Caramel Pumpkin Tart with Vanilla Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
A 10-inch tart with Claire Saffitz's caramel pumpkin filling and buttery shortbread crust, finished with a vanilla bean cream cheese whipped topping.
- Prep
- 35m
- Cook
- 60m
- Chill
- 2h
- Total
- 3h 35m
- Serves
- 10
What you need
Ingredients
Shortbread crust (1.25× the video recipe)
- 1 9/16 cups all-purpose flour
- 6.5 tbsps powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 12 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Caramel pumpkin filling
- 5/8 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsps water
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin purée
- 5 tbsps brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsps butter, at room temperature
- A generous pinch of salt
- 2 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Vanilla cream cheese whipped topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 tsps vanilla bean paste
Don't F*ck it Up
Method
Crust
- 01Preheat oven to 350
- 02Prepare a 10-inch tart pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- 03Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Work in the cold cubed butter until the mixture forms a crumbly shortbread dough.
- 04Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.
- 05Bake until set and lightly golden, appropriately 30 minutes.
Caramel pumpkin filling
- 01While the crust is baking, add water then granulated sugar to a sauce pot over medium heat.
- 02Stir gently to dissolve the sugar, then leave to cook untouched until it becomes an amber caramel.
- 03Remove from the stove and carefully add the room-temperature cream a little at a time; it will bubble vigorously. Stir until smooth.
- 04Mix in the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla.
- 05Let the mixture cool enough that it will not scramble the eggs, then whisk in the eggs until smooth.
- 06Pour the filling into the hot baked crust.
- 07Bake until the edges are set and the centre has a slight wobble.
- 08Cool completely at room temperature, then chill until firm.
Topping and assembly
- 01In a stand mixer, cream together the softened cream cheese, sifted powdered sugar, softened butter, and vanilla bean paste until smooth.
- 02Whip the heavy cream separately until it holds soft to medium peaks.
- 03Combine the whipped cream with the cream cheese mixture in the stand mixer until light and smooth.
- 04Spread or pipe the topping over the fully cooled, chilled tart. Keep refrigerated until serving.
A little extra
Notes
Crust and filling adapted at 1.25× from Claire Saffitz's Caramel Pumpkin Bars (originally for an 8×8-inch pan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOyu-7KQj6c.