Soft and tender pumpkin chocolate chip cake with a creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.
The most delicious pumpkin cake with a perfectly tender crumb and gooey dark chocolate chips. Finished with a ultra creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. It truly is the perfect fall comfort bake.
Why you’ll love this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake:
Easy one-bowl recipe. No mixer required! Simply whisk together the wet ingredients, fold in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips, and bake.
Perfectly moist & fluffy. Pumpkin puree adds tons of moisture, creating a soft, tender cake with the perfect amount of fall spice.
Warm & cozy flavors. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla give this pumpkin cake all those classic fall flavors, while the chocolate chips add little pockets of sweetness.
Ingredient Breakdown + Recipe Modifications:
- Pumpkin puree: The star ingredient that adds moisture and creates a soft, tender cake. Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a subtle molasses flavor while helping keep the cake moist. Light or dark brown sugar both work.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the cake incredibly moist and tender. Can substitute with avocado oil or another neutral oil.
- Milk: Adds moisture and helps create a smooth cake batter. Dairy or unsweetened non-dairy milk both work.
- Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together and creates a fluffy, tender cake.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness.
- Apple cider vinegar: Reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise and creates a lighter texture.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the warm pumpkin spice flavors and adds a little extra sweetness.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure while keeping the cake soft and tender. You can substitute with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves: Create that classic warm pumpkin spice flavor. You can also substitute with pumpkin pie spice.
- Baking soda + baking powder: Work together to help the cake rise and create a light, fluffy texture.
- Salt: Enhances the sweetness and balances all the warm spices and chocolate.
- Chocolate chips: Add little pockets of rich chocolate throughout the cake. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips work well.
- Unsalted butter: Creates the rich, creamy base for the dark chocolate buttercream frosting. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature for the smoothest texture.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder: Gives the frosting a deep, rich chocolate flavor with a smooth finish. Natural cocoa powder can also work, but the flavor will be slightly different.
Frequently asked questions:
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree?
Yes! You can use homemade pumpkin puree, but make sure it’s thick and not overly watery. If needed, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.
Can I substitute the vegetable oil?
Yes! Avocado oil or another neutral-flavored oil works well. I wouldn’t recommend substituting butter, as oil helps keep this cake especially moist.
Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices?
Yes! Substitute the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with approximately 1 ½–2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
Storage:
Room temperature: If unfrosted, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Store frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you loved this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake, you’ll also enjoy these pumpkin forward desserts:
- Coffee Cake Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Cups
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Bread
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Scones
Also, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to tag me @healthienut + #healthienut! I love seeing your mouthwatering recreations!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 ½ cups (362g) canned pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup (155g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (104g) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (60g) milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (230g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips + ¼ cup for topping
Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and line a 8×8” baking tin with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, milk, egg, vinegar, and vanilla until combined. Add flour, spices, baking soda and powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold dry ingredients into wet until a smooth batter forms. Fold in ⅔ cup chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 min before carefully transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to cream the butter until smooth. Sift in cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Combine on low speed until well combined.
- Mix in vanilla and salt. Slowly mix in milk, starting at 1 tbsp and adding more as needed until a smooth frosting forms.
- Frost cooled cake and finish with more chocolate chips on top. Serve with flaky sea salt and enjoy!
