These Pumpkin Cake Truffles are cute and easy to make treats for the Halloween season - or anytime during autumn really! They are made from a spiced pumpkin cake mixed with cream cheese for a sweet and moreish truffle filling. I've coated them in orange coloured white chocolate and painted Jack O Lantern faces on with some black colouring. You don't have to do this but I think they look so fun! They'd be fantastic at a Halloween party, or as a spooky snack for movie night. You can really get creative with the designs too - just like when you're carving a real pumpkin, but with less mess!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

You can use any amount of leftover pumpkin cake for this recipe - you just need to weigh it and then use half the weight in cream cheese.
I used white chocolate with orange food colouring to coat the truffles, but you could use orange candy melts instead if you prefer.
If you don't want to paint on the Jack O Lantern faces, leave the truffles plain, add sprinkles or a drizzle of dark chocolate.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Pumpkin Cake Truffles

Start by making a batch of my Pumpkin Cupcakes and letting them fully cool. Or grab any leftover pumpkin cake you have to use up. Use a food processor to blitz the cake into crumbs. Mix the cake crumbs with the cream cheese.

Using your hands, roll the mixture into small balls. You can weigh them out if you like to make sure they are the same size. Freeze them on a lined baking tray for 1 hour. Melt the white chocolate and add orange food colouring. Dip the truffles in the chocolate, then leave to set on some baking paper. Paint Jack O Lantern faces on them using black food colouring and a clean brush.

Where can you buy pumpkin puree in the UK?

I've found tins of pumpkin puree in the American food section of large supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys (the two brands I know of are Libbys and Baking Buddy). I have also heard that Waitrose stock it. It's sometimes available all year round, or sometimes only from mid-August until December. It really does depend on the supermarket with this. Keep asking your local store, you may just bug them enough to get them to stock it! You can also buy it online, I have purchased it from Amazon before, and Sous Chef also sell it. It will be a little bit more pricey, but I've found good deals by buying several cans at once (and the best before dates are usually at least one year long).

Can you make pumpkin puree from scratch?

Yes! If you can’t get hold of the canned version, then you can make pumpkin puree from scratch. A 2kg pumpkin will give you roughly 675g pumpkin puree. The good news is, if you have too much you can freeze pumpkin puree. What you need to do is carefully slice up the pumpkin, deseed it and scoop out the stringy bits. Then you can either roast or steam chunks of the pumpkin until soft – it will take 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces, use a knife to check tenderness. Allow the pumpkin to cool fully. Remove the flesh from the skin using a spoon, and then use a blender to puree the flesh. You now have pumpkin puree! It’s also great stirred into risottos or curries if you have leftovers. If it's not the time of year for pumpkins but you really want to make these pumpkin cupcakes, then you can use butternut squash too!

How should the cake truffles be stored and can they be frozen?

The cake truffles must be stored in the fridge and they will last for 5 days. You can freeze them either coated with the chocolate or uncoated. Wrap well, place in an airtight container or a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?

For a gluten free version, make sure the leftover pumpkin cake you are using is gluten free. For dairy free, make sure the leftover pumpkin cake you are using is dairy free. You will also need to use dairy free cream cheese and dairy free white chocolate.

What is the best food colouring to use?

It is best to use a good quality professional food colouring for the best results. My favourite brands are Sugarflair and Pro Gel - they are both widely available online.

More tips for making Pumpkin Cake Truffles:

Another great way to decorate the truffles would be to add some sprinkles onto the chocolate before it sets, or add a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.
You can make these truffles with any kind of leftover cake - it doesn't have to be pumpkin cake.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

More pumpkin recipes...