Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Cake w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Boy, do I have stories to tell you about my first foray into making this wonderfully decadent, moist Chocolate Cake. I decided I wanted to make one,so I browsed for recipes but ended up using the one on the back of this Trader Joe’s Cocoa container, adding my own touches so it would be my own and boy was it ever.

The recipe said to add everything together in the electric mixer, so I listened and put everything in it, instead of putting all the dry stuff on the bottom and the wet on the top I just put whatever I picked up first into the bowl…needless to say a cloud of cocoa powder filled my quite small but comfortably quaint kitchen, it was in the vents, in my hair, on my face,on the floor, and on the stove. Literally a chocolate haze, but I kept on scarping the bowl getting the batter to get smooth. Then I put the mixer on high to get all those ingredients finally put together, and I didn’t lock the bowl in place and though I was watching it just started whirling too fast and batter started spraying out….again on the floor, my face, arms, the counter and the stove. The batter had made a home all over the mixer dripping from the sides and splattered all over the place…and honestly I was quite happy. I felt like a baker, powdery, cakey and looking forward to some good cake.

I made both a 9 inch cake with this batter and 12 cupcakes so it is a good sized recipe and quite easy as long as you are careful not to follow my lovely example of an insane baker. 🙂 🙂

I hope you enjoy this cake, I certainly did and sharing it with co-workers and friends is really one of the reasons I love being a food blogger and coming up with new recipes, even if I look like I swam through a river of chocolate in the end. 🙂

Chocolate-Pumpkin Cake

3 1/3 Cups of All Purpose Flour

1 Tbs Baking Soda

2 Tsp Vanilla

Half a can of Organic Pumpkin

2 Cups White Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 1/4 Cups of Cocoa Pwder

5 Eggs

3 Cups of Buttermilk

1 Tsp Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice

1 Stick of Butter (Room Temperature)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 Stick of Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips, melted and then cooled

1/2 Tsp Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Put all the cake ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until everything is mixed, taking care to put all dry ingredients on the bottom and wet on top. Pour into greased and floured 9-inch cake pan and into 12 prepared cupcake tins.

Bake cake for 40 min or until a tooth pick comes out clean from the middle.Bake cupcakes 15-20 min

Let cake cool while you make frosting. It must be cooled completely before putting the frosting on.

To make the frosting put the butter into the mixer, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar, beat on medium speed until well incorporated making sure to scrape sides to get everything with a spatula. Add vanilla, mix in, add the chocolate chips and pumpkin spice and beat until thick and fluffy. 3-4 minutes

Frost your cooled cake and cupcakes and be ready to enjoy decadence!