Pumpkin Desserts: Make the Most of the Fall Season
Pumpkin desserts season is here! With autumn just around the corner, pumpkins are making a comeback, flooding market stalls, restaurant menus and home kitchens. These Cucurbitaceae are the perfect symbol of this transitional season when days grow shorter and temperatures start to drop. Their orange colour evokes the changing hue of the leaves, and their sweet and spicy taste, when cooked, evokes feelings of comfort, sometimes mingled with nostalgia for this brief season.
The remarkable thing about pumpkins is that they offer an almost infinite range of possibilities for both cooked dishes and desserts. However, like the autumn season, they tend to disappear as quickly as they arrive. So, it’s best to hurry up and make the most of all their delicious variations.
Ripe pumpkins (Journal saint-françois)
With their sweet, earthy flavour, pumpkins blend perfectly with autumnal spices such as cinnamon, star anise, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. This sweet and spicy combination makes for some absolutely delicious treats that are a big hit, and with the abundance of choice it brings, we can’t help but lament that this season can’t last a little longer!
In this blog, we’ll explore a whole world of pumpkin delights: cakes, pies, and all sorts of treats that are a must-try in autumn. Whether you’re a gourmet or a sweet tooth, there’s sure to be a pumpkin dessert to delight your taste buds. So strap on your aprons and get ready to discover these culinary wonders!
The Best Pumpkin Desserts
Pumpkin spice cake (Rustique Pie Kitchen)
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Pumpkin Spice Cake:
This rich, moist, and spectacular cake is made with roasted pumpkin puree and is expertly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. This makes a deliciously fragrant pumpkin dessert, perfect for enjoying autumnal flavours.
Pumpkin cream pie (The Pioneer Woman)
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Pumpkin Cream Pie:
Unlike the traditional pumpkin pie, which is a favourite Thanksgiving dessert made with simple pumpkin puree and a blend of autumn spices, this pie adds these same ingredients to a creamy base, all arranged on a graham cracker crust, creating a much more indulgent and irresistible version.
Pumpkin cheesecake mousse (fodyfoods)
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse:
This pumpkin cheesecake takes lightness and creaminess a step further! Featuring a buttery cookie crust, a velvety, pumpkin-scented mousse and a generous topping of sweet whipped cream, it’s the perfect pumpkin dessert to celebrate autumn in style.
Pumpkin pie doughnuts (Léché Desserts)
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Pumpkin Pie Doughnuts, an innovation in pumpkin desserts:
These soft, creamy, and crumbly doughnuts are the perfect expression of pumpkin pie flavours. Their taste, texture, and colour perfectly embody the spirit of autumn, making them a must-have treat for the season.
Pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin spice butter (Real Housemoms)
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Pumpkin Pancakes:
Add a resolutely autumnal touch to your breakfasts with these pumpkin pancakes. These pancakes Incorporate pumpkin puree and autumn spices into their batter, enhanced by a topping of sweetened whipped butter with pumpkin spices.
Pumpkin spice latte (Producteurs de lait du Canada)
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Pumpkin Spice Latte:
This tasty pumpkin latte is usually prepared with milk, coffee, pumpkin puree, and the fall spice blend, topped with whipped cream and served with a pumpkin muffin for a moment of pure comfort. It’s easy and delicious!
Pumpkin muffins (5 ingrédients 15 minutes)
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Pumpkin Muffin:
What could be more delicious than a tasty pumpkin muffin for a gourmet break? These little orange cakes, beautifully decorated with pumpkin seeds, are a perfect snack that can be enjoyed at any time of day!
Pumpkin pecan bars (Sweet Hart Kitchen)
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Pumpkin Pecan Bars:
These gluten-free, vegan bars are the perfect healthy snack for autumn. These pumpkin desserts are rich, moist, and deliciously spice-infused. Enhanced with caramel and pecan chips, they offer a gourmet experience with every bite.
Pumpkin spice roll cake (art is in cakes)
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Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake:
This pumpkin roll takes on the flavours of autumn in cake form. Its fluffy base is enriched with crunchy walnuts and caramel chips, creating an indulgent texture. To top it all off, it’s generously filled with vanilla buttercream, adding a touch of sweetness that contrasts perfectly with the spicy notes of pumpkin. It’s a comforting dessert for those chilly autumn days.
Pumpkin ice cream (Sweet Tops Ice Cream)
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Pumpkin Ice Cream:
One of the ideal pumpkin desserts among ice cream types for warm Indian summer days. Its creamy texture and autumnal flavour make it a perfect sweet treat for savouring the pleasures of autumn while cooling off.
Pumpkin, a Prominent Member of the Gourd Family
Various gourd species (Dust Organic Growers)
Of course, to create tasty pumpkin desserts, you need to know more about the fruit. Pumpkins are part of the large gourd family, which includes many related vegetables such as pumpkin, squash, butternut, spaghetti squash, and zucchini. Squash, in turn, belongs to the large Cucurbitaceae family, which comprises 120 genera and over 800 species, including melons, watermelons, and cucumbers. So, despite their great diversity in terms of size, colour, and taste, all these plant species have the same common ancestor!
It was European botanists who, from the 16th century onwards, developed most of the numerous variants we know today. So, although they originated in North America, pumpkins have traveled the world and are now grown just about everywhere, forming an integral part of the culinary culture of many peoples.
Pumpkins are generally grown in fields, where a warm climate is essential for their successful growth. Traditionally, they are planted in spring and harvested at maturity in autumn. They are packed with essential vitamins, notably A, C, and E, as well as beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber. Moreover, they’re low in calories, and their versatile taste makes them ideal for a wide array of culinary preparations.
What About Pumpkin Seeds?
Pumpkin Seeds (Avogel.ca)
Pumpkin seeds may be small, but they’re packed with health-giving nutrients. In particular, they contain B vitamins (such as niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine), vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, and iron. They can be eaten both raw and roasted. Generally, we remove the shell and eat the core, which has a slightly nutty taste. As well as being perfectly compatible with pumpkin desserts, they can be added to salads, cereals, breads, smoothies, or simply nibbled as they are.
Here’s a quick overview of their health benefits:
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Cardiac Health:
Pumpkin seeds are rich in vitamin E and magnesium, both essential for a healthy heart. Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure and may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin E dilates blood vessels and thins the blood, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke and blood clots.
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Digestive Health:
They’re also rich in dietary fiber, which helps promote healthy digestion, support the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria, and prevent constipation. Plus, with their protein and fiber content, they can help you feel fuller longer.
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Prostate Health:
Pumpkin seeds can play a key role in men’s health due to their high content of zinc, an important mineral for the prostate. Pumpkin seed oil may also prove effective in the treatment of certain prostate diseases.
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Menopause:
Thanks to its high phytoestrogen content, pumpkin seed oil can also help raise levels of “good cholesterol,” which in turn helps to alleviate blood pressure, hot flashes, headaches, joint pain, and other symptoms associated with menopause.
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Improved Sleep:
They are an excellent source of tryptophan, also known as the “sleep hormone,” an amino acid that converts to melatonin. By eating a few pumpkin seeds a few hours before bedtime, you can promote restful sleep in an all-natural way.
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Immune System:
Pumpkin seeds are one of the richest sources of zinc. Zinc helps the body in many ways: it supports healthy eyes and skin, sleep, mood, immunity, and insulin regulation. It also helps remedy illnesses such as colds and flu, chronic fatigue, depression, and the development of acne.
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Bone Health:
The zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus found in pumpkin seeds are important for bone health. They help build and maintain bone density.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through autumnal delights. We encourage you to enjoy the countless pumpkin desserts that await you this autumn, while considering incorporating more pumpkin seeds into your diet to reap their many benefits.
