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.
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.
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!
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!
Pumpkin Sex In A Pan Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans optional
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Pumpkin Layer:
- 10 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Pudding Layer:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 & 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 3 tbsp butter in 3 pieces
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 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 1/2 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
Total fat: 33.79g
Calories from fat: 304
Cholesterol: 134mg
Carbohydrate: 7.63g
Total dietary fiber: 3.05g
Protein: 5.96g
Tara Kuczykowski says
This is amazing!!! Hard to believe it’s low-carb.
Heather Seeley says
I wish I had a big piece of this in front of my right now 🙂 Looks soooo good! Can’t wait to make.
Sabrina says
I’m in love just drooling over your pictures! I can only imagine what’ll happen when I take my first bite!
Julie says
Love this fall layer cake!
Sammy says
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!!!
Sammy says
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).
Carolyn says
I can tell you what the issue is…your chocolate seized. Heat was too high or chocolate not of good quality, which can happen.
Terrie Babiuk says
Can you make this with coconut flour instead of almond allergic to nuts except for peanuts?
Carolyn says
Use sunflower seed flour.
Alex says
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!!
Nichelle says
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?
Carolyn says
Yes, that should work.
Nell says
Holy. Man. Sooooo gooood! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Samantha says
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?
Carolyn says
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.
Jennifer D. says
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.
Susanne says
Can you please tell me the size of the pan you used
Carolyn says
It’s very clear in the instructions.
Len says
I use a 9×9 clear Pyrex dish just as the recipe calls for and it’s full, but perfect.
Sarah says
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!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Sarah. And that’s a much more pleasant name for it. 😉
Len says
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!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Jessica says
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!
Carolyn says
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!
Christine Castaneda says
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!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Lynn says
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
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Meghann H says
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!!!
Robert says
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