So here a few weeks ago, I saw a recipe for pumpkin pie on Tumblr.

Now, while I am a baker and I generally bake things that I enjoy eating, I have, in the last several years, grown to dislike pumpkin pie. I've almost always used the recipe that comes on the Libby's can of pumpkin puree ([link]), and it is my opinion that that recipe is... not good. I think it's a texture thing for me, honestly. I don't like that the spices aren't very strong, and the texture is like if the word "clammy" had a taste.

So I've tried, over the last 18 years or so, to find alternative recipes. For a couple years I made an icebox pumpkin pie that used vanilla pudding and Cool Whip ([link]). That one was okay, though the spices once again didn't really pop. I also tried 2 or 3 years ago, an alternate recipe from the can of puree that included sweetened condensed milk for a sweeter pie, but ran into pretty much the same texture problems.

And then I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Pudding Pie with Orange Zest and Cardamom Whipped Cream [link]. It was created/written by Demi Adejuyigbe, a comedian who is probably most well-known for his series of videos with Earth, Wind & Fire's song "September" (here is a [link] to one of them). Someone on Tumblr was kind enough to transcribe the recipe into actual text that could be copied, and I took that and printed it out to take a proper look at it.

First off, the recipe as-is is for "~3 pies", which is a lot of pie. So the first thing I did before I prepared to make it was halve all the ingredients for the filling. (The only one that was a little tricky was halving the 15oz. can of pumpkin. Those 15oz. cans have, according to the lab, seven 1/4-cup servings--so it was just a matter of halving 7/4 and doing a conversion to a different measure.) That made enough filling to fill the graham cracker crust up, with a little bit left over. I opted to keep the whipped cream recipe the same, since we all love whipped cream in my family. I used a store-bought graham cracker crust, and baked the pie itself on this past Friday.

There were a few snags in preparation (mostly just consequences of adding things in all at once instead of gradually), but pie was accomplished! It rose a lot in the oven, but didn't spill over (and it also deflated a little as it cooled). I didn't finish it up until Saturday night, because we were doing a Thanksgiving dry run (essentially; we had a frozen turkey from last year that needed eating). The cardamom whipped cream worked up quickly, and I added the garnishes before serving.

Pie pictures under here!!

ID: A pumpkin pie sitting on a wooden table. The pie is dusted with powdered sugar and garnished with many pieces of orange zest. END ID.


ID: A slice of pumpkin pie in a bright purple bowl. The slice of pie mostly covered by a large dollop of whipped cream. Just visible in the whipped cream are flecks of spices. It looks delicious. END ID.

The pie was amazing. The texture wasn't as weird as regular pumpkin pie; it was more bread-y, but still moist, and kind of thick (I'd taken a few bites before I realized I needed a glass of milk!). The cardamom whipped cream really enhanced the flavor of the whole thing, and the orange zest added a lovely brightness to the overall flavor that really elevated it. (I had another slice yesterday, too; the flavor was still good with the whipped cream [which I'd refrigerated], though the orange zest flavor was a little reduced.)

My mom and my sister really liked the pie; Dad thought it was okay (he said the texture wasn't as smooth as normal pumpkin pie). So I'm probably going to make this pie again for Thanksgiving!! I am probably going to double the whipped cream recipe, though; we are a whipped cream-loving family, as I said, and there's going to be more of us at Thanksgiving.

Without further ado, here is the recipe with the halved filling ingredients. (Sorry to those of you who use metric; I didn't think to weigh my ingredients as I went through the recipe!! I will try to do that on my next go-round!!)

The recipe!!

Pumpkin Pudding Pie w/ Orange Zest and Cardamom Whipped Cream (from Demi Adejuyigbe) [filling halved from original]

1-1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1-1/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter

Powdered sugar
Zest of 1 orange

1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom
Pinch of nutmeg

1 prepared pie crust (pastry or graham cracker)

For pie:
Preheat oven to 325F.

Beat pumpkin puree and egg together in large mixing bowl (if using stand mixer, use paddle attachment). Add sugar and baking soda; blend well.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add flour mixture and vanilla to pumpkin mixture; blend until well-mixed.

Add melted butter. Gradually add milk, whisking until all ingredients are blended together. Pour batter into prepared pie crust. Batter will be more liquid than solid, but will solidify and rise in oven.

Bake in prepared oven for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Top with sifted powdered sugar and orange zest.

For whipped cream:
Place metal mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Whisk powdered sugar, cardamom, and nutmeg together in bowl. Add heavy cream and whisk until stiff peaks form. Serve on cooled pie.