Spiced Pumpkin Tart with Chocolate Spider Decorations
Silky pumpkin custard filling in a crisp pastry shell, baked until set and crowned with cinnamon-sugar dust and piped chocolate spiders. The filling combines pureed pumpkin with eggs, milk, and warm spices, while the decorative chocolate garnish adds playful elegance.
Ingredients
- 35 tbsp pumpkin or butternut squash, chopped into chunksbutternut squash1:1vegetableadds dairyFull guide →
- 11 oz puff pastry, ready-made
- plain flour, for dusting pastry
- ⅝ cups muscovado or superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, grated
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 ¾ tbsp butter, melted
- 12 tbsp milkoat milk1:1dairy-freedairy-freeFull guide →
- icing sugar, for dusting
- chocolate, dark, milk or white, melted
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 350°F or.
- 2
Cut pumpkin into chunks and boil in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and cool.
- 3
Roll out pastry and line a tart tin. Blind bake for 20 minutes and cool.
- 4
Increase oven to 425°F or.
- 5
Push cooled pumpkin through a sieve.
- 6
Combine sugar, nutmeg, and half the cinnamon in a bowl. Mix in beaten eggs, melted butter, and milk. Stir in pumpkin purée.
- 7
Pour filling into pastry shell and bake for 10 minutes.
- 8
Reduce oven to 350°F orand bake 20-30 minutes until filling sets. Cool.
- 9
Mix powdered sugar with cinnamon and dust over pie.
- 10
Melt chocolate over a bowl set on a pan of hot water until smooth and glossy.
- 11
Cut corner off a food bag and pipe chocolate spiders onto non-stick foil (dull side). Chill and carefully transfer to serve alongside tart.
Tips
Sieve the cooled pumpkin for a silky, lump-free filling.
Watch the initial 10-minute bake closely to prevent over-browning before the filling fully sets.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Spiders best added day-of for texture.
Prepare filling and bake tart 1 day ahead. Make chocolate spiders up to 2 days ahead; store in airtight container. Dust with cinnamon sugar before serving.
Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Spiders can be arranged on top or served alongside.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip draining the pumpkin; excess moisture causes a soggy filling.
Do not overwork the pastry when rolling to avoid toughness.
Do not open the oven during the final bake to prevent the custard from cracking.