It may still be nearing 90 degrees outside but I want pumpkin spice and everything nice! How about you?
The sponge of the cake is a doctored up boxed cake mix…Did I mention this was easy to make? I used to doctor up a boxed cake mix by swapping out the oil for butter and adding an extra egg but then I found Baking with Blondie’s cake recipe and adapted it with my own additions and I think it’s perfect.
Nothing says welcome to fall quite like a pumpkin treat but as summer weather is holding on I’m trying to ease in on the pumpkin spice everything. I had a hankering for a little something something and decided to put a little twist on my go-to chocolate ganache cake for this week’s dessert. And as we are still enjoying beautiful weather my nasturtium is in bloom and those blooms make the most beautiful and edible cake adornments. This cake is wildly easy to make and super versatile, I just swap out the pumpkin whipped cream for peanut butter buttercream or a raspberry jam.
If you give this cake a try I’d love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments! And as always thank you for stopping by and reading.
Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 15.25 oz Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake Mix
- 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 TBS Vanilla
- 1/3 cup Butter
- 3 Eggs Room Temp
- 2/3 cup Sour Cream Room Temp
- 3/4 cup Milk Room Temp
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 Cup Salted Butter Softened
- 1 Cup Cream Cheese Softened
- 3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 Cups Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Flavored Melting Wafers
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. While the oven is preheating go ahead and prep your cake pans. I like an 8" springform pan for my cakes. I like to prep my pans by rubbing down the inside of the pan with softened butter and then dusting the butter with flour.
- In a large bowl mix all of the cake ingredients together. Split the batter into the two separate, prepared cake pans.
- Bake for about 30 min or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake and then come out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and then allow them to cool completely before releasing them from the springform pans. Once the Cakes are cooled and released from the pans chill them while you prepare the frosting.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese together in the bowl of a stand mixer until well combined.
- Next add in the cinnamon and pumpkin puree until the mixture is well combined.
- Mix the confectioners sugar gradually, 1 cup at a time.
Ganache
- Place candy melts and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave the candy melts and cream for 30 seconds at a time, mixing the mixture in between each microwave session.
Frosting Instructions
- Once the cakes are completely cooled and chilled, pull them out of the freezer. Place a dab of frosting on the center of your cake plate and place the first layer of chocolate sponge on the cake plate.
- Next, add 1 cup of frosting on top of the first sponge layer and spread out.
- Add the second sponge layer onto of the frosting.
- Frost your entire cake with the pumpkin cream cheese frosting.
- If you want the chocolatey, marble look go ahead and make up your ganache and dip your frosting spatula into a bit of the ganache and swipe it onto your cake. I like to swirl the frosting and ganache around the outside of the cake (think more like stripes, instead of little swirls)
- I place the rest of the ganache into a ziplock bag and allow it to cool (putting it in the fridge helps) until it is about the consistency of pancake batter.
- Next snip the corner of the ziplock bag and squeeze the ganache around the top edge of the cake allowing the ganache to drip over the sides.
- Lastly fill in the top with the remaining ganache, you can use a spatula to help it spread out if it is a little bit thick.
