Make This No-Bake Fall Dessert If You Don’t Know How to Decorate.
Complex dessert recipes can lead to problems, and to be honest, my oven is already busy during the holidays. Instead of making finicky desserts, let’s make an impressive one that still allows us to enjoy its shapelessness. A dessert that doesn’t require heat, doesn’t require decorating skills, and can be made ahead of time – no, it has to be made ahead of time. We cordially invite you to prepare this pumpkin cheesecake. If crumbling cookies with your fists and whipped pumpkin filling with a spoon sounds like your jam, follow me.
If you can make a cooler cake, you can make change. The biggest difference between the two is that the fridge cake is built and the change is thrown away. Besides the great taste, this style of dessert is a great example for other simple desserts: all you need is whipped cream and a dry ingredient to soak up some moisture and you have a hell of a treat. Since the small thing takes the idea of a refrigerator and puts it all in a container, the only decorating tool you need is a presentable vessel. You can use a giant bowl, a large jar, or even make gourmet single servings in champagne glasses. Selecting a transparent container will allow you to showcase the layers rotating inside. These layers are decoration. No piping bags or icing required; the way you tossed things into the bowl is enough for decoration.
To make this giant dessert, I threw in pumpkin cream, whipped cream, cookies, and leftover cake (my apple cider cake is a gift that never stops giving), but you can use any cake, or skip cake altogether, and just make an extra cookie layer. For the cookies, I used Anna’s Swedish Thins ginger flavored cookies, but you can use any dry, brittle cookie. It will still fall apart.
Add sweetened whipped cream and pumpkin “cheesecake” layer. This last, fluffy layer brings out all the flavors you want without actually requiring you to bake said cheesecake. I like to remove some of the moisture from pumpkin puree before adding it to the mixture. Line the bowl with several layers of paper towels and place the puree on top. Cover it with more paper towels until it’s soaked in moisture – you can cover it with more paper towels if you like, but one round is usually enough. Throw away the paper and the pumpkin is ready. Microwave one and a half packs of cream cheese until soft and spreadable, and stir in the sugar, salt, spices, lemon juice, and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks and gently fold two or three cups of whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture to lighten it up.
In a bowl or clear container of your choice, spoon a third of the pumpkin mixture into the bottom. Crumble some cookies in your hands and sprinkle them on top. Use as many cookies as you need to cover about half an inch of creamy layer of cookie crumbs, making sure it crumbles up to the sides of the container so you can see it from the outside. You are already decorating, well done! Spread a third of the whipped cream over the cookie layer and add more cookies. Repeat this, alternating pumpkin cream with cookies (or cake) and whipped cream in whatever pattern you like. Look outside periodically to see how your decoration is progressing; this is your dessert moment of self-expression, and the trifle is your artistic medium. Make as many layers as you have space and materials, and cover with the remaining cookie crumbs.
This recipe will make a fairly large dessert, for about 12-20 servings, but it will work just as well if cut in half. In order for the cookie layers to absorb enough moisture from the cream layers, you should do this at least five hours before serving, but I suggest doing this the night before. Store in refrigerator when not eating. When closed, it is stored in the cold for up to four days.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle
Ingredients:
Pumpkin cream cheese base
- 12 oz cream cheese, microwaved until soft and melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 can pumpkin (15 ounces), drain excess water with paper towels
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Whipped cream
- 1 liter heavy cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cookies or cake for layering (I used 2.5 boxes of Anna’s Swedish cookies and some cake ).
In a large bowl, beat warm cream cheese with salt and sugar until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients to the cream cheese base and beat until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream and sugar on medium speed for about 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla extract and stir. Gently fold about 3 cups of whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture. It should feel light and fluffy, and you will have almost equal amounts of both cream mixtures in separate bowls.
In a small bowl of your choice, place the pumpkin cream, crumbled cookies and whipped cream. Each layer of cookies should be about half a centimeter thick. It does not matter in what order the creams are added, but there should be cookies between each layer to ensure maximum moisture absorption of the material. Finish the trifle with whatever cream you have left and refrigerate for 5-24 hours before serving.