Pumpkin Praline Trifle

As some of you know, I hate pumpkin desserts. This being the time of year for all things pumpkin, I thought I should add some sort of festive dessert. While talking to my sister today, she told me she made a pumpkin trifle and I asked her to send me some pictures so I could add it to my blog. My sister loves all pumpkin desserts and she is the one who makes sure there are pumpkin pies at our Thanksgiving dinner table. I know I can trust her opinion when it comes to food, so I was really excited to find out that I could steal her pictures and recipe for this posting.

As delicious as this trifle may be, I will probably never make, or even try it. I know, it goes against my food motto of trying everything once, but there's something about sweetened pumpkin that makes my stomach flip. My sister said she loves this recipe and has made it a few times. One of her good friends also  makes this recipe during this time of the year. She described it as tasting like a pumpkin mousse tiramisu. It's a beautiful dessert that would look impressive at any dessert table. I also love the autumn colors of this trifle. If you're a fan of pumpkin sweets, give this trifle a try. I wish I like these types of desserts since it looks amazing, so hopefully someone who appreciates pumpkin flavors more than me will be able to enjoy this.


Recipe From Bon Appetit
Serves 8


For the Praline:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup half and half
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups pecan halves (about 6 ounces)

For the Mascarpone Cream:

2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1 8-ounce container chilled mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Assembly:
1 1/2 3-ounce packages soft ladyfingers
4 1/2 tablespoons dark rum, divided

To make the praline, begin by spraying a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the two sugars and half and half and bring to a boil. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Continue to whisk constantly, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the butter, vanilla, and salt. If you have a candy thermometer, attache one to the pan. Stop stirring and allow the mixture to simmer for about 8 minutes, when the temperature reaches 26oºF. Remove from heat and add the pecans right away. Transfer the pecan mixture to the cookie sheet and spread into one even layer. Let the praline cool completely, then chop it into 1/4" pieces.

To make the mascarpone cream, combine all of the ingredients in an electric mixer. Mix until stiff peaks form. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture for the pumpkin filling.

Prepare the pumpkin filling by whisking together the pumpkin, brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Add the reserves 1/2 cup of mascarpone filling and whisk.

To assemble the trifle, spread 1/3 cup of the mascarpone filling on the bottom of an 8x5 inch trifle dish (12 to 14 cup capacity). Lay a layer of lady fingers over the cream and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of rum. Spread 1/2 cup of the pumpkin filling evenly over the ladyfingers and all the way to the edges. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of pralines over the pumpkin layer. Next, spread on 1 cup of the mascarpone cream. Cover with lady fingers and sprinkle with another 1 1/2 tablespoons of rum. Next make a layer with 1 cup of the pumpkin filling, topped with 1/2 cup of the pralines. Repeat one more time with 1 cup of the mascarpone, ladyfingers, 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, 1 cup pumpkin filling, and 1/2 cup of pralines. Spread the remaining mascarpone cream over the top. Cover and chill overnight. Can be made 2 days in advance. Keep chilled until you serve this dessert.

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