When a request came in for a recipe for a pumpkin crunch dessert, I thought, “Finally, an easy one.” Even after I got to the caveat — a pumpkin crunch that does not use a boxed cake mix, please — I thought, “How hard could that be?”
I was wrong.
It appears that the pumpkin crunch we love — a custardy pielike base with a crunchy, nutty topping — gets into cookbooks made with the ease of a cake mix. Whether the root is a yellow, vanilla or spice cake mix, this is a dessert that largely comes out of a box (and a can, considering the pumpkin puree that is key to the filling).
And because it’s not a fancy-pants dessert, your pastry-chef cookbook writers aren’t likely to take it on as a from-scratch project.
Still, the crunch topping can be seen as an extrapolation of a cherry or peach cobbler topping, often made with nuts and rolled oats. So again, how hard could it be?
This recipe is a takeoff on one on the Food Network website, so in the end it wasn’t all that hard to find. It is very simple, but if you wanted to fancy-pants it up, add homemade whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I found it also tasted surprisingly good with a scoop of vanilla yogurt.
PUMPKIN CRUNCH
» 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
» 1 cup cream
» 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
» 1/2 cup sugar
» 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
» 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
» 1/4 cup butter, softened and cut in small pieces
» 1/4 cup brown sugar
» 1/4 cup flour
» 1/2 cup rolled oats (oatmeal)
» 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Whisk together pumpkin and cream until smooth. Gradually add eggs, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon, whisking until smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish.
To make topping: Cut butter into brown sugar and flour until tiny pieces form. Stir in rolled oats and nuts. Mixture should be crumbly but hold together when pressed lightly. Sprinkle evenly over pumpkin layer. Bake about 45 minutes, until set in center and topping is lightly toasted. Cool slightly on rack until firm enough to slice. May be served warm or chilled. Serves 8.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Write “By Request,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.
