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🎃 Fancy autumn desserts

Pumpkin custard profiteroles with maple caramel

A little dramatic, in the best dessert-table way

⏱️ Time estimate: about 2 hours 15 minutes, plus chilling

Crisp choux buns filled with chilled pumpkin custard, then topped with warm maple-bourbon caramel, whipped cream, and chopped pecans.

Ingredients

Maple caramel

  • 1 cup maple sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin custard

  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 2 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon each ground allspice, ginger, and cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon each ground cloves and salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 9 egg yolks

Profiteroles

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
  • Whipped cream and chopped toasted pecans, for serving

Instructions

  1. Make the maple caramel. Melt the maple sugar and butter together in a saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the cream, bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes, then stir in bourbon and vanilla. Cool or chill until needed.
  2. Cook the pumpkin custard base. Heat the cream, pumpkin, spices, and salt to a simmer. Whisk the sugar and yolks together separately, then slowly whisk in the hot pumpkin mixture.
  3. Bake the custard. Pour into a smaller baking dish, cover with foil, and set it in a hot-water bath. Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until just set. Cool completely, then chill until cold.
  4. Make the choux dough. Bring water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Stir in the flour and cook until the dough pulls from the pan. Beat briefly to cool, then beat in 3 eggs one at a time and finish with the egg yolk.
  5. Bake the profiteroles. Pipe or spoon 16 mounds onto lined baking sheets. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then 375°F for about 30 minutes more, until puffed and dark golden. Cool completely.
  6. Assemble. Slice the profiteroles open, spoon about 1/3 cup pumpkin custard into each, cap them, drizzle with rewarmed maple caramel, then finish with whipped cream and chopped pecans.

This is a splendid make-ahead dessert: chill the custard, freeze the baked shells if needed, then assemble close to serving time.