21 November . 2025
Dessert First
The holiday season is right around the corner! Though the temperatures outside may be dipping, our ovens at home are just warming up. What better time to utilize the kitchen than throughout Thanksgiving? The turkey may steal the spotlight at first, but let’s be honest, we’re all here for the pie.
Here are three dessert recipes, all incorporating local NC ingredients, to make the most of your sweet tooth and dessert fork this Thanksgiving! Keep reading to dig in.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
The beauty of Thanksgiving desserts is that they combine familiar and cozy flavors with new forms—it’s a holiday made for creativity! And what better ingredient to capture this spirit than the pumpkin?
Pumpkins are an autumn staple, especially when picked fresh and locally from North Carolina’s farms. If you’re looking for something different from pumpkin pie, allow us to introduce you to this delicious pumpkin cheesecake recipe, which combines the sweet richness of classic cheesecake with some favorite fall flavors. This recipe is a fun way to add a bit of pumpkin spice to your holiday table!
For the filling:
- Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed for two to three minutes until combined and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Lower the mixer speed and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated.
- Next, beat in the pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla until combined.
- With the mixer on low, beat in the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the cheesecake water bath.
- Pour the filling into the crust and place the cheesecake in the center of a large roasting pan.
- Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. The water should come about halfway up the sides of the pan.
- Bake the cheesecake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the cheesecake is firm around the edges, but the center has a slight jiggle.
- Turn the oven off, crack the oven door and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for one more hour.
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Place the springform pan on a cooling rack until it cools to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove the sides of the springform pan and top the cheesecake with chopped pecans, caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Southern Sweet Potato Cake
Another statewide staple is the sweet potato, which can be found at a slew of local farmers markets not too far from Wendell Falls—think the Wendell Market, the Stone Ridge Farmer’s Market and the State Farmers Market.
While sweet potatoes are typically part of the main meal, another inventive use of the veggie is to have it be the star ingredient of this Southern Sweet Potato Cake recipe.
A few top tips for baking the cake:
- Freeze the cake layers to create a more dense and moist cake. To freeze, wrap cooled layers separately into two layers of plastic wrap, then insert each wrapped layer in a zip-top plastic bag. Freeze for up to two months. Don’t forget to label and date your cake!
- For the mashed sweet potatoes, use a quick baked potatoes Bake halved sweet potatoes at high heat for about 30 minutes until tender, then peel and mash.
To add even more flavor to the dish, pair the Southern sweet potato cake with a cinnamon honey buttercream frosting. How sweet!
Muscadine Grape Torte
Add a splash of refreshing fruit to your Thanksgiving table via this mouthwatering Muscadine grape torte recipe. The best part: It can double as a Thanksgiving Day dessert and a Black Friday breakfast item the following day.
Instructions as you make your torte:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9-inch round cake pan with a 13- to 16-inch sheet of parchment. Grease with 1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter or pan spray.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking powder. Zest one lemon into the mixture and break up any clumps.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed for three to five minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time on low to medium speed, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the maple syrup.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated, scraping the bowl once.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
- Arrange half the grapes, skin side up, in a single layer.
- Add remaining batter, then arrange remaining grapes on top; slight overlap is fine.
- Sprinkle with demerara sugar and lemon juice.
- Bake 45 minutes. Cool before serving
Hungry for more? Treelight Square offers a wide range of shopping, dining and entertainment options year-round. Check out the full list of amenities and special holiday hours here.
Wendell Falls is located just 15 miles from downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. Explore artfully crafted new homes and townhomes from the low $300,000s – $900,000s+.