Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
Pumpkin is a yummy vegetable. It's healthy, right? With a few spices and a little flour, sugar and butter, it's even better. And absolutely divine when accented with a bit of chocolate. The recipe below is easy. The cake is tender and light. Pumpkin is definitely the star but not in an overpowering way. I used Hershey's Miniatures for surprise chocolate centers. What chocolates would you use for this pumpkin cake?
Ninja Note: Baking time will change depending on the size of pan you use. My autumn leaf cakelet pans took about 30-32 minutes. The cupcakes only needed 22-24 minutes in the oven.
Adapted from an AllRecipes.com recipe.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 generous tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon allspice powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves powder
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup (firmly packed) brown sugar
- 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 24 or more Hershey's Miniatures or your favorite chocolates
- Coconut oil for greasing cakelet pans
Preheat the oven to 350°
Grease cakelet pans with coconut oil and/or slip cupcake cases into muffin tins.
Whisk together the flour, pudding, soda, salt and spices in a large bowl. Set aside.
Whip up the butter until fluffy in the bowl of a kitchen stand mixer. Pour in the sugars and incorporate into the butter. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla. Gradually add the flour spice mixture.
After all ingredients are combined; with an ice cream scoop pour batter into the cakelet pans or cupcake cases. Place a chocolate in the centers. Cover with more pumpkin cake batter.
Ninja Note: Cakelet pans seem to produce the best results about ¾ full.
Cupcakes work well when filled 2/3 full.
Bake for 30-32 minutes for cakelet pans and 22-24 minutes for cupcakes.