Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

This Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream is the ultimate fall dessert! It’s a moist and delicious cake recipe that’s full of chocolate and pumpkin flavor!

The Ultimate Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Fall baking is here friends and I am loving it!! Get a load of this ultra easy and incredibly perfect chocolate pumpkin cake with a thick layer of fabulous pumpkin spice buttercream. can you tell I am a little excited about this recipe? Lol!

I’ve always been a fan of jazzing up cake mixes and this is another quick and simple dessert that will have your guests ooing and ahhing. Hope you enjoy!

Here’s your line up 🙂  Add powdered sugar to the left by the butter and cinnamon 🙂

How to Make The Best Pumpkin Cake

I love this recipe, because you add everything to the mixer 🙂  Start with the cake mix.

In no particular order, add your oil.

Buttermilk.

4 large eggs.

1/2 cup sour cream.

Find yourself a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. I love this particular brand from Trader Joes.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of pumpkin for the buttercream.

Set the 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin aside for the buttercream.

Add the remainder of the canned pumpkin to the mixer.

Give it all a good mix, until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in your chocolate chips.

Divide evenly between prepared bread pans.

Spread evenly and bake at 350 degrees F. for 55-65 minutes.

Love!!

While the cakes are cooling, prepare your buttercream 🙂

Ahhh, pumpkin spice buttercream. This stuff is deadly.

I will admit…the cakes are good even without the frosting. Perfectly moist and fabulous.

I happen to be a buttercream girl, so bring on the Pumpkin Spice Buttercream 🙂

Enjoy friends 🙂

Image of a Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Being Sliced

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

This Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream is the ultimate fall dessert! It's a moist and delicious cake recipe that's full of chocolate and pumpkin flavor!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 593kcal
Author: Jenny
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Equipment

  • Oven

Ingredients

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

  • 1 box devils food cake mix
  • 1 box instant chocolate pudding small box
  • 1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk or milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 15 oz canned pumpkin reserving 2 tbsp for buttercream
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 2 tbsp reserved pumpkin
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-4 tbsp milk

Instructions

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray two 9x5 inch bread pans with non-stick cooking spray.
  • 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.

Pumpkin Spice Frosting

  • 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.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 4909IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg
Keywords: best chocolate cake recipe, chocolate cake frosting, fall cake, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cake recipe, pumpkin dessert, pumpkin dessert recipe

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Hope you enjoy 🙂 Have a great day!

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109 Responses
  1. Ashley Smith

    Omg.. Looks so yummy… I don’t like sour cream, so I was wondering what can you use instead of sour cream. Thank you love all your stuff.

    1. Jenny

      Hi Ashley, you could substitute yogurt, however I will say, you can not tell there is sour cream in the cake whatsoever, it just adds moisture to the cake. Give it a try 🙂

      1. Bethany

        Could you use plain greek yogurt instead of the sour cream? I just got back from the store with all the other ingredients and discovered I don’t have enough sour cream. The last think I want to do is go back to the store right now! lol

  2. Traci

    Love the amount of frosting you put on this cake. I am a pumpkin frosting nut! It is so good!

  3. yeni

    This is the perfect recipe to bake for my son’s preschool. They’re having a Harvest event this month and I think the kids would love this as cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Marianne

    OH MY GOODNESS. This cake just looks oh so very yummy. I’m pretty new to baking so I am wondering- My devils food cake mix I have on hand says on the front of the box that the mix includes a package of pudding. Should I still add the separate pudding box to the recipe then?
    Thanks for the awesome recipe, can’t wait to try it out this weekend! I just love the fall season- and nothing says fall like pumpkin! yum yum yum!

  5. Jamie (Thrifty Veggie Mama)

    Delicious! I love, love, love, buttercream frosting! This looks delicious!

  6. Hannah

    Holy. I am really loving chocolate cake mix right now with bananas but pumpkin seems like the season appropriate switch. Thank god I have pumpkin on hand to make this.. like now.

  7. Erin M

    Just wondering when/if you put in the pudding mix? I’m assuming you dump it in at the beginning with the cake mix–just not seeing it in the recipe (only in the ingredient list). Thanks!

  8. Paula @ Dishing the Divine

    I looked at the pic of the cake by itself and thought, “that would be great even without the frosting!” And then you write, “To be honest, the cake is great even without the frosting.” So there. Great minds think alike. 🙂

  9. Geez Louise

    Jenny,
    It was lovely to meet you “again”at Todd & Diane’s. I like the cake, I used to have a handful of recipes that used cake mix… always a hit. Just put out my Fall decorations so it’s time to start baking Halloween treats.

    Happy Thursday,
    Geez Louise

  10. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com

    I love easy recipes as such. That cake surely makes me drool for pumpkin, even more so 🙂

  11. WenDee Riffe

    ok–i am being serious here…i love pumpkin~~anything pumpkin!! however…i have never made anything choc and pumpkin!!?? is it really worth it!!?? can you even tell that there is pumpkin in the choc?? i would think that i would over-power the flavor??!! be honest–should i give this a try?? i love your blog!! i follow you every-day!!! thanks for your honesty

    1. susan

      WenDee, I made the cake last night. I cannot taste the pumpkin because as you said the chocolate overpowers the pumpkin taste.

      Maybe the pumpkin gave the cake its moistness. Plus the pumpkin gave the cake the added benefit of a serving of vegetables.

      I would make this cake again.

  12. Shanna

    Love this!! I think you have buttercream on the brain because in the ingredients for the cake you listed “buttercream or milk” I’m assuming you meant buttermilk but that made me laugh out loud. I do adore buttercream and cannot wait to try the pumpkin spice buttercream you created here!!! Thanks for another amazing recipe!

  13. Suzanne

    If I were at home right now, I would be baking this cake! Darn job gets in the way of everything… This cake looks AMAZING – I love, love, love all things pumpkin and chocolate. A combination made in heaven!

  14. Kelly Senyei

    Oh my word! You can just tell how moist this cake is from the photos alone! And I am a huge fan of using sour cream as my secret ingredient in all baking confections. Looking forward to meeting you this weekend in Nashville!

  15. Sandi

    This looks sinfully delicious! Do you think it could be done in the smaller size loaf pans as well?

  16. Deborah

    The cake sounds amazing, but I’m so in love with that buttercream. I’ve GOT to make this!!

  17. Kristen Mattern

    I am loving this recipe especially the Buttercream. It has never occurred to me to add pumpkin to a Buttercream. Clever! will be making that for sure this weekend. Thanks!

  18. Shannon

    Pumpkin Spice Buttercream?!?!?!?!?! I love this. Can’t wait to meet you in Nashville this weekend!

    1. Nicky S

      Sorry, didn’t see the bottom of recipe…thanks so much for the recipe…can’t wait to make this this weekend!

  19. Kate

    Looks tasty, but is there supposed to be pumpkin spice in the buttercream? It’s missing from the recipe.

    1. The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

      Or AT pumpkin spice buttercream. See, it gave me a brain cramp!

  20. Lauren at Keep It Sweet

    I’d like a giant slice with a bowl of the pumpkin buttercream on the side!

  21. Gina, book dragon

    yummy! I have a chocolate zucchini recipe that we love and a pumpkin cake recipe that we love….have GOT to try this one!

  22. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga

    I happen to be a buttercream girl, too!! and wow, amazing bowl of fluffy goodness.

    I do love cake and brownies, of course, but I like to say that I eat those things just so I can get to enjoy more frosting 🙂

    What a great recipe and love that it’s all dump ‘n mix. Love you for always keeping things easy!

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