Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake
CATEGORIES
INGREDIENTS
- Cooking Time: 90
- Servings: 8 to 12 servings
- 20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) soft unsalted butter, more for greasing
- 2 cups flour, more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 10 ounces unsweetened chocolate, preferably 99 or 100 percent, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
DIRECTIONS
- To make ahead: For fully frosted cake, put in freezer unwrapped; when frozen hard, wrap in plastic, then foil. Remove wrapping before defrosting.
- Unfrosted cake layers out of their pans can be wrapped first, then frozen up to three weeks.
- Frosting can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, then brought to room temperature for at least one hour.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 4. In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons butter and confectioners’ sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- 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.