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Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu combines everyone’s favorite fall beverage with creamy mascarpone, buttery shortbread, and dark rum for the quintessential cozy season dessert.

4 jars of tiramisu on wire rack with shortbread cookies, cinnamon stick, and spoons scattered in background

There are a lot of pumpkin spiced desserts and baked goods out there, and don’t get me wrong—they’re delicious! But if it’s the pumpkin spice and espresso combination that makes your heart go pitter-patter, then this is the recipe for you. (It could also be the caffeine causing that pitter-pattering. Maybe skip the extra shot of espresso next time?)

This Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu is incredibly decadent, rich, and it has the warm flavors of pumpkin spices. You’ll see below that I have options for making a traditional tiramisu or for individual portions in jars. Both are perfect for a fall party or even a Thanksgiving dessert table, but I’m partial to the tiramisu-in-jars presentation myself. Use larger jars if they’re the only dessert option, or small jars if they’re part of a big dessert spread—that way, guests will still have room for other treats!

What You’ll Need

The ingredient list for this recipe isn’t all that different from standard tiramisu, apart from the pumpkin and spices. Here’s what you’ll need.

  • Strong coffee – You want to brew a strong cup of coffee so the flavor comes through in the finished dessert.
  • Instant espresso powder – This isn’t the same as ground coffee or espresso beans.
  • Dark rum
  • Egg yolks
  • Sugar
  • Pumpkin pie spice – Here’s how to make pumpkin pie spice.
  • Salt
  • Mascarpone cheese
  • Pumpkin puree – Use pure pumpkin puree, not pie mix; the canned pie mix is sweetened.
  • Heavy cream
  • Sandies shortbread cookies – Or use another round shortbread.
  • Cocoa powder – Use the unsweetened kind for baking, not hot cocoa mix.

What is mascarpone cheese?

Aside from the coffee, mascarpone is probably the most important ingredient in tiramisu. It’s a mild double or triple cream cheese that’s much more buttery and rich than the cream cheese we spread on bagels or use in cheesecake. If you can’t find mascarpone at your grocery store, or if you don’t care for it, you can use ricotta instead, but note that ricotta doesn’t have the same mouthfeel—it’s not as smooth or rich.

3 jars of pumpkin spice tiramisu on wire rack with spoonful of tiramisu and shortbread

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu

Read through the whole recipe before you get started. There are some variations in assembly and technique that you’ll need to be aware of!

Prepare the coffee mixture. Combine the coffee, espresso, and a tablespoon of rum in a small bowl.

Start the mascarpone filling. Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer at low speed; add the sugar and salt and increase the speed to medium-high. Once the mixture is a pale yellow, scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the remaining rum. Beat at medium speed until combined, then add the mascarpone, beating at medium speed for about 30 to 45 seconds, or until no lumps remain. Scrape down the bowl and add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Make the whipped cream. Use your hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in a third of the mascarpone mixture, then once it’s incorporated, fold in the rest.

To make individual servings:

Line up 6 half-pint (8 ounce) Mason jars. Dip the shortbread cookies into the coffee rum mixture, and place one into the bottom of each mason jar. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the pumpkin spice mascarpone mixture over the cookie. Repeat with another cookie layer, followed by the mascarpone mixture. Repeat until you reach the tops of the jars. Seal the jars and refrigerate for six hours, or overnight. Sprinkle with cocoa powder before serving. 

To make one large tiramisu:

Make this recipe with traditional ladyfingers instead of shortbread and assemble in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Alternate layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and cream, then top with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle with cocoa powder before serving.

Is Tiramisu Safe to Eat With Raw Eggs?

You can use pasteurized eggs for the egg yolks in this recipe, which are safe to eat raw. If you can’t find them and you’re concerned about food safety, you can heat the egg yolks to 160ºF:

  • Set a bowl with the egg yolks over a medium saucepan with about an inch of simmering water.
  • Use a whisk or rubber spatula to stir the egg yolks constantly until they coat the back of a spoon or reach 160º on an instant-read thermometer. This should take between 4 to 7 minutes.
  • Remove the bowl of egg yolks from the sauce pan, stir vigorously to help them cool, then once they’ve reached room temperature, you can proceed with the rest of the recipe.

How to Store

Because tiramisu is made with cheese, egg, and cream, it needs to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep the tiramisu jars in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Two jars of pumpkin spice tiramisu with spoonful of cream scooped out and two shortbread cookies

Inspired Homemade Desserts

Chocolate Tiramisu Swiss Roll

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Chocolate Raspberry Espresso Pudding Cake

Homemade Chocolate Magic Shell

Print
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Two jars of pumpkin spice tiramisu with spoonful of cream scooped out and two shortbread cookies

Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Megan Keno
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 half-pint jars 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Everyone’s favorite fall latte in decadent tiramisu form!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup Strong Coffee, room temperature
  • 2 tsp Instant Espresso Powder
  • 1/4 cup Dark Rum, divided.
  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 pound Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 2/3 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 package Sandies Shortbread Cookies, or other round shaped shortbread
  • 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together coffee, espresso, and 1 Tablespoon rum and set aside.
  2. In bowl of standing mixer with a whisk attachment, or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat yolks at low speed until just combined. Beat in sugar and salt at medium-high speed until pale yellow, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with rubber spatula once or twice to ensure it is all mixed well. Add remaining 3 tablespoons rum and beat at medium speed until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds: scrape bowl. Add mascarpone and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl once or twice. Beat again with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice until mixture is smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside, or if using a hand mixer, you will need another bowl for the next step.
  3. In either the empty mixer bowl, or a second mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, for in a third of the mascarpone mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining mascarpone and fold until no streaks remain. 
  4. To create individual Pumpkin Spice Tiramisus, you can line up 6 half pint (8 ounce) Mason jars. 
  5. Dip one round shortbread cookie into the coffee rum mixture, and place it into the bottom of each mason jar, pressing it into the bottom. Dollop about 2-3 Tablespoons of pumpkin spice mascarpone mixture on top. Repeat dunking the shortbread, and layering the pumpkin mixture until you reach the top of the mason jar. Seal jar and allow to set for six hours, or overnight. Sprinkle with cocoa powder on top before serving. 

Notes

If you wish to create a single crowd size Tiramisu, you can make this recipe with traditional ladyfingers, into a 9×5 loaf pan! The nice thing about this recipe is it doesn’t make too much. Assemble similarily as above with dunked shortbreads and mascarpone. Top with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, then sprinkle with cocoa.

If you prefer to have the egg yolks cooked, you can set bowl with yolks over medium saucepan containing 1 inch gently simmering water; cook, constantly scraping along bottom and sides of bowl with heatproof rubber spatula or wire whisk, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir vigorously to cool slightly, then set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Then proceed to finish cooking per instructions.