Chocolate-Pumpkin Layer Cake

By lihui

12 Person

30 Minutes

0 Calories

This rich and decadent spiced pumpkin cake is just the thing to serve for an autumn celebration, Thanksgiving or otherwise. Chocolate chips and chopped pecans are added to the pumpkin batter for extra sweetness and a bit of welcome crunch. For those who like to plan ahead, it can be made and frozen – iced and all. Just put the entire finished cake on a plate or a baking sheet, unwrapped, and freeze it overnight until it is hard. Then it can be wrapped without damage to the frosting, and returned to the freezer. Layers can also be wrapped well and stored, to be iced later.

Ingredients

Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
10 ounces Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
2 1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar
1 cup Chopped pecans
1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups Plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh
3 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Ground ginger
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 cups Flour, more for dusting
20 tablespoons Soft unsalted butter, more for greasing

Method

01

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
02

Using an electric mixer, cream 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture may look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
03

Divide batter into pans and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto racks and peel off paper. Let cakes cool completely.
04

In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons butter and confectioners' sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add cream or milk by the tablespoon, blending well after each addition, until it reaches spreading consistency.
05

Place one cake layer, smooth side up, on a platter. Ice top. Place second layer, smooth side down, on top; ice top and sides of cake.

Related Tags

Dessert Recipes

Cake Recipes

Chocolate Cake Recipes

Easy Recipes

Pumpkin Recipes

Chocolate-Pumpkin Layer Cake

3.9

( By lihui )

01 Information

Grade easy
Serving 12 servings
Total Time 30 Mins

02 Ingredients

Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

10 ounces Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted

2 1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar

1 cup Chopped pecans

1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups Plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh

3 Eggs

1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking powder

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1/4 teaspoon Allspice

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Ground ginger

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

2 cups Flour, more for dusting

20 tablespoons Soft unsalted butter, more for greasing

03 Method

Step 1

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, cream 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture may look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.

Step 3

Divide batter into pans and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto racks and peel off paper. Let cakes cool completely.

Step 4

In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons butter and confectioners' sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add cream or milk by the tablespoon, blending well after each addition, until it reaches spreading consistency.

Step 5

Place one cake layer, smooth side up, on a platter. Ice top. Place second layer, smooth side down, on top; ice top and sides of cake.

04 Author