinch of ground cloves.
- Whoopie cookies - this dessert is the result of leftover whoopie pies. They are like soft pumpkin cookies and I use them in 2 ways here: soft as they are originally made (without the filling), and also a crunchier version by tearing them up and drying them in the oven, like bread crumbs. You can also make it with this Pumpkin Bread recipe.
How to make cake crumbs
This is a great way to add crunch to any dessert and use any leftover cake or soft cookies at the same time.
Low oven - what we need to do to make crumbs is to dry out the pieces of cake or whoopies rather than toast them. So that they stay crunchier longer. So it's as easy as tearing the soft cookies or cake pieces, putting them in a clean, dry cookie sheet and baking at a low temperature. How toasted and crunchy you want the crumbs is up to you. Keep in mind that unless you evenly cut the pieces, they will toast differently. I actually like that.
Easy steps
Trifles are all about layering flavors and textures. So they can vary wildly depending on what your personal taste is. You can mix and match as you please. Use more cream or more cheesecake mixture, or more crunchy crumbs, less whipped cream. There's no right or wrong way of making your own pumpkin trifle.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
So I start with the crumbs in the bottom and then add the cream. This way they will be moistened by the liquid that seeps into them. Images above.
I add only one fat layer of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture in the middle and then top it with a whole whoopie because they are soft so there's no need to tear them up. And they fit in the individual trifle glasses beautifully. Images above.
The final addition is a thick layer of whipped cream and as many pumpkin crumbs as I can fit in. Because they're delicious.
First layer of crunchy pumpkin whoopies 
Second layer is whipped cream
No-bake pumpkin cheesecake layer 
Layer of whole pumpkin soft cookie
Frequently asked questions
This dessert often includes a dry component such as old cake pieces, cookies or in this case, soft cookie crumbs. So you want that layer to be in touch with the cream so it soaks up liquid and becomes more edible. But, as mentioned before, though there can be a better way to layer this dessert, there really is no right or wrong IMO.
It can and it's a good idea to allow the layers to meld depending on the type of cake/cookies you're using. A few hours before is recommended for sure. I don't like it more than a day and try to assemble it no more than 4-6 hours before serving, but that's personal taste.
This is not recommended as it will be extremely soggy when defrosted. You can freeze the cake layer and the cheesecake layer in advance though. Make sure you plan the time it takes to thaw them and lightly toast the cake in the oven before assembling the trifle.
Variation
As I mentioned before, there are shortcuts that can make this pumpkin dessert even easier to make:
- Store-bought pumpkin bread: use it instead of the whoopie cookies.
- Gingersnaps: use them crushed instead of the crumbs. Use store-bought or our recipe for gingersnap cookies which can be made ahead.
- Pumpkin pie filling: use it alone instead of the cheesecake pumpkin mixture that goes in the middle of the trifle.
- Cream: I know there are canned creams that can be used, such as Cool Whip.
Related recipes you might like:
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Easiest Pumpkin Trifle Recipe
Meet your new favorite, super easy to make pumpkin dessert! This trifle screams fall with layers of pumpkin cookies, cheesecake, and whipped cream. It comes together in no time and the different components can be made ahead. I love to make it with a few homemade ingredients, but you can use store-bought ones and have a last-minute pudding that will delight everyone.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 individual servingss 1x
Ingredients
- 12 whoopie cookies or 4 pumpkin bread slices
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar, divided
- ½ cup pumpkin puree, homemade (or canned)
- ½ cup cream cheese, at room t°
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spices
Instructions
All components can be made up to 2 days ahead and keep refrigerated (cream and cheesecake) or in jars or tins (crumbs).
Make the crumbs:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Tear apart in chunks 8 of the whoopies or 2 of the bread slices.
- Put in a clean cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until they're crisp and darkened in color. The time depends a lot on the size of the pieces so check it regularly and move them around so they toast better.
- Let cool while making the rest of the dessert.
For the pumpkin cheesecake:
- Mix the pumpkin puree with the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add half the powdered sugar (¼ cup), the spices, and integrate well.
- Taste and adjust sugar or spices to your own palate. Reserve.
For the whipped cream:
- Beat cold cream with the rest of the powdered sugar (¼ cup) until medium peaks form.
- If making ahead keep refrigerated, covered.
To assemble:
- Have ready 4 individual glasses. Mine are
- Put a layer of crumbs in the bottom of each glass.
- Add a few tablespoons of cream but don't spread it the sides.
- Top with ¼ of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture.
- Top with a whole whoopie (or ½ slice of pumpkin bread) and gently press down.
- Top with the rest of the cream and crumbs, dividing evenly among glasses.
- Refrigerate for an hour or two before serving. (Freezing it is not recommended).
Notes
- Cream - choose a whipping or double cream (sometimes called heavy I believe, depending on the country) that is fresh and good for whipping. I know that sounds obvious, but dairy products vary in the percentage of water, content among other things. My experience is that the more water the less they hold and the easier they curdle.
- Spices - use your favorite pumpkin spice mix, homemade or store-bought. I make my own with (all ground) 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg. Occasionally, I add a pinch of ground cloves.
- Whoopie cookies - this dessert is the result of leftover whoopie pies. They are like soft pumpkin cookies and I use them in 2 ways here: soft as they are originally made (without the filling), and also a crunchier version by tearing them up and drying them in the oven, like bread crumbs. You can also make it with this Pumpkin Bread recipe.
- Shortcut:
Store-bought pumpkin bread use it instead of the whoopie cookies.
Gingersnaps, use them crushed instead of the crumbs.
Pumpkin pie filling, canned, use it alone instead of the cheesecake pumpkin mixture that goes in the middle of the trifle.
Cream, I know there are canned creams that can be used, such as Cool Whip. - Crumbs: what we need to do to make crumbs is to dry out the pieces of cake or whoopies rather than toast them. So that they stay crunchier longer. So it's as easy as tearing the soft cookies or cake pieces, putting them in a clean, dry cookie sheet, and baking at a low temperature. How toasted and crunchy you want the crumbs is up to you. Keep in mind that unless you evenly cut the pieces, they will toast differently. I actually like that.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Layering
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin trifle
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