Like the classic fall pie, but fancy, this Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie is creamy, tangy, and downright gorgeous. It's baked in a wholesome Spelt Crust, and is as delicious as it is beautiful.
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Pumpkin Mascarpone Swirl Pie
I love a classic Pumpkin Pie, but sometimes I'm just in the mood for something a bit different. This Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie hits all the right notes! It's gorgeous. It tastes good. It's not difficult to put together. And everybody is going to love it!
The mascarpone cheese is used in the filling and is swirled on top to create a beautiful effect. The creamy pumpkin filling has just the perfect amount of spice, and it's baked inside of a whole-grain spelt crust that really makes this pie stand apart from the crowd.
Of course, there are some pumpkin pie baking best practices we must discuss. This pie isn't as easy as this No-Bake Pumpkin Pie, but read through my tips to ensure your pie turns out perfectly on the first try!
So, let's get to making it, shall we? The article below is jam-packed full of useful information. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe.
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Ingredients for Mascarpone Pumpkin Pie
Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.
- pumpkin puree (skip the organic brands if you can; I find them to be incredibly watery, which reduces the pumpkin flavor)
- eggs
- mascarpone cheese (this is similar to cream cheese and can often be found in the gourmet cheese aisle, but if it's not available, softened cream cheese can be substituted instead)
- sugar (both brown and granulated)
- spices (the recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, but a pumpkin spice blend could also be used)
- vanilla extract
- spelt pie crust (or pie-crust-of-choice)
If you've never worked with mascarpone before, it's similar in texture to cream cheese, just slightly softer. Like cream cheese, it's easiest to beat this cheese with an electric mixer to ensure it doesn't have any lumps in it. However, if you don't have a stand mixer, you can do it by hand. Just make sure to mix together the mascarpone and the granulated sugar first until the mascarpone cheese has loosened in consistency, then add in the egg.
Pie Crust Options
This recipe suggests using a Spelt Pie Crust, and there is a reason (aside from the fact that it's delicious!).
This is a highly opinionated statement, but flaky butter dough is not ideal for any pie that is to be served cold, as in this recipe. The reason I don't recommend using traditional pie dough for a pie meant to be served cold is that it can taste stale when served straight from the refrigerator, the same way a croissant or puff pastry might taste stale when very cold. A properly made pastry, which is buttery and flaky, is at its best when it's at room temperature.
Instead, for pies served cold, I opt for using a crust that tastes good cold or at room temperature, such as a Pâte Sucrée, which is a sweet and crumbly pie crust, or the Spelt Pie Crust I have already mentioned.
However, if you are a diehard flaky pie crust devotee, check out this Butter Pie Crust, Cream Cheese Pie Crust or Sour Cream Pie Crust for traditional flaky pastry options.
Prefer to go gluten-free? Check out this pie crust.
No matter which crust you choose to use for this pie, it has to be fully blind baked before adding the filling. If you are new to blind baking, check out this tutorial for more in-depth information.
How to Make It
There are a few steps you need to take in order to make this pie. The first starts with the pastry.
Step 1: Make the spelt pie crust.
Step 2: Roll it out and shape it, freeze it, then blind bake it.
Step 3: Mix together the mascarpone filling, then set some aside to swirl into the pie.
Step 4: Add remaining filling ingredients to the mascarpone and mix to combine.
Step 5: Layer in the pumpkin filling with the reserved mascarpone.
Step 6: Swirl it together with a chopstick or toothpick.
The mascarpone swirls in this pie are decorative, since the mascarpone filling is also present throughout the pie. But it's worth the extra effort when assembling the pie to give the whole look a true "wow-factor."
How to Tell When It's Done
Let's avoid those giant cracks in our mascarpone pumpkin pie, yes?
During my early baking days, I produced pumpkin pies with big cracks down the middle, believing they were just inevitable. With time, I learned that cracks are easy to avoid, so long as the pie is cooked well!
Pumpkin pie filling is a type of custard. A well-baked custard should be cooked just enough for the eggs to set (around 180ºF) and be safe to eat. A properly-baked custard will have a set, smooth, and creamy texture. If a custard continues to bake after the eggs are set, the filling's protein structure will become too strong. Even if the pie is removed from the oven right when it's fully set up, the filling will continue cook (known as carry-over cooking). This overcooking causes the egg proteins to bond together too tightly. As the pie cools, these proteins naturally contract and coagulate, leading to the formation of cracks. In some cases, this will result in the pie tasting slightly like overcooked eggs. It can also make the pie feel tough or spongy.
This means a custard pie must be pulled from the oven just before it is done to account for carry-over cooking. The pie is ready to pull from the oven when it has begun to “soufflé," or puff up, about 2 to 2-½ inches from the outer edges, but the center of the pie is still a bit wobbly. The center of the pie should be softly set, but it shouldn't be completely liquid in the middle. Once it has reached that point, you want to take your pie out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
Once it’s fully cool at room temperature, move the pie to the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours. During this period, the custard will fully set up.
How to Store and Serve It
This pie should be stored in the refrigerator. It can be served straight from the refrigerator, or you can let it sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Serve this pie as-is or topped with whipped cream!
More Pumpkin Recipes
I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie, please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, and tag me on Instagram!
PrintFull Recipe
Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie
This Pumpkin Pie with Mascarpone has a creamy pumpkin filling, spiced just right, with a hint of tang from the mascarpone cheese. It's baked in a whole-grain Spelt Crust that really makes this pie stand apart from the crowd. The mascarpone cheese is used both in the filling and is swirled on top to create a beautiful effect to adorn your holiday table.
- Prep Time: 00:25
- Cook Time: 01:15
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 slices
- Category: Sweet Pie
- Method: Oven
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) single spelt pie crust, or your favorite pie crust, prepared
- 1 cup (8 ounces; 227 grams) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup packed (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- Pinch cloves
- Pinch coarse kosher salt
- 1 (15 ounce) can 100% pumpkin puree
Instructions
Roll and Blind Bake the Pie Crust:
- Prepare the pie crust according to recipe instructions.
- Roll out the pie dough to an 11-inch circle and line it into a 9-inch pie plate, crimping the edges as desired. Place the pie shell in the freezer for 30 minutes to let the pie dough chill.
- While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 400ºF and place oven racks in the lower and middle parts of the oven.
- Remove the pie from freezer and line the pie shell with a round piece of parchment paper. Then, add pie weights (or dry rice, beans, or lentils) to fill the pie shell, making sure to push the pie weights to the edges. Bake on the lower rack for 25 minutes, then remove from oven and remove the parchment and pie weights. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is baked through. Set aside until ready to use. Lower the oven to 325ºF.
Assemble the Filling:
- Using an electric mixer, whip the mascarpone and granulated sugar until smooth. Add in 1 egg and vanilla and mix together until thoroughly combined. Remove ½ cup of the mascarpone mixture and set aside.
- To the electric mixing bowl, add in the remaining 3 eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pumpkin puree. Mix together until fully combined.
- Add half of the pumpkin filling to the fully baked pie crust. Spoon in a few dollops of the set-aside mascarpone filling to the pumpkin mixture. Then, pour the remaining pumpkin mixture over the top. Spoon on dollops of the remaining mascarpone mixture. Using a knife or chopstick, gently swirl through all layers of the pumpkin filling to achieve a marbled effect.
Bake:
- Bake the pie on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes, or until the pie reaches a temperature of 180ºF and the outer edges have started to puff up but the center is still slightly wobbly.
- Remove the pie from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool fully at room temperature before placing in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to finish firming up. Serve.
Notes
The body of this post has many tips for successfully baking this Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie. Check that out if you have any questions.
If you've never worked with mascarpone before, it's similar in texture to cream cheese, just slightly softer. Like cream cheese, it's easiest to beat this cheese with an electric mixer to ensure it doesn't have any lumps in it. However, if you don't have a stand mixer, you can do it by hand. Just make sure to mix together the mascarpone and the granulated sugar first until the mascarpone cheese has loosened in consistency, then add in the egg.
The mascarpone can be replaced with an equal amount of cream cheese, if desired.
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M
This wasn't my favorite. I’ll give it another go, but I found that the dough was harder to work with than a traditional all butter. It also was a bit tougher when everything was baked. Filling’s spice ratio felt off, I may try this again and tweak it.
It was less cheesecake tangy and closer to a tradtional pumpkin flavor than I feel it was advertised as. Additionally I expected it to be closer to a chess pie but that too seemed to not be as advertised. It sadly was to close to a traditional pumpkin, and for the extra steps, I’m still on the fence if it was worth it.
I will give this a second chance but overall I was definitely disappointed.
Juby
I am making this for tomorrow. Is the mascarpone mixture supposed to look curdled?
Kelli Avila
Apologies for my slow response. The mascarpone should not be curdled! It might have been overmixed. How did your pie come out?
Liz
The pie looks amazing. Can I make it and freeze it?
Kelli Avila
I haven't tried, so I can't say for sure. My guess is that it might not hold up well to the freeze and defrost. If you try, let me know!
Sherri
This is the second time I’ve made this. Delicious pie! However the marscapone cheese on top looked a little greasy any idea why? Not sure what I did wrong
Kelli Avila
Could be a few things going on, including the cheese itself. Did you use a different brand from the last time you made the pie? Did the mascarpone split? And one last question to try to flesh it out, what rack did you bake the pie on (ie the middle--top--bottom?)
Katie
So tasty and very easy! Directions were clear and easy to follow. Loved that it tastes like a traditional pumpkin pie but the marscapone makes it feel a little lighter and fresh. I think I potentially over mixed my marscapone so it was a bit runny which made decorating a challenge, but didn't affect the taste or texture at all! Definitely will make again!
Matthew S
I will be making this pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving (2022). My wife is Italian and I have learned the joy of using mascarpone cheese in my baking. My favorite is adding it to whipped heavy cream when making whipped cream. Which I may be topping this pie with as well. Thanks for the Spelt flour pie crust recipe as well. Began baking with that a few years ago and my baked goods never tasted better. I also use vanilla bean paste rather then vanilla extract, that takes everything to the next level of deliciousness. I am confident this pie will be a winner, thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kelli Avila
I hope you enjoy! I also love mascarpone 🙂
Dora
Hello! I would like to bake this for a Thanksgiving potluck event, but I wondered to bake small quiche-kind tarts instead (3" each). Would it be possible to bake them all together, if it's the case, or is it safer to bake the crust first, as recommended?
Kelli Avila
Yes, you will need to be the crusts first, regardless of the size of the pie. I know you can do smaller pies, as I used to sell these in small versions and they came out great. Baking them all together should be fine. You can put them on a sheet tray and back on that! Hope you enjoy!
Kat
This is the best pumpkin pie I've ever made! Made it for Thanksgiving this year and it was absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it. The spelt crust was very good and stood up well to the colder temp required for pumpkin pies.
Kelli's instructions were beyond helpful throughout the entire process. She even has a makealong of sorts saved as a highlight on her Instagram which was especially helpful when trying to figure out when the pie is done baking.
You should definitely make this pie. One of my best decisions of 2021.
Kelli Avila
Kat, thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience! I really appreciate it! Glad you and your family enjoyed!
Alyssa
This is a beautiful pie and it turned out that way. My husband loved it. The spelt crust is one of my new favorite things! I haven’t really ever had mascarpone but I will be using it more for sure.
Kelli Avila
So HAPPY you liked it. The spelt is such a good one with this!
Mel Nobee
Sooooo good. Love the mascapone in there , adds such a nice little tang to cut through the pumpkin.
Think I over baked mine ever so slightly but it still tasted fab so hey ho haha.
Love this recipe!
Stephanie
This pie was a HIT for Thanksgiving 2019 and made it again for Christmas drop-offs in 2020. Kelly has the best directions for the beginner baker. I havent tried the spelt crust yet, but I'm dying to!
Amritha Kidiyoor
I made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out great! I made a pate sucree crust using your recipe as well. I didn't have a 9inch pie pan, I made this in a 11inch tart pan and the pastry dough and filling were the right amount. It did take longer to bake in the oven, about 70 mins. Thank you for laying it out here, your instructions and tips made the process easier.
Kelli Avila
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Amritha!
Emily Harrington
This pie is so yummy! Your directions are clear and easy to follow. I just started making pies recently and have really enjoyed it. I saw this recipe on your Instagram and I can't wait to make it again for Thanksgiving. Thank you : )
Kelli Avila
Thanks for sharing this! Happy to hear!
Will D
First pie I ever made. I made it last Thanksgiving, and everyone was very pleased. I, of course, wished I could get the mascarpone to POP like it does in the pictures. I definitely over mixed it trying to get a cooler pattern. Less is obviously more here. Thanks for the recipes! I'll give it another go this fall
Kelli Avila
I'm so honored this was your first pie!!