High Altitude Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Moist pumpkin snack cake with warm spices and chocolate chips, fluffy chocolate buttercream and swirls of creamy pumpkin butter.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 7 ½ oz pumpkin puree (1/2 of a 15-oz can, or a little more than 3/4 cup)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp (scant) baking soda
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp spiced pumpkin butter, optional
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking spray, or line with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes, until the water has evaporated, and the butter is forming nutty, fragrant golden brown solids at the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and let the butter cool for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and browned butter.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk the batter until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake the cake for about 28-30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the top of the cake springs back when gently touched.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, and cool the cake completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium, beating for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down several times. If needed, add 1-2 tbsp of milk for desired consistency.
- Frost the cooled cake with the buttercream. Dollop the pumpkin butter on top and swirl it in.
Notes
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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