No-Cook Pumpkin Tiramisu Recipe

Classic Italian desserts like the sfogliatelle, the filled, multi-layered pastry, and the cannoli, the cream-filled shell, might go back a few centuries, but the same cannot be said of tiramisu, which didn't make its presence known in the US until the 1980s. 

Eater, which looked at tiramisu's origins, says the dessert could be much older than that, because celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich says she recognizes the treat from her childhood as something her grandmother made: "She called it 'tira me su,' in Venetian dialect."

But Bastianich's grandmother can claim no credit for inventing the dish — kudos for that belongs to Speranza Garatti of the Ristorante da Celeste in Treviso, Italy, who began serving an early incarnation of the dish which she called "coppa imperiale." She later changed the dish's name to tiramisu.

There are no origin stories for this unique twist on classic tiramisu, but as registered dietitian Kristen Carli, who you'll find on Instagram, puts it, "I love pumpkin flavored things! This combo is so delicious and everyone should give it a shot!"

Begin by gathering up what you need — unlike some recipes that call for ingredients you might have lying around at home, this pumpkin tiramisu will likely require a trip to the store. 

You'll need a can of pumpkin puree, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, salt, sugar, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, espresso, and ladyfinger cookies. Carli advises against doing any ingredient swaps, particularly where the mascarpone and the ladyfingers are concerned. While mascarpone is also known as "Italian cream cheese," Masterclass points out that mascarpone has a velvety texture and has a mouthfeel comparable to brie (not American cream cheese), thanks to a much higher butterfat content. 

Perhaps the fiddliest part of a tiramisu involves assembling its components separately, but we promise you that the whole of this dessert will end up far greater than the sum of its parts. 

To make its creamy pumpkin filling, mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and a 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk to combine, before adding in the dried ginger, cloves, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and salt. Then add the mascarpone cheese and heavy cream and whisk until soft peaks form.

Carli recommends against swapping out canned pumpkin for fresh pumpkin, because as Taste of Home points out, the ingredient is made with a blend of pumpkin and other types of squash, giving it a consistent flavor. 

A few things can happen when you're prepping the coffee mixture that you'll be using to flavor your ladyfingers with. You have the option to use powdered or fresh espresso, and in the event that either form of espresso is not available, drip coffee can be used as well. If you're not keen on the idea of using 1/4 cup of sugar, an equal amount of honey or maple syrup can be used to sweeten the coffee mixture too. Just make sure that the coffee mixture is whisked properly before it is used.

When the coffee mixture is ready, dip the ladyfingers in the espresso mixture to coat them and line about half of them at the bottom of the 13x9-inch baking dish.

Once the bottom of your baking pan is lined with coffee-soaked ladyfingers, spread a portion of the pumpkin-mascarpone mixture on top, making sure you spread the cheese filling evenly. Once that is done you can add another layer of espresso-dipped ladyfingers, and follow it with another layer of the pumpkin-mascarpone. Continue creating layers if you can, making sure that you finish with the pumpkin cream mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon on top and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. 

Don't give in to the temptation of skipping the refrigeration step of the recipe, because the process helps the ladyfingers soften and absorb flavor – otherwise you may get a tiramisu with a bit of crunch. Once it's been refrigerated, you can enjoy this pumpkin spice spin on a classic tiramisu! 

The dessert will keep for up to three days when refrigerated.