This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market.
These gluten-free baked pumpkin custards with maple mascarpone take just ten minutes to prepare, and are the perfect way to end a fall dinner.
Fall is finally here, and it’s no longer taboo to eat pumpkin spice everything! The first thing I like to whip up when the weather turns is these baked pumpkin custards with maple mascarpone whipped cream. The pumpkin custards are scrumptious, perfectly spiced, and super smooth—like pumpkin pie without the tedious process of making a crust. And the maple mascarpone whipped cream is rich and lightly sweetened, with just enough maple flavor in each bite to remind you that you’re eating something autumnal.
These custards are perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any special fall occasion, especially when baked in these adorable ceramic pumpkin bakers. To make this treat extra fun, I like to pick up a few different toppings to add even more texture and flavor and let each person mix and match to their heart’s content. Here I used crumbled gluten-free gingersnap cookies (leave them out if you’re avoiding rice flour), crystallized ginger chips, and pumpkin pie almonds, but any seasonal candy or cookie is a great bet. Shaved dark chocolate or chopped pecans would be delicious, too!
By the way, mascarpone is the secret ingredient that makes whipped cream stable so you can store it in the refrigerator for days. It also adds extra richness to the cream—almost like the tiniest hint of cheesecake. Ever since discovering this trick, I haven’t whipped cream without mascarpone a single time (or had to worry about whipping it up at the last minute). Since both the baked pumpkin custards and the maple mascarpone whipped cream can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, all you need to do when it’s time for dessert is set out the toppings and let everyone sprinkle away.
These baked pumpkin custards are gluten free, grain free, and paleo friendly. For a paleo version, try using coconut milk instead of the heavy cream and coconut sugar instead of the raw sugar.
Who needs pie crust when we’ve got all this?
Baked Pumpkin Custards with Maple Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Ingredients
For the baked pumpkin custards:
- 2 cups organic pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup raw sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the maple mascarpone whipped cream:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For topping (optional):
- Crumbled gluten-free gingersnaps
- Crystallized ginger chips
- Pumpkin pie almonds
- Shaved dark chocolate
- Chopped pecans
Instructions
- To make the baked pumpkin custards, preheat the oven to 300°F. Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Divide the mixture between four pumpkin bakers or 12-ounce ramekins and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until the custards are set around the edges but still a little wobbly in the very center. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
- To make the maple mascarpone whipped cream, whip the cream and mascarpone cheese in a very large bowl with a hand mixer until medium peaks form. Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Taste and add more maple syrup if desired.
- Serve the custards warm, at room temperature, or chilled, with maple mascarpone whipped cream and desired toppings.
- Both components can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1693Total Fat: 82gSaturated Fat: 37gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 39gCholesterol: 258mgSodium: 469mgCarbohydrates: 237gFiber: 11gSugar: 202gProtein: 15g
The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.
This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help keep this site running!
Ooh I made a couple of these last night! Fancied something different. We don’t really eat pumpkin in the UK, and I have to say I found it a bit unfamiliar tasting, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Can imagine they would be great to prepare for a Halloween themed night because they were so easy to make!
Yay, I’m glad you gave them a try!
Love these – I’ve made them many times and they’re always reliable. I’ve cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup successfully.
So glad you like these! They’re a favorite of mine, too. It’s great to know the sugar can be reduced!
I made these and the flavor was good, but they were absolute soup after 65 minutes at 300. My oven has never had issues with reliable recipes and timing estimates. We’ll give them another shot with a lot more time in and/or slightly raised temps. The mascarpone topping is nice.
Several others have made these successfully as written, as you can see in the comments above, although one other reader had a similar issue. Sometimes ovens are accurate for mid-range temperatures and less so toward the extremes. You might need to try 325 and/or a longer baking time in your oven. Glad you enjoyed the topping.
Well I just baked this (my first custard ever)…once I took them out of the oven the middle started collapsing. 20 min later I ate one and it was definitely still runny on the inside. It was really yummy though, so I would like to know what I did wrong. Should I have baked it longer than the 65 minutes or were the ramekins supposed to be in a water bath?
Hmm, I’ve never had these collapse. Were they mostly set when you took them out, or still really jiggly? My guess is they just needed to be baked a little longer. Ovens can vary a lot in temperature. I don’t do a water bath for these because water baths are such a pain and they come out fine for me without it. If you try these again I would either bake them longer, or assume your oven is a little cold and try raising the temp by 25 degrees. Sorry they didn’t turn out quite right for you, but I’m glad they were still yummy!
These are so Decadent. My Husband and I Loved them. I can’t wait to make them for my parents on Thanksgiving.
I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed these! 🙂 Hope they go over just as well on Thanksgiving!
Think I’ll try these when my mother in law comes this coming weekend.
Great! Let me know what you think!
These custards look amazing. I’m such a pumpkin fan through the year…..not just in the falll. I have a question about the recipe that I’m hoping you could assist me. I would like to make these for our Book Club. However, since there will be so many other sweets I wanted to reduce the amount of custard to 4-6 oz. using the smaller ramekins. My question is, how would I adjust the cooking time. I might add that this would be my first ever attempt at making custard from scratch.
I appreciate any help you could give. Thank you in advance.
Hi Jacki! That sounds great. I would start checking them 20 minutes in just to be safe (although I expect they’ll need at least 30). Keep checking them every 5 minutes or so until they’re done (they should have just a tiny bit of wiggle in the middle). Hope you and your book club enjoy these!
If using 4 oz ramekins with this recipe will it make 8 servings rather than 4? I am trying to determine whether to double my recipe based on the number of 4 oz desserts I need for my guests
Thank you
I think it would make at least 8 servings! These pumpkins hold 12 ounces so you might even be able to make a few more than 8 when using 4-ounce ramekins.
Great article, the food sounds incredible. I will be trying this for Thanksgiving.
Thank you so much, Neil! Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!
These are so adorable. They make me so happy!
Thank you so much!!
They look delicious, and get beaucoup extra points for adorableness!
Thank you so much! 🙂
These look amazing! I have already made them but have run out of time to cook them tonight … eating them tomorrow. I don’t forsee any problem storing them (uncooked) in the fridge overnight, but would I need to bring them to room temperature tomorrow before cooking? If I pop them right in, I worry that the centre may not cook as fast and they won’t work. Thanks in advance (if you get this in time!)
Hi Megan! If you do have the time, I think bringing them to room temp before cooking is a good idea. They would probably still be fine if they go into the oven cold, but would likely need a few more minutes and perhaps wouldn’t cook as evenly. Let me know how it goes!
I love basically anything pumpkin. I hate that so many “pumpkin spice” things don’t have any actual pumpkin in them. These custards look amazing!
Thanks, Mary! I agree that it’s not pumpkin spice without the pumpkin :).
I love these photos with the all the beautiful orange on the black background!! And I love the way the whipped cream looks so sculptured and swirled! I’m a big fan of custard, so I think I need to make these, and if I had a brûIée torch, I would love to try that, too! The pumpkin ramekins are adorable!
Thank you so much! You should definitely make these :). They’d be delicious bruleed but are already fabulous as-is!
This was so easy! And very delicious! Love having pumpkin pie without the crust calories! The best pumpkin pie I ever ate was the recipe off the Libby’s can but she doubled all the spices. So I did that with your recipe. It was wonderful.
Also loved the whipped cream. Thank you!
I’m so excited that you made this already and thrilled that you liked it. Thanks for sharing your modification, too!! Love it! 🙂