Pumpkin Pots de Creme

Gooey, creamy, rich, spicy and simply delicious, these pumpkin pots de creme are an easy dessert that can be made ahead for a crowd or even for a weekend indulgence. You could say, they are like digging into a divine pumpkin mousse.

Funny, but its’s spring in the southern hemisphere. There are a variety of fruits to choose from, yet inspired by pumpkin recipes all over my socials, I made not one but two pumpkin desserts on the same day. We don’t get store bought pumpkin puree in Australia so when I made a huge batch of puree, I wanted to put it to good use. Besides, pumpkin pots de creme is made using egg yolks for the rich texture. The egg whites were perfect to make pumpkin financiers/friands. I’ll share the recipe next.

I decorated the pumpkin pots de creme by melting and coloring white chocolate into leaf molds for the autumn feels. Feel free to serve with candied pecans, grated dark chocolate or even crushed honeycomb.

If you love pumpkin desserts, don’t forget to check out this Pumpkin Creme Caramel and this Pumpkin Cake.

Pumpkin Pots de Creme
Makes 5-6 depending on the size of your cup

1/2 cup milk
11/2 cup heavy/thickened cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup home made (or store bought) pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
white chocolate leaves, to decorate

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C ( 140 degrees for fan-forced ovens) .Combine cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Add the pumpkin puree and spices and mix till blended. Pour the warm cream mixture over the egg yolk mixture, little at a time whisking constantly until smooth. Take care not to add the entire cream to the eggs together as it can overcook the eggs resulting in scrambled eggs.

Divide the custard into five or 6 lightly-greased, ramekins or ovenproof cups. Place in a deep baking tray. Pour boiling water into baking tray until halfway up sides of ramekins.

Bake custards, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until just set (while the centers are slightly jiggly when shaken). Remove from the oven and take the ramekins out of the water bath. Leave to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.