Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

This moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake with spiced cream cheese frosting is a cozy fall bake bursting with pumpkin spice, chocolate chips, and tangy frosting. Easy, irresistible, and perfect for sharing this Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin cake with a chocolate twist! This delightfully moist pumpkin cake is fragrant with cinnamon and pumpkin spice, studded with chocolate chips and layered with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Chocolate and pumpkin may sound like an unlikely match, but it really works! The pumpkin gives the cake wonderful texture and a lovely soft crumb, while the chocolate creates a sweet melty surprise that marries well with the warm spices. The cream cheese frosting pushes this cake to next level deliciousness, making it a perfect candidate for Thanksgiving dessert this year.

Here’s What You Will Need

• Pumpkin purée: Make sure to pick the right product, canned pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling.
• Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream creates a wonderfully fluffy, moist sponge and reacts with the baking soda to give the cake lift.
• Vegetable oil: Keeps the crumb tender and soft for days.
• Large eggs: Use room-temperature eggs for best results and to avoid the batter looking curdled.
• Light and dark brown sugar: Work with the pumpkin to add caramel sweetness and a rich color. Make sure to break up and clumps in the sugar before using.
• Dry Ingredients: Flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt: Combine these dry ingredients to fold into the batter by stirring together or sifting.
• Spices: Pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon create an irresistible aroma.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: Folded through the batter for melty chocolate in every bite and used in the chocolate ganache for the drizzle.
• Cream cheese frosting: Full-fat brick style cream cheese, heavy cream, brown sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla create a just-sweet frosting that is light yet moreish. There’s enough to cover the entire cake if you like.
• Chocolate drizzle and chocolate sprinkles: The finishing decorating touches!

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Make the Cake Layers

1. Place pumpkin purée, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine – or beat briefly with a hand or stand mixer.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda , spices and salt, making sure to break up the brown sugar.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and gently fold into the batter using a spatula until no streaks of flour are visible.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and divide the batter between two greased and lined 8-inch pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Leave in the pan to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack. Cover the cake layers with plastic wrap once they have cooled down a little – this will help trap the moisture in the sponge.

Prepare the Frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Whisk the cream and powdered sugar on medium speed in a separate bowl until you have peaks.
2. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese until you have a fluffy frosting. Transfer half into a piping bag fitted with a Russian tip (or a large star tip).

Assemble the Pumpkin Layer Cake

1. Pipe a generous amount of frosting onto the bottom layer and place the second one on top. Press lightly so that that the two layers stick together.
2. Spread a layer of the frosting on top of the cake and drizzle with chocolate all around the edge, spreading it in slightly with an offset spatula.
3. Pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cake and drizzle with more chocolate. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles and serve at room temperature.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• You can use mini chocolate chips or regular ones. I prefer semisweet chips as they can hold their own against the spices and are not overly sweet. These should disperse evenly through the batter without sinking to the bottom, but you can also dust them with flour first to help prevent that.
• If you can’t get hold of pumpkin pie spice blend you can make your own. Combine ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice and store in a jar to use in all your seasonal baking recipes.
• Prep ahead: The cake can be baked up to two days in advance. Keep at room temperature covered with plastic wrap. The unfrosted cake can also be frozen for up to two months. Thaw overnight and decorate.
• Storing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake: The frosted cake will keep fresh for a couple of days in a cake container away from direct light. You can also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

👉 Looking for more fall baking recipes? Try my Apple Butter Cake, Pumpkin Sourdough Bread, Apple Cider Muffins, Pumpkin Dinner Rolls, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake 🍂🎃