A Cake for the Fall Season

I made this cake for Liam's 5th birthday this past week and it was so delicious. It was only the second time I had made my own cake from scratch. The first was a total flop.  The recipe used so much heavy cream, butter and sugar that it gave us all a stomach ache.   This one turned out beautifully moist and rich with chocolate and no stomach ache!  The frosting and chocolate glaze made this one restaurant quality in my book. Sooooo much better than a box or store bought!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

From Country Living

by Charles Schiller

Serves: 14 (or about 5 chocolate lovers)

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Total Time: 55 min

Oven Temp: 375

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup(s) flour
• 2/3 cup(s) cocoa
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking powder (I used Ghirardelli only because I thought if I'm going to go through all this work to bake a cake, it better be good.)
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 cup(s) buttermilk (I accidentally added more, but I think it was a good accident)
• 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

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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.
4. Step 1: 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.
5. Step 2: Glaze Place 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate (again, I used the Ghirardelli bitter sweet chocolate bar), 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. (It took a couple of times in the microwave before this would melt for me). 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.