I made this pumpkin pie in a jar at 9 PM on a Tuesday because I had three wrinkly apples staring at me from the counter and a sudden craving for autumn vibes. I normally buy baked goods from the grocery store bakery, but my spice cake recipe changed my mind about homemade desserts.
I almost burned the butter while watching reality TV, then somehow created the moistest spice cake I had ever eaten. Turning that spiced apple cake into individual jars made it easier to serve, transport, and prepare ahead. Each mason jar holds layers of tender cake, cream cheese frosting, and fall flavor without any awkward slicing. Here is exactly how I do it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Individual serving magic. Each mason jar pumpkin dessert stays easy to serve without cutting a whole cake.
- Make-ahead friendly. You can assemble the jars several hours before serving.
- Forgiving texture. The moist spice cake stays tender beside the cream cheese frosting.
- Easy transport. Sealed jars travel better than a frosted sheet cake.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- Eight small mason jars. Wide-mouth jars make layering and serving easier.
- 9×13-inch baking pan. This bakes the spice cake base.
- Light-colored skillet. This helps you watch the brown butter.
- Box grater. This turns the apple into fine shreds.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pastry Cream Layer
- 5 large egg yolks – Save the whites for an egg-white omelet you will definitely forget to make.
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch – This is what thickens the custard so you aren’t drinking pumpkin soup.
- 1 2/3 cups whole milk – Do not use skim milk unless you want a sad, watery mess.
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar – To make it taste like dessert.
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter – Softened, because it makes everything better.
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree – The pure stuff, not the pre-spiced pie filling.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – Or paste if you are feeling fancy.
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice – The backbone of any easy pumpkin pie jar recipe for fall.
- pinch salt – To balance the sweet.
Crust Layer
- 24-28 ginger snaps or Biscoff cookies – If a few go missing while you crush them, I won’t tell.
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter – Melted to help the crumbs toast.
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar – For a little extra caramel flavor.
Spiced Whipped Cream Layer
- 1 cup heavy cream – Very cold, or it will take three business days to whip.
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar – Or granulated if you are out of brown.
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – Because plain cream is boring.
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice – To tie the whole mason jar pumpkin dessert together.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie in a Jar
Set it, walk away, and pretend you did not just outsource dessert to your refrigerator.
- Mix the thickener: Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together in a heatproof bowl. It will look dry and clumpy at first, but keep whisking until it forms a paste—if you give up now, your custard will have lumps.
- Temper the eggs: Heat the milk and sugar in a saucepan until it simmers, then slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture while whisking frantically. This is called tempering, and if you dump it all in at once, you will make sweet scrambled eggs.
- Strain it: Add the pumpkin, then pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan through your sieve. Do not skip the sieve, or you will be chewing on cooked egg bits, which is a texture nobody asked for.
- Cook until thick: Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until it gets thick like pudding. It will take about 5 minutes, and your arm will get tired, but think of it as earning your dessert.
- Flavor and chill: Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla, spice, and salt. Transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding so it doesn’t form a weird skin, and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Toast the crust: Crush your cookies in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin and toast them in a skillet with the butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes. If a few large chunks survive the smashing process, consider them a bonus crunch.
- Whip the cream: Whip the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and spice until medium peaks form. If you over-whip it and it looks curdled, just gently stir in a splash of un-whipped cream to save it—I have done this more times than I care to admit.
- Assemble: Layer the cooled crumbs, chilled pumpkin custard, and whipped cream into your jars. Serve immediately for a crunchy crust, or let them sit in the fridge if you prefer a softer cookie layer.
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Cool the cake completely before cutting. Warm cake compresses inside the jars and makes the layers messy.
- Use brick cream cheese. Tub spread creates loose frosting that slides between the cake layers.
- Watch the brown butter. Burned milk solids make the frosting taste bitter.
- Use wide-mouth jars. Wide openings make layering easier and let guests reach every layer with a spoon.
- Keep the jars chilled. Dairy-based frosting needs refrigeration.
Perfect Pairings
These go perfectly with…
- A very strong cup of black coffee – to balance out all that sweet whipped cream.
- Cozy sweatpants with an elastic waistband – obviously.
- Thanksgiving dinner – when you need a dessert that will not fight the casserole for oven space.
- A glass of cold milk – for dipping any leftover ginger snaps you didn’t smash.
How to Store Pumpkin Pie in a Jar
❤
- Fridge: Keep the covered jars refrigerated for up to three days.
- Freezer: Freeze the unfrosted cake cubes for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Do not reheat the assembled jars.
- Storage note: Add whipped cream and caramel just before serving.
Pumpkin Pie in a Jar
This pumpkin pie in a jar transforms moist apple spice cake and brown butter cream cheese frosting into an easy individual dessert with no slicing or serving stress. This easy pumpkin pie jar recipe for fall works beautifully for potlucks, Thanksgiving tables, and make-ahead entertaining. Whether you serve it as a mason jar pumpkin dessert or prepare a make ahead pumpkin pie in mason jars for guests, each jar delivers a complete autumn dessert in one spoonful.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large heatproof bowl (preferably with a pour spout), whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together with a fork. It may not look like it will all come together (it will be dry at first), but keep mixing until the mixture is thick and combined. If it’s not coming together at all, add a few drops of the milk you need in step 2 to bring it together. Set aside.
- Combine the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved, then allow to come to a simmer. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the temperature should reach 210°F (99°C). Remove from heat. Pour the warm milk and sugar mixture in a slow and steady stream into the egg yolk and cornstarch mixture, whisking the entire time. Keep those egg yolks moving so they don’t scramble. Once that’s all combined, add the pumpkin and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan through a sieve, to strain out any egg yolk solids that may have formed during tempering. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to gently press any remaining pumpkin through the sieve.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat, and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened into a pudding-like consistency. This usually takes about 5 minutes. (For a more accurate test, it’s done when the temperature reaches 185–190°F (85–88°C).) Remove from heat. Whisk in butter, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt.
- Transfer the pumpkin pastry cream to a heatproof bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment directly on the surface of the pastry cream, to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then place the bowl in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 2 days. Makes about 3 cups, around 720g. After chilling, the pumpkin pastry cream is quite thick; whisk or stir it to smooth out again before using in step 7.
- Place the ginger snaps/Biscoff in a zipped-top bag and crush with a rolling pin until you have small crumbs with a few larger bits. Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the cookie crumbs to the skillet and cook, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks, and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. If you accidentally over-whip the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little bit more cold heavy cream, and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until it smooths out.
- Spoon 1/4 cup (about 30g) of the crust into each jar. Spoon or pipe 1/2 cup (about 120g) of the pumpkin custard on top of the crust layer. I used Wilton 2A for the custard. Spoon or pipe whipped cream on top of each. I used Wilton 8B for the whipped cream. If desired, garnish each with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or crushed cookie crumbs.
- Serve immediately, or loosely cover the jars and refrigerate for up to 2 days.