Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

This is not your standard, run-of-the-mill chocolate cake.  This cake has a pumpkin cream cheese filling, chocolate ganache, and fresh fruit topping. It is the perfect perfect cake for the fall months. You can really dress your cake with whatever fall fruits you'd like - seedless grapes, blueberries, and even nuts are really delicious on this chocolate pumpkin cake.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Tis the season for gatherings with friends and family - and as you may know, a party without a cake is just a meeting. This dessert will make you the hero of the get-to-gether, and even if your baking skills are minimal, I promise you can pull off this cake.  You're going to love this recipe because:

• The base of this cake is a moist chocolate cake made with sour cream.
• The rich chocolate cake is the perfect compliment to the creamy filling and gooey ganache topping.  
• Even my kids can't resist this cake. It is truly loved by all who taste it.
• Chocolate and pumpkin are a match made in heaven and always taste amazing together! Just like our chocolate pumpkin bread and our chocolate pumpkin cookies.

About The Ingredients

All of the ingredients for this recipe can be purchased at your local grocery store. Here are a few items to note:

• Dark Cocoa Powder - while you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, I like to use the dark. It lends a deeper flavor in the cake that I think compliments the pumpkin filling more.
• Sour Cream - This is what makes the cake so moist! In addition to the oil, sour cream will retain moisture in the cake and make it irresistible. Ingredients like these make the dessert decadent, like this Cannoli Cake Recipe.
• Pantry Staples - You'll need some pantry stables like flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, oil and cinnamon.
• Pure Pumpkin - canned pumpkin puree is the key to our cream cheese filling. With a touch of powdered sugar, cream cheese, and pumpkin - it will be a filling you won't forget! Make sure you are buying pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. 
• Heavy Whipping Cream - we are using this along with chocolate chips to create a chocolate ganache. We are using a ganache rather than frosting, and it is so dang easy you won't even believe it!
• Season Fruit - here I used pears, berries, and pomegranate to garnish the cake. Any seasonal fruit or nuts work great!

For a complete list of ingredients and amounts, see recipe card below.

How To Make Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Making this cake is cinch, let me show you just how to do it! To prep, collect your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. In a large mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Stir to combine.
2. Pour in your wet ingredients: water, oil, sour cream, and eggs.
3. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix until well combined and smooth.
4. Divide evenly between two 9 inch round cake pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the center springs back. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
6. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream all ingredient together until smooth.
7. Spread cream cheese pumpkin mixture over the top of one of the cooled cakes.
8. Layer the second cake on top.

9. To make the chocolate ganache topping add heavy whipping cream to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat.
10. Add chocolate chips to the warm milk and let set for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
11. Pour chocolaté ganache on the top of your cake, and spread to the edges allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
12. Add seasonal fruit topping.

Pro Kitchen Tips

Here are some of my pro kitchen tips for making the best cake with any cake recipe!

1. Allow your oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes. This allows the oven temperature to stabilize and makes for a better baked cake.
2. Bake in the centre of the oven. This makes for even heat distribution and a better baked cake.
3. DON'T SUBSTITUTE! Baking is a science, and if you don't follow the recipe exactly you won't get the same result.

FAQs

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