This Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling and White Chocolate Curls Recipe is an elegant and no-bake recipe, which is made with rich pumpkin pie filling and strong espresso. It’s a perfect holiday dessert, ready in about 10 minutes.
Jump to RecipeEspresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling and White Chocolate Curls Recipe Ingredients
- 4 mini sponge cakes (store-bought dessert shells or homemade)
- 4 tablespoons prepared espresso or strong coffee
- 1 1/3 cups pumpkin pie filling (from a can or leftover pie)
- White chocolate bar, for curls
How To Make Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling and White Chocolate Curls
- Arrange and soak the cakes: Arrange the four mini sponge cakes on a large serving platter or on individual dessert plates. Gently spoon 1 tablespoon of the warm espresso or strong coffee over each cake, allowing it a moment to soak into the sponge crumb.
- Add the pumpkin filling: Spoon about 1/3 cup of the pumpkin pie filling onto the center indent of each coffee-soaked cake.
- Garnish and serve: Using a sharp vegetable peeler, run it along the smooth side of a room-temperature white chocolate bar to create delicate curls. Sprinkle the white chocolate curls generously over the pumpkin filling on each cake and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Temperature matters for chocolate: To get perfect, tight curls, your white chocolate bar should be slightly warm or at room temperature. If the chocolate is cold from the fridge, it will splinter and flake instead of curling. If it’s too hard, microwave it for 5-10 seconds.
- Pumpkin filling note: This recipe calls for “pumpkin pie filling” (which is pre-sweetened and spiced) or the actual filling scooped out of a leftover pie. Do not use plain canned pumpkin puree, or it will taste savory and bland.
- Sponge cake options: You can find mini sponge cake shells (often sold for strawberry shortcake) in the bakery aisle of most grocery stores. Alternatively, you can cut circles out of a leftover pound cake or angel food cake.
- Coffee strength: Use the strongest coffee you can brew or real espresso. The bitterness of the coffee is essential to balance the intense sweetness of the pumpkin filling and white chocolate.
What To Serve With Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling
This dessert is rich and creamy, so it pairs well with light toppings or beverages.
- A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream
- A dusting of cinnamon or nutmeg
- A glass of cold milk
- A shot of Amaretto or Irish Cream on the side
How To Store Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling and White Chocolate Curls Recipe
- Serve Immediately: This dessert is best eaten right away. The coffee will eventually make the sponge cake soggy if it sits for too long.
- Refrigerate: If necessary, you can store assembled cakes in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 hours.
- Freeze: Do not freeze the assembled cakes. You can freeze the sponge shells and the pumpkin filling separately, but thaw them before assembly.
Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling and White Chocolate Curls Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 280
- Total Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
- Sodium: 200mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 42g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 28g
- Protein: 4g
Nutrition information is estimated per cake and may vary based on ingredients used.
FAQs
Yes, dark chocolate or milk chocolate shavings work beautifully if you prefer them over white chocolate. Dark chocolate will provide a nice bitter contrast to the sweet pumpkin.
If you only have plain puree, you must mix it with sugar, pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves), and a little cream cheese or whipped cream to make it palatable as a dessert filling.
The recipe as written is alcohol-free (unless you add liqueur). However, if you are avoiding caffeine, you can use high-quality decaf coffee.
Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin Filling and White Chocolate Curls Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes280
kcalThis Espresso Cakes recipe is a sophisticated, quick-assembly dessert merging the flavors of a pumpkin spice latte with a classic sponge cake.
Ingredients
4 mini sponge cakes
4 tablespoons prepared espresso or strong coffee
1 1/3 cups pumpkin pie filling (canned or leftover pie)
White chocolate bar, for curls
Directions
- Place sponge cakes on plates.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of espresso over each cake to soak.
- Spoon 1/3 cup pumpkin filling into the center of each cake.
- Use a vegetable peeler to shave curls from the white chocolate bar.
- Top cakes with chocolate curls and serve.
Notes
- Leftovers: This is a fantastic way to use up leftover pumpkin pie filling after Thanksgiving.
- Chocolate: High-quality white chocolate (with cocoa butter) curls better than cheap confectionary coating.
- Sponge: If using angel food cake slices, create a small indentation with a spoon to hold the filling.
