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A slice of Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with rich chocolate frosting on a white plate, showing moist layers of chocolate and pumpkin cake.
Maryam

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

A moist, deeply spiced chocolate cake where pumpkin does the heavy lifting for texture without stealing the spotlight.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 0.75 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-process preferred
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 0.5 cup whole milk room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 9x13-inch Baking Pan
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula

Method
 

Prep
  1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan, line with parchment, and grease the parchment. This cake is sticky and the parchment saves you grief later.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until no cocoa lumps remain. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla until smooth. The pumpkin will look slightly grainy - that is fine.
  4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 32-35 minutes until the center springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  5. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment to lift out and cool completely on the rack. Frost once fully cool or dust with powdered sugar.

Notes

Dutch-process cocoa gives the deepest color and smoothest flavor, but natural cocoa works in a pinch - the cake will be lighter and slightly more acidic. For a simple finish, dust with powdered sugar through a stencil; for something richer, top with cream cheese frosting thinned with a tablespoon of maple syrup. Cake keeps wrapped at room temperature for 3 days, or freeze unfrosted layers for up to 2 months.