Spookydoodle Pumpkin Chocolate Cake_______________________________Get this: snickerdoodle-speckled pumpkin cake, soft chocolate buttercream, cute meringue ghosts, and an eek-worthy cobweb stretched around the canvas. Boo!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground clove
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 12 vanilla meringues, homemade or store bought
- 1 tbsp melted dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
snickerdoodle pieces
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
whipped chocolate buttercream
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder (optional)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 6-inch cake pans generously with butter or oil.
- For the snickerdoodle pieces, toss together the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and flour until fully combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the melted coconut oil and sugars until creamy, about 2 minutes. Whip in the pumpkin puree and vanilla, then add eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, clove, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In three turns, alternate beating in the flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with flour. Stop mixing when the final streak of flour disappears from the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Dot teaspoon-sized rounds of snickerdoodle batter onto each layer. Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges clean. Let cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a wire cooling rack and set in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- While the layers set, draw faces on the meringues with the 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate.
- When ready to frost, whip together the powdered sugar, butter, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla until soft and fluffy. Set one layer onto a plate or cake stand and spread 1/3 cup of frosting atop. Place a second layer and frost with an additional 1/3 cup. Finish with the third layer and spread a thin coat of buttercream all over the cake. Set in the fridge for 15 minutes to create the crumb layer.
- Microwave the marshmallows in a small bowl for 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Let cool while you frost the remainder of the cake with the rest of the buttercream. If you have leftover buttercream, just eat it. Kidding. You can store the remnants in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Pull a handful of marshmallow fluff from the bowl and stretch between your fingers. Carefully lay atop the frosted cake in your desired shape - well, probably not your desired shape, that shit does what it wants. Repeat until satisfied with cobweb arrangement. Arrange the meringue ghosts on the helm of the cake and complete the look with a smattering of plastic spiders. Such spook. Much eek. Very 'ween.