Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
Serves 12
15 mins prep
50 mins cook
65 mins total
This pumpkin chocolate cake is packed with pumpkin puree and topped with the silkiest pumpkin chocolate buttercream. It's chocolatey, rich, moist, and has a subtle spice to it. It tastes like pumpkin and chocolate! The cake batter is an easy one bowl recipe. It's baked in a sheet pan - no need to stack and frost the sides (options for turning this into a layer cake are in the recipe notes). There are mini pumpkins piped all over the top. The perfect cake for a fall celebration!
Cake
Frosting
Cake
Grease and line a 9” by 12” baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
In a very large bowl, combine eggs, butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and combined.
large eggs
cup butter
cup brown sugar
tsp sea salt
tbsp pure vanilla extract
Add pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and sour cream, whisking in between each addition.
cup pumpkin puree
cup buttermilk
cup sour cream
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon right into the bowl. Fold the batter well, just until no more streaks remain. It will be a thick batter. Add chocolate chips and fold just until incorporated.
cup all purpose flour
cup natural cocoa powder
tbsp baking powder
tsp baking soda
tbsp pumpkin spice
tsp cinnamon
cup chocolate chips
Spread into the prepared baking pan and bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan before lifting out.
Frosting
Beat softened butter in a large bowl or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) until light and fluffy; 5-10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down frequently.
cup butter
Add powdered sugar a half cup at a time, vanilla, and salt. Beat for 5-10 minutes until very light and creamy. Scrape sides down a few times.
tbsp pure vanilla extract
cup powdered sugar
tsp sea salt
Add pumpkin puree and beat until well incorporated and the frosting becomes even fluffier, about 30 seconds. Set aside half a cup of frosting and three tablespoons of frosting.
cup pumpkin puree
Into the remaining frosting, add sifted cocoa powder and beat well until smooth. Pour in the cream two tablespoons at a time, beating in between additions. Stop adding cream when the frosting becomes silky smooth.
tbsp natural cocoa powder
tbsp heavy whipping cream
Into the set aside three tablespoons of frosting add green food colouring to get a green frosting. Add orange food colouring to the half cup set aside frosting for the pumpkins. Transfer into separate piping bags.
drops green food colouring
drops orange food colouring
Assembly
Spread chocolate frosting on top of completely cooled cake. With a toothpick, mark where the pumpkins will be, about 2.5” apart.
Snip the ends off the piping bags and pipe pumpkins on the marked areas. Start off with piping a circle and filling it in with lines to make it look like a pumpkin. Pipe a stem on each pumpkin with the green frosting and a little vine swirl. Cut the cake and serve!