Easy chocolate pumpkin cake recipe with pumpkin cream cheese frosting, homemade from scratch with simple ingredients. This sheet cake is soft, moist and full of warm spices and chocolate chips. Decorate with seasonal Fall and Thanksgiving candies, pretzels, Oreo cookie crumbs and transform it into a pumpkin patch cake.
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Even though this desserts is made from scratch, it is still very easy to throw together. If you want a doctored version, check out my Pumpkin Cake Recipe. Swap out the yellow cake mix or spice cake mix for a chocolate cake mix.
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Key ingredients for pumpkin chocolate chip sheet cake
- Eggs- Use large ones at room temperature.
- Oil- Adds moisture and good texture.
- Buttermilk- Store bought or homemade will work.
- Pumpkin puree- Be sure to use this and not pie filling.
- Flour- Your general all-purpose is a great option.
- Sugar- Table or granulated sugar is best for this recipe.
- Cocoa powder- Used to bring out that chocolatey flavor.
- Pumpkin pie spice- Make this at home or make it easy with store bought.
- Baking powder- This helps the cake to rise and become fluffy.
- Baking soda- Also used as a rising agent.
- Mini chocolate chips- Should be mini, not regular for this dessert.
- Pretzel sticks- These are used to create the illusion of fence.
- Oreo cookie crumbs- These are used as a topping to create the illusion of dirt.
- Candies- Such as the small pumpkins, edible green grass and stones.
Variations
- To enhance the chocolate flavor- Mix in 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder to the cake batter.
- You can increase the quantity of mini chocolate chips- To ⅓ cups, if you like. I really think ¼ cup is more than enough though.
- Here are some cake decorating options- Top off your iced cake with colorful Homemade Sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, dusting of ground cinnamon. You can even use a pretty cake stencil, Chocolate Leaves (With Mint), drizzle of Easy Chocolate Ganache in a diagonal pattern. You can even decorate with Royal Icing Flowers (Sugar Flowers) or Fondant Flowers and even Buttercream Flowers (With Russian Piping Tips). For a rustic look, decorate by arranging Candied Nuts (Glazed Nuts) or Sugared Cranberries (Candied Cranberries) along the border of the cake.
- Pair with other frostings- There are so many to choose from, such as Easy Maple Frosting (4 Ingredients), Caramel Frosting (3 Ingredients), Brown Sugar Frosting (So Fluffy), or Almond Butter Frosting (Easy).
- Layer cake option- I used a rectangle cake pan but you can use two 8 inch round cake pans to make a layer cake.
- For thinner frosting- Add a bit of milk to it.
- Toss in some chopped nuts- Including peanuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, or almonds.
- Other add-in options- You may want to use shredded coconut, swirled in peanut butter, sprinkles, or caramel bits.
How to make easy chocolate pumpkin recipe cake from scratch?
1. Add wet ingredients in mixing bowl- This includes eggs, oil, buttermilk and pumpkin puree.
2. Mix- Until smooth.
3. Mix in dry ingredients- This includes flour, sugar, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Add chocolate chips- Use a spatula to mix until evenly distributed.
5. Spread batter- In greased and floured pan.
6. Spread frosting on top- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature.
7. Decorate top to look like a pumpkin patch- By sprinkling Oreo cookie crumbs and sticking pumpkin candies, stone candies and edible grass.
8. Create edible fence- By pushing mini pretzel sticks along the four sides of the cake.
Tips and techniques for pumpkin patch cake
- Don't replace mini chocolate chips with regular sized ones- Because smaller ones distribute better in the cake.
- If you don't have buttermilk on hand- Use this homemade buttermilk substitute recipe: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the remainder up with whole milk. Gently stir and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
- Adjust spices- According to personal preference.
- Don't substitute pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie filling- Because they are very different. Puree is pure blended pumpkin whereas pie filling has added sugar and a different consistency.
- Use room temperature ingredients- Because then everything mixes together smoothly.
- Don't over-mix the batter- Because then you will get a chewy texture. A few lumps are okay.
- Use a spatula to spread- The batter in the pan and the icing on the cake.
- Gradually add powdered sugar- About ½ cup at a time when making the frosting.
- Use unsalted butter- So that your dessert doesn't get too salty.
- Use full fat ingredients- For ultimate creaminess and flavor.
- For best results- Make sure baking powder and baking soda are fresh. Expired ingredients will not yield intended results.
Storage
- Room temperature- This can easily stay out for 2-3 hours.
- Refrigerate- Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Thaw and enjoy.
- Make ahead- Make this dish up to 3 days in advance and keep in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also make and freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw before serving.
Recipe FAQs
It often replaces oil, eggs, butter, or various creams in baked goods.
This can be due to several different things, such as inaccurate measuring, inadequate time to bake, low oven temperature, or opening the oven door while baking.
No. Puree is pure pumpkin blended up and pie filling has added sugar and thickening agents.
This most often happens if the cake is cooked for too long or if ingredients are measured incorrectly.
More pumpkin desserts
- Easy Pumpkin pie (5 Ingredients)
- Easy Pumpkin Cake (With Cake Mix)
- Easy Pumpkin Bars (Cream Cheese Frosting)
- Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts (With Cake Mix)
- Easy Pumpkin Cookies (With Cake Mix)
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (From Scratch)
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Ingredients
- 2 Eggs Large, Room temperature
- ¼ cup Oil
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 1 can Pumpkin puree Not pumpkin pie filling, 15 oz. can
- 1.5 cups All-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups Granulated sugar
- ¾ cups Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice You can increase or decrease quantities based on your preference
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ cup Mini chocolate chips Semisweet, Cannot replace with regular sized chocolate chips
Pumpkin cream cheese frosting
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- ¾ cup Cream cheese Full fat, Room temperature
- ⅓ cup Pumpking puree Not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice You can increase or decrease quantities based on your preference
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
Decoration
- 1.5 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
- ½ cup Pumpkin candies
- ¼ cup Stone candies
- 2 tablespoon Edible grass candy
- 120-150 Mini pretzel sticks
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, oil, buttermilk, pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.
- Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and mix until just combined. Don't over-mix!
- Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Pour batter in a greased and floured rectangle cake pan (Dimensions: 9x13). You can line with parchment paper, if you like. Use a spatula to spread batter evenly.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
- While the cake is baking and cooling, prepare the frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and mix until smooth.
- Mix in powdered sugar gradually (½ cup at a time) until frosting is smooth and creamy without any lumps.
- Spread this frosting on top of your cooled cake with a spatula. You cake is ready to be enjoyed. However, you can take it a step further and decorate it to look like a pumpkin patch, if you like.
- Spread Oreo cookie crumbs on top of the iced cake as evenly as possible. This creates the illusion of dirt.
- Place some pumpkin candies, stone candies randomly on top. Also, push some edible grass candy randomly between the pumpkins and stones.
- Finally, create the illusion of a fence by pushing mini pretzel sticks along the 4 sides of the cake. Enjoy.
Notes
- Make sure you are using fresh baking powder and baking soda. They do expire and lose their strength over time.
- All ingredients must be at room temperature.
- Use unsalted butter to prevent the cake from becoming too salty.
- Use full fat ingredients for maximum richness.
- Adjust amount of pumpkin pie spice in the cake batter and frosting, based on your preference.
- Homemade buttermilk substitute is really easy to make by mixing together 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles. Mix and then use the relevant quantity in this recipe.
- I wanted a thinner layer of frosting that wasn't too firm and thinned it out by mixing in some milk. This was just a personal preference for me. You can follow the recipe as is for a regular medium consistency of frosting.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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