Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: December 15, 2022

I had to make something sweet for my daughter’s school again. Which was perfect because I was dying to try Picky Palate’s pumpkin cake recipe. I made it into cupcakes. Another super easy recipe, which is great for this busy mom.

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

by picky-palate.com

1 box devils food cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk or milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
15 ounce can pumpkin (reserving 2 Tablespoons for buttercream)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons reserved pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray two 9×5 inch bread pans with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a stand or electric mixer, place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, buttermilk, eggs, sour cream and can of pumpkin, and chocolate chips–mix all ingredients until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Divide cake batter evenly into prepared bread pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until cooked through.
3. While cakes are baking prepare the buttercream. Place butter, reserved 2 tablespoons pumpkin and cinnamon into stand or electric mixer. Mix on high until well combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar until thick and creamy. Slowly add the milk until buttercream is a nice consistency. Frost over cooled cakes, slice and serve.

Makes 16 servings

Note: This recipe can be used to make 24 cupcakes as well. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, until baked through.

Note: This recipe can also be used to make two 9 inch cakes for layered cakes. I’d start the bake time at 30 minutes at 350 and check often from there

I added some Halloween sprinkles for the kids. What kid doesn’t love sprinkles. Unfortunately, my Wilton cupcake holder fit all but one of the cupcakes. So I made the sacrifice and devoured it.

Holy cow! This is a chocolate addict’s best friend. It is so moist and rich. You really don’t taste much pumpkin, but who cares. It’s the chocolate that steals the show. And the frosting was just the right touch. I had to go back and lick the frosting bowl. Jen at picky-palate.com has the best recipes.

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Pear And Blue Cheese Tart

Baked Dessert

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

Oops, an unintentional hiatus. And now an entire week has passed with hardly a check-in.

Weeks like the last can feel strange once they’re over. It was busy. BUSY. So that all other activities fell by the wayside. I don’t think I touched the stove at all except to heat up some canned soup (again, clam chowder). I also didn’t get the chance to take any photos for myself. Not even yesterday, when we ventured out of the city to go hiking in Cold Spring, New York.

Let me tell you, the fall foliage is stunning! We hiked to the top of a hill, where we stopped for lunch and peered down into the valley. Total tableau moment. A mottled, vibrantly-colored blanket of trees that swooped down into the valley, the Hudson River, gleaming and wide and slow, train tracks leading to the small town of Cold Spring along the shores of the river. And gosh, the town was cute. Do all New England towns look like this? Are they all so picturesque? It’s utterly foreign, just like the sight of palm tree-lined roads might be foreign to some of you. But they really do exist in California, even in random, unglamorous suburbs.

I can see why people love this season most of all. It answers the question of how the unbearable heat could possibly give way to unbearable cold. It’s done in increments, step-by-step, although on some days you feel that winter is very imminent. And on others, like today, you make sure to go outside and enjoy the sun for as long as you can.

I’m glad I have a down-filled jacket in my closet.

I made this pear and blue cheese tart a couple weeks ago. Chris gobbled it up, although he removed every chunk of blue cheese in his mouth’s way. Without the blue cheese, the tart reminds me an awful lot of a bear claw. Which I find irresistible. I mean, pear-scented puff pastry covered with almonds? Am I right?

The blue cheese fancies up the tart. I’m not opposed to that at all. It becomes sweet and salty and, well, peculiar in the way that blue cheese makes everything a little peculiar. Delicious. And perfect for the fall.

PEAR AND BLUE CHEESE TART

Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria

Makes 1 square tart

Ingredients:

1 9-inch square frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1/2 pound blanched almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 to 2 pears, unpeeled, stemmed and thinly sliced (I used Asian pears)
Honey for drizzling
2 to 4 ounces blue cheese
1 egg white, beaten with a small drizzle of water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Use a pairing knife to score a line around the perimeter of the rectangle about 1/2 inch from the edge to make a border. Use a fork to poke holes inside the border so that the dough will remain flat as it cooks while the border will puff to create a lip for the tart.

Combine the almonds, sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of water in a food processor and grind to a paste. Spread the paste over just the portion of the puff pastry inside the border. Arrange the pear slices over the almond paste. Drizzle with the honey and crumble the blue cheese over the top. Lightly brush the border with the egg and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.