halloween treat: chocolate pumpkin cake

10.06.2010
It's been far too long since I posted a cake recipe, and with fall in the air and the holidays on the way, the itch to bake is getting the best of me again. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I'd jump back in with this indulgent chocolate pumpkin cake, complete with gooey chocolate ganache glaze...

{recipe & image via country living}

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Total Time: 55 min
Oven Temp: 375

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup(s) flour
2/3 cup(s) cocoa
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 cup(s) canned pumpkin
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
3/4 cup(s) butter, softened
1 cup(s) dark brown sugar
1 cup(s) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk

Frosting
6 ounces softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange food coloring

Glaze
4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and lightly butter.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Stir the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Beat the butter and sugars together using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately beat in the flour and buttermilk mixtures in thirds.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a tester, inserted in the center, comes out clean--about 35 minutes. Cool layers completely before icing.

Frost: Beat 6 ounces softened cream cheese using a mixer set on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoons cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. In a separate bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream with 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar and a scant 1/4 teaspoon orange food coloring on medium-high to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well combined. Spread 1 cup frosting between the two layers and use the remaining frosting to ice the top and sides of the cake. Chill 30 minutes and proceed to step 2. Makes 3 cups.

Glaze: Place 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate, 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, and 3 tablespoons corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring 1/2 cup heavy cream to a boil, pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for 3 minutes. Gently stir, using a whisk, until smooth. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until the glaze thickens slightly. Pour the glaze onto the center of the frosted cake and smooth out to the edges to allow the glaze to drop over the sides. Makes 1 cup.

19 comments:

Sandi said...

This is gorgeous, and it sounds delicious!

Gwynn @ Gwynn Wasson Designs said...

Oooo... that's looks fabulous (and yummy!!) Can't wait to try it!

A Wedding Story said...

I baked this one a few years ago...I might have done something wrong because mine fell flat...womp womp!

Louise said...

PRETTY cake!

Christi Bennett @ pisforparty said...

I have always loved this picture and have wanted to try the recipe! Happy fall!

Linda Vandermeer McCubbin said...

Halloween without going over the top, nice.

Kim @ The Celebration Shoppe said...

Hmmm... I might just have to make this for my Halloween bash this year!

Anonymous said...

This looks aaaamazing. My husband's birthday is in October and this is going to be his cake this year!!

Kisses from the WhipperChicks

Bird said...

Becca, this is positively yummy!! And sinful? :)

xoxo

Mandi said...

I think this is the most fantastically festive autumn cake I have ever seen. It was love at first sight. If only I could get results this good. I'm afraid my baking skills may not be up par.

Anonymous said...

looks gorgeous and sounds DELICIOUS!

Lisa said...

That looks lovely.

Fawn said...

I make this every year for Halloween and its a HUGE hit every single time. SOOOO yummy!

Monica said...

It's perfect for Halloween! I'll make it the next week!

Carrie Rowe said...

I made this cake and it was GREAT! I blogged about it too -
http://cstandsforcarrie.blogspot.com/2010/10/chocolate-pumpkin-cake.html

Anonymous said...

I know this is a really old post, but I've made this cake several times and it's my absolute favorite cake. I have this post bookmarked. Today, being a lousy day, seemed like a perfect time to look longingly at the beautiful cake since I don't have time to make it right now.

Thanks for sharing the recipe! I love it!

Debra Kapellakis said...

very pretty and yummy

Jeanne said...

OK I have this in my fridge right now. I haven't tasted it, but I like the individual flavors from the beginnings of licking spoons and fingers... I'm going to have a crowd taste test it later today. However, I have aesthetic issues.... it DEFINITELY DOES NOT look like the photo. And this isn't my first day at the rodeo, so it's not a technique thing.

I try to follow the recipe exactly the first time I attempt something, and believe I was spot on with this one. The frosting consistency is too "whip-creamy" and the ganache is too runny. So when the warm ganache when on the top the whip cream began to melt. Then the ganache was so runny I couldn't control the drip. But it wasn't the melting frosting that contributed to the runny-ness, it was too thin in the bowl. The frosting I couldn't anticipate, but I probably should have tried to shore up the ganache with icing sugar or more chocolate, or started over with less cream. Except I had 4 ozs of Schaffenberger chocolate (@ $6.50) in that bowl.

This is a potential entry into a bake-off (I then can claim "award-winning" baker) but it has too look as good as it tastes. Any ideas to fix both problems ... the deadline for entries is Friday.

CAKE Creative Co. said...

@Jeanne. Sorry I didn't see your comment in time to try to help. Hope it worked out!

Post a Comment