We are obsessed with pumpkin so much over here at Chow Bella that we thought it was time to take all the smack talk to task with a pumpkin showdown. All the blog contributors gathered 'round the table with their best pumpkin recipes to see whose dish gets the Great Pumpkin award. First up? Cyndi Coon's luscious cake. Stay tuned each day through next week for more dishes in the showdown.
Grab the recipe after the jump.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Layer Cake
Adapted from Christopher Norman Chocolates
Ingredients:
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) soft unsalted butter, more for greasing
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
2. Using a mixer, cream 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture will look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
3. Divide batter into the 9 in pans and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto racks and peel off paper. Let cakes cool completely.
Cinnamon Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup butter, softened, not margarine
• ½ teaspoon almond
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ c pumpkin puree
•
Directions:
1.Beat together cream cheese, pumpkin and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add cinnamon, almond and vanilla
3.Add about half the powdered sugar and beat until mixed well. Then gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach a spreading consistency.
Tips:
Make cakes ahead put in freezer unwrapped on a pan; when frozen hard, wrap in plastic, then foil. Remove wrapping before defrosting.
Frozen cake layers can be frozen up to three weeks.
Frosting can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, then brought to room temperature for at least one hour.
