Mini Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Trifles

Dig into one of these heavenly MINI CARAMEL PECAN PUMPKIN TRIFLES layered with rich caramel, pecans, cheesecake filling, and pumpkin cake for fall dessert bliss!

The best part of the fall? PUMPKIN!!! I eat so much pumpkin in the fall, I’m surprised I haven’t turned orange. It happened when I was a baby. True story. Orange food is just better. But really, I’d rather turn orange than give up Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting, pumpkin pancakes, squash, pumpkin soup… The other parts of fall like the cool weather, colorful leaves, scarfs, layers, and cute boots are pretty great too, food is just on the top of my list.

I don’t make trifle very often just because it’s a TON of dessert so mini trifles were born. Earlier this year I made some rich chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Trifles that I couldn’t get enough of, but for fall I decided to go with the beloved pumpkin.

All you do is make a simple pumpkin cake. It is so easy, it takes less than 10 minutes to measure, mix, and pop it in the oven. Then you just cut up the cooled cake.

The caramel component to this trifle is divine and also quite easy. If you’ve ever made caramel sauce you’ll know that if you lose focus for one second it can be ruined so this simple caramel goes high on my list. It also has a rich butterscotch flavor since it calls for brown sugar instead of granulated. Buuuut if you want to be lazy you can just buy caramel sauce at the store.

The cream filling is more of a cheesecake filling, similar to cream cheese frosting but a bit lighter since the cream cheese is mixed with whipping cream instead of butter. Basically, this is pumpkin cheesecake without all the fuss and worry of baking a cheesecake. You’re welcome!

Mini Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Trifles are perfect for a dinner party. Enjoy!

P.S. These cute little trifle dishes are from Ikea but you can easily use cups (even clear plastic cups would be cute!) or bowls, or just make one big trifle.

Mini Caramel Pumpkin Trifles

Dig in to one of these heavenly Mini Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Trifles layered with rich brown sugar caramel, toasted pecans, cheesecake filling, and moist pumpkin cake.

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 811kcal

Author: Garnish & Glaze

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 15 ounces pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 eggs

For the Caramel Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar packed (light or dark)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Nuts:

• ¾ cup pecan pieces
• 16 pecan halves

For the Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces block cream cheese
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For the Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 inch pan.
• In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
• In another bowl, beat sugar, pumpkin, oil, milk, and eggs together. Mix in the dry ingredients until combined and then pour into the greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cake cool completely. Cut into bite size squares when cooled.

For the Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce:

• Heat butter, brown sugar, and whipping cream in a 2 quart pot over medium heat, gently stirring with a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula. Once it comes to a boil, cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and let cool slightly before pouring into a jar. Store in fridge until ready to use.

For the Nuts:

• Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

• Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add the whipping cream and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Place in a piping bag for assembling the trifles.

For Assembling the Trifles:

• Pour about a teaspoon of caramel into the bottom of each dish/cup. Add a layer of cubed pumpkin cake followed by a layer of filling. Sprinkle on about a tablespoon of pecan pieces and then drizzle with more caramel.
• Repeat the layers until you get to the top of your dish/cup. End with a drizzle of caramel and pecan halves.
• Serve immediately or if making in advance, wait to assemble until at most an hour before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 811kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 521mg | Potassium: 423mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 9630IU | Vitamin C: 2.8mg | Calcium: 234mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and upload to your pin and let me know what you thought!