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    Home » Gluten Free » Chocolate Pumpkin Sex In A Pan Dessert

    Published: Sep 9, 2015 · Modified: Oct 10, 2019 by Carolyn

    Chocolate Pumpkin Sex In A Pan Dessert

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    35.2K shares
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    Sex in a Pan is a layered dessert that’s so rich and creamy, you’ll be in love after the first bite. Chocolate Pumpkin Sex in a Pan is a gluten-free, low carb pumpkin recipe to end all pumpkin recipes! An almond flour crust holds layers of pumpkin cheesecake filling, creamy chocolate pudding, and sugar-free whipped topping with shaved chocolate on top.

    titled image (and shown) Pumpkin Spice Sex in a Pan

    The pumpkins are coming, the pumpkins are coming! Whoops, too late. The pumpkin recipes are HERE! And if you’re not a pumpkin lover or if you would prefer to not see any pumpkin-related content until at least October, I am sorry. I truly am. But they seem to arrive earlier and earlier every year now.

    Even before summer is over, before the kids are back in school, and while you are still embalming yourself with sunscreen every day,  your social media feeds begin to clog up with pumpkin recipes. It’s atrocious, it really is. And I blame bloggers. Yes, bloggers! Those damn fools that worship the big orange gourd and can’t even wait until the beginning of September to start cranking out the pumpkin spice this and the pumpkin pie that. Yes, I include myself in that lot of wild-eyed pumpkin addicts. It’s a sickness, it really is. And there is no antidote.

     

    a slice of sugar-free pumpkin chocolate layered dessert known as Sex in a Pan

    Well, at least I waited until after Labour Day to publish my first pumpkin recipe this year. That’s something, right? And what a recipe it is, with quite the, ahem, suggestive name. Sorry if it offends.

    Is Sex in a Pan really the name?

    Sex in a Pan is meant simply to be tongue in cheek, but if you don’t like that moniker, there are a few alternative names for this sinfully delicious pumpkin chocolate layered dessert recipe. Like Low Carb Chocolate Pumpkin Lasagna. Or Chocolate Pumpkin Dream Dessert. Or the rather boring but descriptive Pumpkin Chocolate Layered Dessert.

    I settled on Sex In A Pan because that’s what a reader called it when she asked me to make something similar. And it reminded me of a dessert a friend made back in high school, although she called hers “Better Than Sex”. Which, being rowdy teenagers, we though was hysterical. It was also delicious!

    The high carb version of Sex in a Pan usually has a shortbread-like crust, with layers of vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding and whipped topping. Most of which comes out of a box, of course. But making a low carb layered dessert from scratch is not only healthier, but a lot of fun. And you get to lick the beaters and the bowls of all the various layers. Can’t complain about that!

    Low Carb Chocolate Pumpkin Lasagna

    Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Desserts

    The combination of chocolate and pumpkin can be found in all sorts of gluten-free, sugar-free and low carb dessert recipes. A few of my favorites include:

    • Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles
    • Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Flourless Chocolate Cake Roll (from Cupcakes & Kale Chips)
    • Pumpkin Tiramisu
    • Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins (from My Gluten-Free Kitchen)

    Just be forewarned about one thing. There is absolutely NO WAY to get the first slice of this beauty out of the pan in one piece. You have to resign yourself to sacrificing that one piece in order to get the others out all nicely sliced up. If you happen to be serving to guests, just delicately remove yourself from their view as you cut into it.

    Pull out that first mangled, mashed slice of Sex in a Pan in whatever manner you can get it out, and hide it back in the fridge for later. Then you’ll be able to lift the other slices from the bottom and no one will be the wiser. Well, except when you walk back into the dining room with smears of chocolate, pumpkin and whipped cream all over your face…

    Did you know I wrote a cookbook? Get it now!

    The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen

    Pumpkin Sex In A Pan Dessert

    A low carb pumpkin recipe to end all pumpkin recipes! This gorgeous chocolate and pumpkin layered dessert is so rich and creamy, you'll be in love after the first bite.
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Dessert
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Chill Time: 3 hours hours
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 366kcal

    Ingredients

    Crust:

    • 1 ½ cups almond flour
    • ¼ cup finely chopped pecans optional
    • ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
    • ¼ cup butter melted

    Pumpkin Layer:

    • 10 ounces cream cheese softened
    • ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
    • ¼ cup heavy cream at room temperature
    • ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Chocolate Pudding Layer:

    • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
    • 1 cup whipping cream
    • ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
    • 4 egg yolks
    • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • 1 & ½ oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
    • 3 tablespoon butter in 3 pieces
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Whipped Cream Topping:

    • 1 ½ cups whipping cream
    • 3 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
    • ½ ounce sugar free dark chocolate

    Instructions

    Crust:

    • Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x9 inch square baking pan (you can use 8x8 but your crust may take a little longer to bake).
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, pecans, and sweetener. Stir in butter until dough begins to clump together. Press firmly and evenly into prepared baking pan.
    • Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Let cool.

    Pumpkin Layer:

    • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sweetener together until smooth. Beat in cream, pumpkin puree, spices and vanilla extract until well combined.
    • Spread mixture over cooled crust.

    Chocolate Pudding Layer:

    • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine almond milk, whipping cream and sweetener. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sweetener.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks to temper. Then slowly whisk tempered yolks back into saucepan.
    • Reduce heat to medium low and sprinkle surface with xanthan gum, whisking vigorously to combine. Whisk in cocoa powder and cook until thickened, about 3 or 4 minutes.
    • Remove from heat and stir in chopped chopped chocolate and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract.
    • Let cool 15 minutes and then spread over pumpkin layer. Cover with plastic wrap flush to the surface and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

    Whipped Cream Topping:

    • Beat cream with sweetener and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Remove plastic wrap from chocolate layer and spread with whipped cream.
    • Dust with cocoa powder (this works best through a fine sieve). Use a vegetable peeler or cheese slicer to shave chocolate over top.
    • Chill another hour to help set completely.

    Notes

    Serves 16 (this is a really rich dessert so could go even farther). Each serving has 7.63 g of carbs and 3.05 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.58 g.
    Food energy: 366kcal
    Total fat: 33.79g
    Calories from fat: 304
    Cholesterol: 134mg
    Carbohydrate: 7.63g
    Total dietary fiber: 3.05g
    Protein: 5.96g
    Nutrition Facts
    Pumpkin Sex In A Pan Dessert
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 366 Calories from Fat 304
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 33.79g52%
    Cholesterol 134mg45%
    Carbohydrates 7.63g3%
    Fiber 3.05g12%
    Protein 5.96g12%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    35.2K shares

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    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Tara Kuczykowski says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      This is amazing!!! Hard to believe it’s low-carb.

      Reply
    2. Heather Seeley says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:06 am

      5 stars
      I wish I had a big piece of this in front of my right now 🙂 Looks soooo good! Can’t wait to make.

      Reply
    3. Sabrina says

      September 11, 2018 at 11:33 pm

      5 stars
      I’m in love just drooling over your pictures! I can only imagine what’ll happen when I take my first bite!

      Reply
    4. Julie says

      September 11, 2018 at 5:01 pm

      Love this fall layer cake!

      Reply
    5. Sammy says

      July 24, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      Thank you so much Carolyn for responding so quickly. I love to learn and I trust your fabulous recipes so I will have to try it again sometime!!!

      Reply
    6. Sammy says

      July 18, 2018 at 1:50 pm

      I started make this the other night and I had some trouble when I got to the chocolate pudding layer. First, it took FOREVER for the hot cream mixture to simmer and when I added the xantham gum and cocoa powder it got super thick very quick. When it came time to put the chopped chocolate and butter into the pretty thick mixture it didn’t want to incorporate the butter and each time I thought I got it mixed the butter would separate again. I ended up with lumpy mixture with melted butter at the bottom of the saucepan(for some reason it kinda looked like brownie batter) and just had to call it a day and put the layer in the pan and refrigerated it overnight. The next morning it out of the fridge the pudding layer looked pretty hard and still very lumpy and you could see a hardened layer of butter. I decided to just finish up the recipe and just try it. Later in the night, when I tried some the pudding layer was just as hard as it looked it wasn’t rock hard but definitely not like a pudding and it tasted very strongly of bad sweetener. Although, luckily I couldn’t taste the butter separate from the dish. The pumpkin cream cheese layer I think need some more pumpkin in it or just a bit more flavor besides the cream cheese. But the crust was good and the whole thing together was pretty good. I don’t know that it was worth all that time and effort for the outcome. Maybe if I knew how to fix my mistakes and added a little something to the pumpkin layer. I was so excited when I saw this recipe and read all of the positive comments(it seems like no one had the problems I did). So does anyone have any idea where I went wrong with the chocolate pudding? Keep in mind I used erythritol and I powdered it by putting it in the blender for the layers the recipe said needed it(which I read was fine and I have never had any problems with the taste).

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        July 18, 2018 at 7:43 pm

        I can tell you what the issue is…your chocolate seized. Heat was too high or chocolate not of good quality, which can happen.

        Reply
    7. Terrie Babiuk says

      October 31, 2017 at 12:19 am

      Can you make this with coconut flour instead of almond allergic to nuts except for peanuts?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 01, 2017 at 9:13 am

        Use sunflower seed flour.

        Reply
    8. Alex says

      October 19, 2017 at 11:08 pm

      Just made this and it was killer! Definitely rich (I underestimated how rich it would be when I cut my first slice lol) but incredible!!

      Reply
    9. Nichelle says

      October 15, 2017 at 11:03 am

      Wondering if I can substitute coconut milk for almond milk since I have coconut milk in the cubbard? If yes, would it be a 1:1 substitution?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        October 16, 2017 at 7:18 am

        Yes, that should work.

        Reply
    10. Nell says

      October 07, 2017 at 3:06 pm

      Holy. Man. Sooooo gooood! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

      Reply
    11. Samantha says

      October 04, 2017 at 8:10 am

      I don’t think I am going to be able to get my hands on swerve before Canadian Thanksgiving (this weekend), do you think stevia would work as a replacement for the swerve?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        October 04, 2017 at 11:41 am

        Yes, but for the chocolate layer, you may need some more xanthan. Swerve has some fiber in it that helps set the pudding a bit.

        Reply
    12. Jennifer D. says

      September 30, 2017 at 1:11 am

      I put the dark chocolate in the chocolate layer instead of the unsweetened chocolate! I hope it is still great! I will report back after church on Sunday.

      Reply
    13. Susanne says

      September 17, 2017 at 4:26 am

      Can you please tell me the size of the pan you used

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        September 17, 2017 at 7:58 am

        It’s very clear in the instructions.

        Reply
      • Len says

        September 17, 2017 at 8:15 pm

        I use a 9×9 clear Pyrex dish just as the recipe calls for and it’s full, but perfect.

        Reply
    14. Sarah says

      September 08, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      It’s always just been called “4-Layer Dessert” in our house. My Grandmother has made it for 50 years! I’ve been making a version of it regularly around here lately, with your easy blender chocolate mousse recipe as the chocolate layer. It’s amazing! I’ve always resisted the chocolate-pumpkin combo thing because it just sounds so WRONG but I have to admit that this looks delicious!
      Thanks for all you do Carolyn!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        September 08, 2017 at 6:45 pm

        Thanks, Sarah. And that’s a much more pleasant name for it. 😉

        Reply
    15. Len says

      November 24, 2016 at 9:44 pm

      Thank you for this! YUM!!

      I made it for Thanksgiving and it was the hit. I might as well have skipped cooking the rest of the meal. (Not really, we ate it all.)

      I didn’t want the pumpkin flavor so i omitted the spices in that layer and it came out very well. The chocolate layer was perfect! I’m so grateful to find a version that doesn’t call for box pudding! Smooth, creamy and firm enough to hold up to cutting.

      I love your site. Keep ’em coming!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 24, 2016 at 11:08 pm

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    16. Jessica says

      November 21, 2016 at 3:40 pm

      Hi Carolyn! I want to make this dessert for Thanksgiving, but the only sweetener I have is the Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet. Can I use this, and should I grind it in place of the powdered Swerve? I don’t know what Swerve is, so how do you think I should measure out the Super Sweet? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 21, 2016 at 4:08 pm

        You can probably do this. Swerve measures like sugar so use as much Super Sweet as you would to equal that amount of sugar (I think you really only want about 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of Swerve). Grind it well!

        Reply
    17. Christine Castaneda says

      November 13, 2016 at 11:13 pm

      Hi Carolyn, just wanted to share that I made this tonight and EVERYONE loved it! It is one of the best low carb desserts I’ve made. Everyone was shocked it was low carb. Just wanted to say thank you for creating these wonderful and delicious recipes. Fan for life!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 14, 2016 at 8:31 am

        So glad to hear it!

        Reply
    18. Lynn says

      November 10, 2016 at 1:13 pm

      I tried this recipe and it works for my keto diet!!. I used dark baking chocolate unsweetened. turned out fantastic. used all gluten free ingredients so worked for my dietbetic father and my step mom who has a gluten allergy… PLUS my boyfriend who doesn’t like sweets loved this dessert!! thanks for sharing

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 10, 2016 at 4:45 pm

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    19. Meghann H says

      November 07, 2016 at 12:44 pm

      This dessert is incredible! I am actually relieved that it requires more work and time than I will usually spend on a sweet treat. Otherwise I would be making this every week, and eating ALL OF IT!
      My only issue was with the whipped cream topping- it fell and separated in less than 24 hours. But this is so easy to fix! I add a small amount of softened gelatin, which is a Maria Emmerich tip.
      But seriously, this is the BEST dessert I’ve ever made, low carb or otherwise. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!!

      Reply
    20. Robert says

      October 30, 2016 at 2:45 pm

      Back in the 80s when I was stationed in Spain, someone taught me how to make this minus the pumpkin,and it was called ‘chocolate lasagna.’
      My dad and brothers back then used to beg me to make it.

      Anxious to try it with the pumpkin. Thanks

      Reply
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