This chocolate pumpkin cake is rich and moist, filled with gooey salted caramel, packed with pumpkin puree, and topped with the silkiest pumpkin chocolate buttercream. It's ultra chocolatey, decadent, and has a subtle spice to it. It tastes like pumpkin, oozing caramel, and chocolate! The cake batter is an easy one bowl recipe. It's baked in a sheet pan - no need to stack and frost the sides (options for turning this into a layer cake are in the recipe notes). There are mini pumpkins piped all over the top. The perfect cake for a fall celebration!
I've updated this pumpkin cake recipe since originally posting it in 2021 to include pockets of gooey salted caramel. Honestly, it was the right decision. Salted caramel belongs in almost everything and it truly brings this cake to a whole new decadent level. I've also added extra virgin olive oil and a touch more sour cream to the cake batter to make it even softer and more moist than before.
Jump to:
🥧 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- So much pumpkin: The cake itself uses over 2 cups of pumpkin to get all the pumpkin flavor and moisture.
- Gooey salted caramel: Pockets of oozing salted caramel make bring this fall cake to a whole new decadent level.
- Rich, fudgy, moist texture: It's like a cross between a chocolate cake and a fudgy brownie with a hint of pumpkin. Rich, chocolatey, and so addictive.
- Chocolate pumpkin frosting: The pumpkin inside the buttercream makes it extra silky smooth and fluffy!
- Mini piped pumpkins: The pumpkin sheet cake has mini pumpkins piped all over the top. They're so fun and easy to pipe, making this the best pumpkin theme cake for fall.
- Easy: The perfect easy, one bowl pumpkin chocolate cake to whip up for a party.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Pumpkin puree: The cake batter has a whole two cups of pumpkin. Use a store bought canned pumpkin puree or make your own. Make sure that the puree is very thick, like a thick Greek yogurt. Either reduce the puree or strain it with a cheesecloth. And the frosting has pumpkin puree in it too, giving it an extremely luscious texture!
- Extra virgin olive oil: This makes this chocolate cake extra rich and soft. Using a quality bright and peppery olive oil like La Tourangelle balances perfectly with the earthy pumpkin and chocolate flavors of the cake.
- Melted butter: Adds buttery flavor and moisture. It is melted so that you don't have to use an electric mixer to mix the cake batter.
- Pumpkin spice + cinnamon: A touch of cinnamon and pumpkin spice let the pumpkin flavor shine through the chocolate. It makes for a lightly spiced and fragrant cake. If you can’t find pumpkin spice you can make your own pumpkin spice.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk you can make it by combining 1 cup of room temperature milk and 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until it thickens and looks curdled. Do not use hot milk - you will get ricotta.
- Sour cream: Sour cream makes the cake rich and moist. Use a full fat sour cream.
- Cocoa powder: This gives the cake its chocolate flavor. Use a natural cocoa powder for the best texture. Dutch processed cocoa powder is alkalized and won’t be as moist and rich in this recipe. You want a more acidic (natural) cocoa powder to react with the baking soda in the cake. For the frosting: I prefer using a Dutch processed cocoa powder over natural cocoa powder because it has a stronger flavor since there is no baking soda to react with the cocoa powder in the buttercream.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream makes the frosting luscious and silky. Use heavy or whipping cream (at least 35%).
- All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Salted caramel: Homemade or store-bought salted caramel is piped into holes made in the cake until it is bursting with pockets of salted caramel in every bite!
Check out my pumpkin spice cake recipe for a chocolate free version of this cake.
👩🍳 How to make chocolate pumpkin cake
Prep: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line a 9" by 13" rectangle cake pan with parchment paper.
Step 1: Whisk together eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Add extra virgin olive oil, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and sour cream. Whisk well to combine.
Step 3: Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon right into the bowl. Add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate right on top.
Step 4: Fold the batter well, just until no more streaks remain. It will be a thick batter.
Step 5: Transfer the batter into a parchment paper lined 9"x13" baking pan,
Step 6: Bake in an oven preheated to 355°F (180°C), for 45-50 minutes. Let it cool completely.
Chocolate pumpkin buttercream step by step
Step 1: Beat softened butter in a large bowl or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) until light and fluffy. About 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add powdered sugar in two batches and whip until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the bowl. Beat for about 3 minutes.
Then, add pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and salt, beat until creamy and incorporated. Set aside half a cup of frosting and three tablespoons of frosting.
Step 3: Into the set aside three tablespoons of frosting add green food coloring to get a green frosting. Add orange food coloring to the half cup for the pumpkins. Transfer into separate piping bags.
Step 4: Add sifted cocoa powder into the bowl of frosting and beat well. Pour in the cream two tablespoons at a time. Stop adding cream when the frosting becomes silky smooth.
Step 5: Use the back of a wooden spoon or whisk to poke holes halfway into the cake. Don't poke all the way through!
Step 6: Use a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the end cut off to pipe salted caramel into the poked holes.
Step 7: Spread chocolate frosting on top. Mark where the pumpkins will be, about 2.5” apart.
Step 8: Snip the ends off the piping bags and pipe pumpkins on the marked areas. Start off with piping two semicircles and filling it in with lines to make it look like a pumpkin. Pipe a stem on each pumpkin with the green frosting and a little vine swirl.
✔️ Expert pumpkin cake tips
- Have all the ingredients at room temperature. This will ensure everything incorporates evenly and creates an even crumb.
- Use a scale to weigh the flour for most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Stop mixing as soon as no more dry streaks of flour remain. Overmixing the batter after flour is added will create a dense, dry cake.
- Don't overbake. It's ready when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. I prefer toothpicks over cake testers because they usually work better.
- Beat the frosting well: The more you whip the frosting up, the creamier and airier it will be.
- Don't poke holes all the way through the cake: You only want to poke the holes about halfway so that the salted caramel stays inside the cake!
🥄 Make ahead and storage
The frosted chocolate pumpkin cake will keep well in a cake container stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let the cake come to room temperature so the butter has time to soften up again.
You can bake the cake a day or two ahead of time - just leave it covered or wrapped at room temperature so that it doesn't dry out and frost before serving. I recommend frosting the cake immediately after making the frosting.
You can even make these pumpkin cake pops out of any leftover cake!
🎃 Why pumpkin is so good in chocolate cake
Pumpkin inside the batter gives the chocolate cake a lot of moisture, keeping it rich and moist for days. It took a while for me to get the perfect texture and flavor but the end was well worth it. I hope you love it too!
The frosting is a chocolate buttercream with some pumpkin puree mixed into it. It gives the frosting the silkiest texture. I set aside some buttercream right before adding the cocoa powder to color and pipe the pumpkins on top. If you want to skip the pumpkins on top you can just make it all chocolate flavored.
If you love chocolate and pumpkin together as much as I do, you should make my pumpkin cheesecake brownies. Try this pumpkin cheesecake roll which is perfect for pumpkin season too.
📖 Recipe FAQs
I use store bought pumpkin puree in a can. If you use a homemade pumpkin puree, make sure it has the consistency of really thick greek yogurt. You can strain or reduce the pumpkin puree on the stove top to get it to a thicker consistency.
Canned pumpkin pie filling won’t work because it doesn’t just have pumpkin in it. The cake will be too sweet and wet. Use 100% pumpkin puree.
Start off with room temperature butter. It’s important to beat the butter as much as possible before and after adding the powdered sugar. The more you beat it, the fluffier and less butter flavor it will have. It especially helps if you have a stand mixer but you can just leave it on for 10 minutes. You can also use an electric handheld mixer. Instead of adding milk to loosen the buttercream, add heavy cream. It makes it silky smooth while keeping it thick.
I highly recommend sifting the powdered sugar because it helps to break up any lumps, keeping the frosting extra smooth and fluffy.
You can cut the sheet cake in half and stack the halves on top of each other. For enough frosting to cover the sides, you will need to double the frosting recipe. Alternatively bake into two 8” round pans or three 6” round pans.
🍁 More related fall recipes
Check out my best pumpkin desserts for more easy pumpkin recipe ideas.
Did you make this recipe? I would love for you to rate this recipe and hear what you think in the comments below! Share your creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. Follow me on Pinterest to save and for more recipe ideas.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 3 cups all purpose flour 360g
- 1 cup natural cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar
Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 5 tablespoons natural cocoa powder sifted
- 3-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1-3 drops green food colouring or matcha powder
- 1-3 drops orange food colouring or turmeric
- 1 cup salted caramel sauce
Instructions
Cake
- Grease and line a 9” by 12” baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
- In a very large bowl, combine eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth, thick, and combined.2 large eggs, ½ cup butter, 1 ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Add olive oil, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and sour cream, whisking well.2 cups pumpkin puree, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon right into the bowl. Add the chocolate chips on top. Fold the batter well, just until no more streaks remain. It will be a thick batter.3 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup natural cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup chocolate chips
- Spread into the prepared baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan before lifting out.
Frosting
- Beat softened butter in a large bowl or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) until light and fluffy; 5-10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down frequently.1 cup butter
- Add powdered sugar a half cup at a time, vanilla, and salt. Beat for 5-10 minutes until very light and creamy. Scrape sides down a few times.1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add pumpkin puree and beat until well incorporated and the frosting becomes even fluffier, about 30 seconds. Set aside half a cup of frosting and three tablespoons of frosting.½ cup pumpkin puree
- Into the remaining frosting, add sifted cocoa powder and beat well until smooth. Pour in the cream two tablespoons at a time, beating in between additions. Stop adding cream when the frosting becomes silky smooth.5 tablespoons natural cocoa powder, 3-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Into the set aside three tablespoons of frosting add green food coloring to get a green frosting. Add orange food coloring to the half cup set aside frosting for the pumpkins. Transfer into separate piping bags.1-3 drops green food colouring, 1-3 drops orange food colouring
Assembly
- Once the cake is cool, use the back of a wooden spatula or whisk to poke holes into the cake. Don't go all the way through! Pipe salted caramel sauce into each pocket.1 cup salted caramel sauce
- Spread chocolate frosting on top of completely cooled cake. With a toothpick, mark where the pumpkins will be, about 2.5” apart.
- Snip the ends off the piping bags and pipe pumpkins on the marked areas. Start off with piping a circle and filling it in with lines to make it look like a pumpkin. Pipe a stem on each pumpkin with the green frosting and a little vine swirl. Cut the cake and serve!
Comments
No Comments