Pumpkin Tiramisu

Who doesn’t love pie? I mean, Thanksgiving is right around the proverbial corner and that sends nearly every pie lover on earth into pie fantasy orbit complete with little pilgrim space helmets. But Pumpkin Tiramisu? In the shape of a pie? We’re talking Mayflower to Mars.

While I’m a fan of pies, particularly pumpkin pie which has ALWAYS been my favorite, sometimes I go stark raving off the typical Turkey-day-desires charts and crave something more. Well, maybe not more, just different. Like a pumpkin tiramisu shaped like a pie.

When the husband and I were carousing Costco in Las Vegas, doing a little boozey-perusing (Utah’s liquor laws don’t allow hard alcohol or wine to be sold in grocery stores—I know, don’t get me started), my little eye spied a pumpkin liqueur.

It looked creamy, it looked dreamy and I immediately knew I had to cook with it. Funny that I didn’t even think about drinking it. But now I have, and trust me, it’s good for that too.

Last year I made some little cups of punk’n heaven, Mascarpone Pumpkin Mousse Cups, a dreamy mix of egg whites folded with whip cream and pumpkin. I do a much better job describing it in the recipe so you should really hop over and take a look.

I guess the flavors have been hanging with me, because while I was walking past the gaggling throng clamoring for a Costco bite size sample of taquitos, it hit me, BAM! I knew I had to put that pumpkin liqueur to work in one of favorite desserts soon to be on the table: Tiramisu.

Taquitos + Pumpkin Liqueur = Pumpkin Tiramisu. Oh the magic of this brain.

With it being fall, pumpkin was a given. Pie spice, for sure, because I have three containers in the spice drawer since I always think I’m probably out. Mascarpone, whip cream, that part was easy.

Once I’d decided on my recipe concoction, I came across the coolest presentation of tiramisu I’ve seen, thanks to Deborah of Italian Food Forever. I couldn’t get it out of my head, and while it looked a little overachieving in execution for a dessert simpleton like me, I had to give it a go with a touch of my own spin.

A few words about the recipe:

Pumpkin Pie liqueur, where the heck do I find it? Besides Costco, I did see it in my local liquor store—in UTAH even! I used Fulton Harvest Pumpkin Pie Liqueur, but if you’re having a hard time locating, any creamy, warming liqueur like Irish Cream would work too.

For the filing, creamy mascarpone is a must, and while it will soften once its set out at room temperature, a quick go around in the stand mixer will result in a creamy mix-in for the pumpkin and whip cream, avoiding all clumps that could possible be lurking.

I advise on buying 2 packages of ladyfingers. When I made the recipe I ended up using about 1 ½ of the packs. It’s nice to have a back-up if you oversoak a finger or two. Or if someone wants a snack with some milk for an after school treat.

Be sure to plan ahead with this recipe, it needs at least 8 hours to soak up all of the pumpkin and coffee flavors.

* Bonus points: This is a no-cook recipe which leaves plenty of room for all the demanding oven dwellers.

4.25 from 12 votes