Food Waste Free Recipes

Every Last Bit Pumpkin Trifle

  • Dessert
  • Cooking Time: 1.5 hours
  • Preparation Time: 1 hour
  • Serves: 10-12
  • Difficulty: Medium
Recipe created by: Vallery Lomas of @foodieinnewyork

There’s nothing that says fall more than pumpkin-spiced everything! And carving pumpkins every year is one of my favorite traditions. To avoid letting any scraps from a jack-o-lantern go to waste, I came up with a delicious recipe to up-cycle any leftover pumpkin guts into a gorgeous layered trifle dessert.

For this recipe you’ll make each layer of the trifle separately, starting with the roasted pumpkin puree, then the pecan raisin pumpkin cake, all the way through to the whipped cream. Then you’ll assemble it into the final dessert! While trifles may look complicated, they are actually quite easy and are always a showstopper! I love using the Morton® Fine Himalayan Pink Salt in this recipe because it's the best salt for baking, helping me to enhance my dish by adding a pop of flavor to each of the trifle ingredients!

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ½ pounds) pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon Morton® Fine Himalayan Pink Salt
  • 2 cups roasted pumpkin puree (from the pumpkin you prepped)
  • ¾ cup pureed and strained pumpkin pulp (from the pumpkin you prepared)
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon Morton® Fine Himalayan Pink Salt
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 2 (8-ounce) blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 cups roasted pumpkin puree (from the pumpkin you prepared)
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon Morton® Fine Himalayan Pink Salt
  • 2 cups of your favorite homemade or store-bought whipped cream topping Roasted pumpkin seeds, crushed cookies, or your favorite crunch to add texture

MORTON®
FINE HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

  1. For the Roasted Pumpkin Puree:

    Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

    Carefully cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Remove the pumpkin pulp and seeds from the inside of the pumpkin to a bowl and set aside.

    Drizzle the insides of the two pumpkin halves with 2 tablespoons each of canola oil and place cut side down on the baking sheets.

    Allow to roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove and allow to cool completely. 

    Meanwhile, separate the seeds (about 1 cup) from the pulp and place in two separate bowls. Note: Save the pumpkin seeds for roasting and enjoy at a later time or use as a decorative way to top the trifle)

    Place the stringy pumpkin pulp into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Puree until very smooth.

    Place the puree in a fine-mesh sieve or strainer and allow to strain out the excess liquid (yields ¾ cup strained). Set aside to use in the pecan raisin pumpkin cake.

    Once the roasted pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh, discarding or composting the skin, and place in the bowl or the food processor fitted with the blade attachment and blend until very smooth (you will need to do this in batches).

    Strain the puree in a fine-mesh sieve to remove excess liquid (yields 5 cups strained puree total).

    Remove 2 cups of the puree to a large bowl for the pecan raisin pumpkin cake and set the remaining 3 cups aside for the pumpkin cream cheese whip.

     

  2. For the Pecan Raisin Pumpkin Cake:

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with baking spray; set aside.

    Place the pecans on a baking sheet and allow to toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Shake halfway through and remove when they smell nutty and toasty. Allow to cool completely.

    Add the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract to the large bowl with the 2 cups of roasted pumpkin puree, and whisk together until well combined.

    Over the bowl of wet ingredients, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Morton® Fine Himalayan Pink Salt and fold into the wet ingredients until combined. Add the pumpkin pulp, raisins, and pecans, and stir again until just incorporated.

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

    Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes.

    Then remove the pecan raisin pumpkin cake from the pan and allow to cool on the wire rack completely.

    Cut the cooled pecan raisin pumpkin cake into 1-inch cubes.

  3. For the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Whip:

    In a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese and beat using a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.

    Add the roasted pumpkin puree, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and Morton® Fine Himalayan Pink Salt and beat again until combined, thickened, and very smooth. Set aside. (Tip: If you’re filling is too loose, chances are it’s too warm, pop in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour until a nice and thick pourable consistency).

  4. To Build the Trifle:

    In a standard 3 ½-quart trifle dish, add a quarter of the pecan raisin pumpkin cake cubes to make an even layer on the bottom of the trifle dish.

    Top with half of the pumpkin cream cheese whip.

    Add another layer of the pecan raisin pumpkin cake and top with half of the whipped cream.

    Top again with another layer of the pecan raisin pumpkin cake cubes, remaining pumpkin cream cheese whip, pecan raisin pumpkin cake, and finish with the remaining whipped cream.

    Finish with the pumpkin seeds or your favorite crushed cookie over the top.

    Refrigerate until ready to serve.