Pumpkin Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Cream Frosting

I know what you’re thinking. It’s only July and she’s using pumpkin?!? What the hell is wrong with this girl?

I have no answer for that. I’ll admit that I’ve been known to be insane.

But it didn’t seem so ridiculous to me when I found myself looking after a beach house in Mexico, under the strict instructions to eat as much of the food in the house as was physically possible, and I happened upon a can of pureed pumpkin.

Granted, it may have been leftover from a Thanksgiving feast the year before, but let’s not split hairs over it.

Anyway, I have read for a while about using vegan substitutions in boxed cake mixes (I’d like to point out that I’m not vegan, so this may be incorrect information) such as black beans and canned pumpkin, and was intrigued to give it a try.

Also, there was a box of chocolate cake mix in the cupboard just calling my name.

So what started as an experiment quickly turned into the realisation that this could be something not only tasty, but also healthy. I was sneakily introducing another fruit into our diet without us even thinking about it, and all the while fooling our tastebuds into believing that we were eating chocolate! Genius.

The pumpkin chocolate cake did take longer to cook than was specified on the packet instructions – this could have been the temperamental oven I was using or could have simply been the use of pumpkin instead of eggs and flour. Either way, once it came out it looked pretty much like a normal chocolate cake (with the one exception that the top didn’t rise into a perfect crescent – again could have been either the oven or the pumpkin). We were even rewarded with the delicious chocolate cake smell while it was cooking, just further fooling our brains into thinking something unhealthy was coming. Bwhahaha.

But then I looked at it, all forlorn just sitting there naked, with no topping and all dense chocolatey-pumpkin goodness and I did what I always do.

I decided to slather it in something less healthy.

A delicious on-the-spot creation of chocolate creamy deliciousness.

It was a match made in heaven.

Because of the heat at the house, I had to refrigerate the cake at all times (unless I was looking at it admiringly) otherwise the chocolate cream would start to get runny.

The best part of it all was that because we felt healthy by consuming some sneaky pumpkin, we allowed ourselves second helpings.

I love it when that happens.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Cream Frosting

Recipe by Julia

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• For the cake

• 1 chocolate cake box mix

• 15oz pumpkin puree

• For the cream frosting

• 400ml whipping cream

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

• Line and grease a round cake tin. Pour the cake mix into a mixing bowl and add the pumpkin puree. Mix well together, until all of the dry ingredients are combined.
• Follow the instructions on the back of cake mix box and bake at the desired time and temperature until cooked. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the cake if the top is browning before it is fully cooked. It is cooked when a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool and then remove from its tin.
• For the cream topping, pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl and mix quickly with a whisk until the cream begins to thicken and the whisk leaves a pattern in the cream. Add the sugar, vanilla and cocoa and stir until all of the ingredients are combined.
• Using a spatula, cover the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate cream. Cut into slices and serve or refrigerate until needed.