Pumpkin chocolate cake recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my pumpkin cake too moist? ›

If you find that your pumpkin cake is too moist, isn't holding it's shape and is gummy in certain areas, it's usually caused by too much liquid in your recipe.

Yet, despite these 'wacky' differences, the cake is a delicious dessert. Why does wacky cake work? An eggless cake batter relies on the gluten structure of the flour and the lift provided by vinegar and baking soda.

Using an air-tight container is the best and easiest way to keep your cake from getting exposed to air. However, if you don't have one of those, you can wrap your cake in cling film, or if it's iced, place a large inverted bowl over it to trap the air.

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry.

Use milk instead of water

Most box cake recipes will tell you to add water to the mix. Instead, try adding milk using the same proportions. This will make the cake richer and creamier because it ups the fat content. You can even use buttermilk here for a pleasant tang.

Why does oil give cake superior texture? Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there's more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness.

Depression Cake, also known as Wacky Cake or War Cake (among other names), originated in the Great Depression. It is a cake made without milk, eggs, or butter. These were all ingredients that were hard to come by during the Great Depression and at wartime.

Theobromine poisoning, also known as chocolate poisoning.

Fit three piping bags with Wilton Tips 8B (for the larger pumpkins) and 4B (for the smaller ones), then fill them with the orange, blue, and white buttercreams. Pipe pumpkins in a crescent moon design on top of the cake, then pipe a dot of brown buttercream on top of each one to look like stems.

Tip: Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a very large tip with frosting. This makes for easy frosting distribution without tearing the cake crumb. Starting on the outside edge of the cake, apply pressure to the bag and trace a thick line of frosting around the edge of the cake, making a spiral towards the center.

How do you frost a cake without ruining it? ›

Chill or briefly freeze the cake covered with the crumb coat before applying the frosting. This should do the trick. A cold cake will frost better than a soft one, so try to find space in the fridge or freezer to place it before frosting.

If you notice that the pie is dewy when you remove it from the fridge, it's just condensation. It simply means that the pie was still warm when you placed it in the refrigerator.

Avoid a soggy crust by placing the pumpkin pie in the refrigerator uncovered, then wrapping it.

Break down the pumpkin with a fork and then put it in a strainer over a bowl. Cover with a paper towel and leave for about 20 to 30 minutes to cool down and to drain excess liquid.