Fall has made its appearance, temperatures are dropping, and we’re gearing up for Halloween. And Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without some sugary treats!

It’s the season for all things pumpkin, and I’m finding inspiration in one of my favorite flavor combos: pumpkin and chocolate. So today I give you the Pumpkin Chocolate Ganache Cake!

It’s an easy recipe that the whole family can pitch in and make together, and then gobble up together as well. It’s hard to believe something so special can be so effortless. And not only does it look fancy, but it tastes scrumptious as well.

My love for chocolate and pumpkin started many years ago with some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares. Before that I wouldn’t have thought of putting the two flavors together. Now I can’t get enough.

And apparently neither can you, because there are countless desserts, cakes, bars, fudge, and cookies with this delicious flavor combo on Pinterest, on food blogs, in cookbooks, and in grocery stores. Personally I’m digging all this pumpkin chocolate love that’s going around – more for me to sample… or should I say devour!

There are so many reasons I love baking with pumpkin! Let me count the ways…

1. It’s so good for us… packed with vitamin C, E, potassium, and iron as well as beta-carotene, and it’s low in calories.
2. It makes everything so moist and it’s readily available in cans of pumpkin puree at almost any grocery store.
3. Its natural orange color provides the perfect food coloring to celebrate the fall season.
4. When paired with cinnamon, ginger and chocolate it’s completely, mouth-wateringly delicious!

I’m feeling an ode to pumpkin coming on… I’ll try to refrain since I have such an amazing recipe to share with you today.

This Pumpkin Chocolate Ganache Cake is everything… moist, delicious, and beautiful. And, it’s something the family can spend time together making!!

More about this pumpkin cake recipe...

First you add all of your dry ingredients (except the sugar) to a mixing bowl & set aside. Then beat together the butter & sugar, and add in your pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, & oil, until they’re mixed thoroughly. The eggs join the party next, one at a time with the mixer on low. Now slowly add in your dry ingredients about a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Finally divide the mixture into three-greased 9 inch round baking pans and bake on 325 for 30-35 minutes.

How simple is that!??

You will need to let the cakes cool for at least an hour, and then you can add the layers of chocolate frosting. This is another simple process.

You heat heavy cream until it reaches a simmer. Then remove from the heat and pour the hot cream into a large mixing bowl with chocolate chips. Whisk by hand until all the chocolate is melted, then use an electric mixer to whip this frosting up adding a few more tablespoons of heavy cream until some stiff peaks form. Now we can start to assemble.

Place the first layer of cake on your serving platter. Now spoon half the frosting onto the center of the cake and spread to the edges. Repeat the same step again with the next pumpkin cake layer. Then top it off with the third pumpkin cake layer and put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the chocolate ganache (see instructions below).

Once the ganache has cooled to room temperature pour a small spoonful of it at the top edge of the cake, then gently nudge it over the edge so that it runs down. Create longer and shorter drips by using more or less chocolate in each spoonful. Next add more ganache to the top center of the cake, carefully spreading the chocolate evenly over the entire top and blending it into the ganache around the top edges. #homestretch

Finally, I like to make chocolate curls with a block of good quality chocolate to add even more interest to the cake. All you need is a veggie peeler, a small block of chocolate and your microwave. Heat the chocolate up on a small plate for 15-20 seconds. It will be a little gooey around the edges, but grab the chocolate and start peeling one of the longer sides of the chocolate block. Each time you peel, you will create a curl. I find it easier to peel the curls over a napkin on a plate, then transfer them to the top of the cake using a wooden skewer. If you try to handle them with your fingers, they may break or lose their shape.

And abracadabra, hocus pocus… chocolate curls!

If you don’t think you have enough chocolate for the entire cake top just concentrate on the center, and then have a few sporadic smaller curls outside the center area.

I love how it turned out, so understated yet so elegant.

I did also use this second method for making chocolate curls, where you melt down the chocolate with some shortening, spread it over the bottom of a cookie sheet to cool, and freeze it for a few minutes. Then you roll it up with a flat-ended spatula. I like this because it produces some really thick curls that add more variety and interest on top of the cake.

Not only will your family love making this festive Pumpkin Chocolate Ganache Cake they will also love eating it!? Happy Fall, happy Halloween and happy eating!

Pumpkin Chocolate Ganache Cake

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 5 mins

Author: Holly Sander

Serves: 12-14 servings

INGREDIENTS:

For The Cake:

• 3 cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup canola oil
• ½ cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree

For The Chocolate Frosting Layers:

• 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

For The Ganache:

• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1½ teaspoons corn syrup

For The Chocolate Curls:

• One small block of semi-sweet chocolate, approximately 4 ounces
• One wooden skewer

INSTRUCTIONS:

For The Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Add all dry ingredients except for the sugar into a mixing bowl, and set aside.
3. Slowly beat butter and sugar together. Then add pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, oil and mix in completely. While the mixer is running slowly add one egg at a time until mixed thoroughly.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients about a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as you go.
5. Divide the mixture into three greased 9-inch round baking pans and bake on 325 for 30-35 minutes. Insert a toothpick or non-serrated knife to the center to check for doneness. If toothpick comes out clean or with crumbs it’s done.
6. Let the cakes cool for at least an hour before frosting - or if making ahead wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

For The Chocolate Frosting Layers:

1. Heat ½ cup heavy cream until it reaches a simmer.
2. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream into a large (heat-tolerant) glass mixing bowl with chocolate chips, then let it stand for 2 minutes. If the chips don’t fully melt, you can microwave for about 15 seconds.
3. Whisk the chocolate and cream by hand until it is smooth, then let it cool for 15 minutes. Transfer to an electric mixer and beat on high speed until frosting begins to thicken.
4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form… usually another 3 minutes.
5. Place the first layer of cake on a serving platter. Add about half the frosting to the center, and spread a nice thick layer evenly over the entire cake top. Repeat the same step again with the next layer of cake, using the other half of the frosting mixture. Then add the third pumpkin cake layer on top but do not frost the third layer.
6. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before adding the ganache.

1. Place chocolate chips into medium bowl and set aside. Heat cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat just until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate.
2. Let sit for about 2 minutes and whisk until chocolate is completely melted and smooth, then whisk in corn syrup.
3. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes until ganache has thickened slightly. You want to be able to pour a spoonful at the top edge of the cake making drips of different sizes and lengths. (If it’s too warm the chocolate will run down the cake in thin strands and pool on the cake plate rather than sticking to the cake. You can test the ganache by pouring some down the top edge of an inverted glass Pyrex measuring cup.)
4. Pour a small spoonful of ganache at the top edge of the cake, gently nudging it over the edge so that it runs down. Create longer and shorter drips by using more or less chocolate in each spoonful, which will gave the cake a more natural and organic look.
5. Use the remaining ganache to cover the top of the cake, working from the center toward the edges and using an offset frosting spatula to blend along the edge of the cake.

For The Chocolate Curls:

1. Place some napkins on a plate to catch your curls as you make them. Put the block of chocolate on another small plate and microwave for 15-20 seconds – it should just be starting to melt.
2. Holding the veggie peeler over the plate with the napkin, peel along one of the longer sides of the chocolate block to create a curl - press firmly and pull quickly! Using a wooden skewer, gently pick up the curls by skewering them, and placing them in the center of the cake. Work your way toward the outer edge until you reach your desired coverage. For shorter curls, peel one of the shorter sides of the chocolate.

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