Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Whipped Cream & Chocolate Ganache

We love pumpkin pie but thought we would try something a little different with some freshly cooked pumpkin like this Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Whipped Cream and Chocolate Ganache.

INGREDIENTS

For the Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

1/2 cup (125 mL) buttermilk*
1 cup (250 mL) pumpkin puree
1 cup (250 mL) Redpath golden yellow sugar
1 cup (250 mL) Redpath granulated white sugar
3/4 cup (375 mL) butter, softened
1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
2/3 cups (160 mL) cocoa
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

For the Pumpkin Whipped Cream

1 cup (250 mL) pumpkin puree
1 - 2 cups (250 - 500 mL) Redpath icing sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground all-spice
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whipping cream

For the Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup (125 mL) chocolate chips
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS

How to prepare:

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine buttermilk and pumpkin puree. Mix just until incorporated. *Note: If you do not have any buttermilk on hand, no fear! Simply mix 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar into 1/2 cup of milk and let sit for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4. In a mixer, beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing until fully incorporated.

5. Alternating, add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

6. Pour cake mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before going around the edges with a clean knife. Remove the cake from the pan gently and place on a cooling rack.

For the whipped cream:

1. Add the whipping cream to a stand mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. *Note: To avoid splattering, hold a towel over the mixing bowl for the first 2 minutes of whipping.

2. While the whipped cream is mixing, place the pumpkin puree and spices in a bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside.

3. Once the whipping cream has reached the soft peak stage, reduce speed to medium and add 1 cup of Redpath icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Once the icing sugar has been mixed in, turn off the mixer.

4. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream. If the cream is not thick enough, add the remaining cup of Redpath icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.

For the ganache:

1. In a double boiler over low heat, heat the chocolate chips and whipping cream together, stirring frequently until the chocolate chips are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the ganache from the heat and set aside.