Pumpkin Tiramisu

Makes 9 generous servings (12 even, if cut up smaller).

Lightly spray an 8×8″ baking dish and set aside.

To make the maple/condensed milk syrup:

1. In a medium sized pan or bowl, mix together your maple syrup, condensed milk, vanilla extract and brandy. Set aside.

For the pumpkin filling:

1. In another medium to large sized bowl, whisk together your pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand-mixer bowl add your first 1-cup measurement of cold heavy whipping cream. With whisk attachment, whip until just starting to thicken up. Then add your vanilla sugar. Whisk some more until soft peaks form (just thickened up and a peak droops when whisk is turned up). Of course you can do all of this by hand (or with a hand mixer).

3. Gently fold whipping cream into the pumpkin puree mix as follows:

-Sacrifice: Take a large dollop of cream and thoroughly whisk it into the pumpkin puree. This will help loosen up your thick puree and allow for better folding with remaining cream. Meaning your whipped cream you just spent making into a fluffy wonder won’t deflate into this thick pumpkin puree. Win!
-Once sacrifice is mixed in take 1/2 of your remaining whipped cream and fold it into the pumpkin puree with a spatula. How to fold:
1. With spatula start in the middle and cut down through.
2. Gently flip the mass down and around.
3. Then add the remaining whipped cream. Start again cutting down the middle and flipping around. Continue this way until you can barely see white from the whipping cream. Wash out the mixer bowl and dry thoroughly it because you’ll be using it for the mascarpone filling as well. Set the pumpkin mixture aside.

To make the mascarpone filling:

1. In the stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment, quickly beat your room temperature mascarpone with your 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. Mix until just combined (mascarpone has a tendency to want to break if over mixed). It only takes a few seconds to combine.

2. With mixer on low, add your last cup of cold heavy whipping cream. Turn speed to medium and whisk until thickened, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and soft peaks form. Set aside.

To assemble tiramisu:

1. Dredge half of the ladyfingers (a few at a time) in your maple/condensed milk mixture, flipping the ladyfingers over and over, making sure they are really well coated.

2. Arrange coated ladyfingers along the bottom of your prepared 8×8″ pan making one single layer. Drizzle 1/4 of the remaining syrup over ladyfingers.

3. Next, spread 1/2 of the pumpkin puree over your ladyfingers, smoothing it out into one nice layer.

4. Follow your pumpkin layer with 1/2 of your mascarpone filling. Again, spread it nice and evenly into a single layer.

5. Again, dredge the remaining ladyfingers in your syrup, making sure to coat well. Then place them on top of your mascarpone filling. Press down gently. Follow with the remaining syrup over the top.

6. Spread the last 1/2 of your pumpkin puree over top.

7. Finish with your remaining mascarpone filling. Spread it nice and even. This is your top layer so feel free to spread out nicely or even add ridges/etc with your spatula, for decoration.

8. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for … wait for it … 8 hours (or overnight for ever better tiramisu). I let mine sit in the fridge for 24 hours. Perfect!

When you’re ready to serve, simply remove dish from fridge, remove the plastic, fix any imperfections on the top, and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg! Then cut generous portions and lift out! Serve cold or close to cold.

Inspired by bhg.com