This Week's Sweets: Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and Toasted Pecans

(Cake adapted from Country Living)

2 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Cocoa Powder

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

3/4 cup Buttermilk

1 1/2 cup Pumpkin Purée

2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 1/4 sticks Butter, softened

1 1/2 cup(firmly packed) Dark Brown Sugar

1 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

5 large Eggs

Prepare cake pans: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.

Make the batter: Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, with an electric mixer set on medium speed, until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each addition.

Bake the cake: Divide the batter among the pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean -- about 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove cakes and cool. (For cupcakes: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in standard cupcake tins and fill each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 22 minutes.)

Frosting: Prepare Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting while cake are cooling. Recipe and instructions are here.

Assemble the cake: Trim each of the layers if necessary. Place one layer on a cake plate and top with frosting. Repeat with the second and third layers. Frost top and edges. Top with roughly chopped, toasted Pecans.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: I made this as cupcakes as well and they were DELICIOUS. They would be perfect with some chocolate chips or toasted pecans mixed into the batter and served as chocolate muffins.