It’s pumpkin season and the desserts in London are better than ever before. There are so many pumpkin pies, some classic, others with luxurious additions of white chocolate ganache or caramelised sugar. The capital’s favourite cheesecakes are back, but if you’ve lived here for longer, you might be more tempted by what’s new. Pumpkin babka, pumpkin spice cookies or slabs of sweet, super soft pumpkin loaves, make sure to check how long each is available for so you can prioritise and plan your pumpkin treat.
Pumpkin cheesecake: Honey & Spice
Pumpkin cheesecake with a buttery, sweet base – made from biscuits and challah – a glob of sour cream in the middle and toasted pumpkin seeds on top. Besides a base that doesn’t crumble, a balance of flavours that is both warming and sharp, you can spot the freshly roasted pumpkins in the creamy, thick, cheesecake blend.
52 Warren St, London W1T 5NJ. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin pie: Holy Sugar
Flaky pastry with a sweet, ultra silky, brown sugar pumpkin pie filling, plus a swirl of whipped white chocolate and cream cheese ganache on top. Pastry chef Thais Girao uses a mix of muscat pumpkin and violino squash, roasted in the oven before puréeing them into an extra creamy filling.
London markets. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin loaf: The Elder Press Café
Fluffy pumpkin sponge with warming spices, quality Delica pumpkins – sourced by Natoora – and a blanket of Italian-style meringue on top. The icing is soft yet wonderfully crisp at the peaks, sweet yet toasty and although not intended, good enough to eat by the spoonful.
3 S Black Lion Ln, London W6 9TJ. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin babka: Painted Dog Bakehouse
Pumpkin babka with brown butter, white chocolate, lots of warming spices and a little orange zest to finish. This isn’t the fluffy, bread-y babka kind, but dense and syrupy and deliciously sweet.
Selfridges Food Hall, 400 Oxford St, London W1C 1JS. Available until October 31st.
Pumpkin cupcake: GĀYA’S
Spiced pumpkin sponge with a deep, seriously rich, maple brown butter cream cheese frosting, a tiny chocolate chip – resembling the pumpkin stem – and a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds to finish.
253 Putney Bridge Rd, London SW15 2PU. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin pie: Kentish Town Stores
Dense pumpkin pie with a strong kick of nutmeg and a soft, brownie-like, chocolate pastry crust.
230A Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2AB. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin bread: Snackbar
Warm, lightly toasted pumpkin bread smothered in miso butter with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top. It has a crusty top like bread, there’s a strong hit of salty savouriness, but the interior – squidgy, sweet and so pumpkin-y – resembles a divine slab of cake.
20 Dalston Ln, London E8 3AZ. Menu changes frequently.
Pumpkin pie: Lanka
Pumpkin pie with a fine biscuit base, a rich custard-y kabocha squash filling and a layer of proper crunchy, caramelised sugar on top. Lanka specialises in Japanese-style French patisserie and this slice, immaculately prepared in line with the chef’s Michelin-starred experience, gives you the textures of crème brûlée in a pumpkin pie.
9 Goldhurst Terrace, London NW6 3HX. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin cupcake: Crumbs & Doilies
Lightly spiced pumpkin sponge with a cool, creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds on top. Perfect balance of flavours, perfect frosting-to-cake ratio and lots of moisture in the sponge, London’s best pumpkin cupcake is back this weekend for Halloween.
1 Kingly Ct, London W1B 5PW. Menu changes each week.
Pumpkin pie: Meringue Girls
Crisp pastry with a super creamy, mousse-like, pumpkin mascarpone filling, plus a mountain of brown sugar meringue on top. Deeply filled, generously spiced and lightly torched at the peaks, this warming pumpkin pie isn’t one to miss.
Unit 1 Broadway Market, London E8 4TS. Menu changes every Saturday so please check Instagram before your visit.
Pumpkin wheelcake: Wheelcake Island
Taiwanese wheelcake with creamy vanilla custard and thick, slightly hearty, buttered pumpkin purée. Everything is cooked and filled on site, giving you a warm fluffy pancake for on the go.
16 Horner Square, London E1 6EW or Westfield London. October special.
Pumpkin spice cookie: Sweet Rosie’s Cookie Company
Soft, puffy, pumpkin spice cookie with warming spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. This autumnal treat just joined the selection of carefully chosen products at Panzer’s Deli.
13-19 Circus Rd, London NW8 6PB. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin cupcake: RoxyRara cakes
Pumpkin sponge with crunchy nibbles of chocolate chips, cinnamon-spiced vanilla bean buttercream and a mini fondant pumpkin pumpkin on top. It’s more savoury and cinnamony than sugary-sweet, all completely vegan too.
London markets. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin cheesecake cake: Flavourtown Bakery
Pumpkin cake filled with creamy vanilla cheesecake, generous layers of cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream around the outside and a fondant pumpkin on top. It’s dense but super moist, rich but also a little tangy and still, the best special Flavourtown Bakery makes all year.
771 Fulham Rd., London SW6 5HA or 3 The Quadrant, London TW9 1BP. Weekend special.
Pumpkin pie: Hart & Lova
Crunchy shortcrust pastry with a smooth, richly spiced pumpkin filling, plus a generous sprinkling of pumpkin seeds on top.
213a Belsize Rd, London NW6 4AA. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin spice bun: House of Cinn
Soft, chewy, pumpkin spice bun smothered in pumpkin spice cream cheese with a generous amount of ginger biscuit crumbs on top. No actual pumpkin in the bun or topping, but all the warming spices are there.
Selfridges Food Hall, 400 Oxford St, London W1C 1JS. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin pie: Blame Butter
Pumpkin pie with brown butter and a massive, blow-torched marshmallow on top. Made by American pastry chef Asa Balanoff Naiditch – trained at Le Cordon Bleu – in her flat in Notting Hill, this slice feels like a proper homemade dessert with a luxuriously sweet, caramel-y flavour in the filling.
Secret Microbakery in Notting Hill. October special but Blame Butter might be doing another pumpkin pie next month!
Pumpkin chai loaf: The Apple Blue Patisserie
Pumpkin sponge with dark chocolate chips, a homemade blend of chai spices – ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, plus cinnamon – and flakes of milk chocolate on top, it’s earthy and incredibly warming.
212 Balham High Rd, London SW12 9BS. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin cheesecake: Outsider Tart
American-style pumpkin cheesecake with cream cheese, all the autumnal spices, pumpkin purée – not just pumpkin spice – and a fine, ginger graham cracker base. It’s not too heavy on the spices, the body has structure but it’s unbelievably creamy, and the base is barely noticeable so you can enjoy the soothing softness all the way through.
83 Chiswick High Rd, London W4 2EF. The cheesecake flavour changes every weekend so please call before your visit.
Pumpkin cupcake: Peggy Porschen
Pumpkin sponge with a swirl of strong, cinnamon-spiced cream cheese frosting, plus two handmade mini pumpkins on top.
116 Ebury St, London SW1W 9QQ or 219 King’s Rd, London SW3 5EJ. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin spice crumble: Humble Crumble
Pumpkin spice crumble with soft apple cubes, a crunchy shortbread crumble, creamy vanilla custard and rose petals on top. Enjoy it all in a whole, carved-out pumpkin and don’t forget to make use of their bottomless custard policy.
Old Spitalfields Market, 12 Horner Square, London E1 6EW. October special.
Pumpkin bun: Karma Bread
Pumpkin bun with a filling of brown sugar, butter and warming spices, plus drizzles of maple spice icing on top. It’s heavy on the spices, the bun is tender but super fluffy, and the dough is filled with pumpkin purée so you’re not just getting a satisfying amount of spice but actual pumpkin flavour too.
13 S End Rd, London NW3 2PT. Available all autumn.
Pumpkin spice doughnut: Little Pudding
Doughnut with a rich pumpkin spice glaze, cinnamon whipped cream, crushed ginger nut biscuits and a dollop of vegan-friendly cinnamon cream cheese inside.
London markets. Little Pudding changes the menu every week so please check Instagram before your visit.
