Ingredients

The following ingredients have 12 Servings
  • Cake:
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1½ cups hot water
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¾ cups vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 eggs (room temperature)
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • Frosting:
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups powder sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon

Instruction

  • Chocolate Cake:
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and lightly dust it with flour.
  • Mix hot, boiling water with unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir well and set aside.
  • In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
  • Whisk together the vegetable oil, vanilla, eggs, and sour cream.
  • On low speed, slowly pour in the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Once it's combined, bring the speed up to medium, and beat for about two minutes.
  • Lower the speed to low again, and slowly pour in the hot cocoa. Mix until just combined. Turn off the mixer.
  • Using the spatula, scrape the sides and the bottom, and continue mixing with the spatula until the batter is smooth.
  • Divide the batter between the three 8-inch round cake pans, equally, and bake for 18–20 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure the cake is baked through. If it comes out clean, cake is done.
  • Cool completely before frosting.
  • Frosting:
  • Beat butter in a bowl of an electric mixer, on medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, and beat on medium-high speed, until smooth, 1–2 minutes.
  • Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl, and add pumpkin puree. Beat for a couple more minutes.
  • Lower the speed to low, and beat in powder sugar and cinnamon.
  • Turn up the speed back to medium-high and beat 3–4 minutes, until the frosting is light, smooth, and fluffy.
  • Refrigerate 15–20 minutes and then transfer into a piping bag.
  • Make sure cake is completely cooled before adding frosting.