Strange but true: You can bake a chocolate cake right in a pumpkin — and it tastes delicious!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 small sugar pumpkin (3 to 4 pounds)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon scotch or bourbon (optional)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons scotch or bourbon (optional)
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut off the top one-quarter of the pumpkin; reserve. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and scrape the inside clean. Place the pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine the butter, brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, 3 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat; whisk in the eggs, vanilla and scotch until smooth, then whisk in the flour mixture until combined.
- Pour the batter into the pumpkin, filling it about three-quarters of the way. Add the pumpkin top to the baking sheet, if desired (don’t put it on top of the pumpkin). Bake until the cake is browned and rises slightly out of the opening of the pumpkin, about 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚ F and continue baking until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 more minutes. Let cool 3 to 4 hours before slicing.
- Meanwhile, make the butterscotch sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin pie spice, salt, vanilla and scotch. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool slightly.
- Slice the cake into wedges, cutting through the pumpkin. Serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with the butterscotch sauce.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 580 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 79 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 59 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 116 mg |
| Sodium | 236 mg |
Reviews
Made this with 3yo granddaughter today, it’s a fun bake for kids and grownups alike. I had a 2 lb pumpkin so I made a half recipe of the cake batter, which turned out to be just the right amount for our smaller pumpkin. The cake is fudgy and on the sweet side, and the earthy pumpkin complements it perfectly. Definitely making this again.
This was so good! I baked it for the theme and ended up loving it, even the pumpkin. We used dark chocolate cocoa. It was rich but not actually that sweet, we didn’t use the caramel. I made one in a 4 pound pumpkin and that baked in about 2 hours, the tester came out with some crumbs but this holds its heat so well I took it out of the oven and the center finished cooking as the outside cooled.
Everyone enjoyed this cake in a pumpkin. I could only find a 3 pound pumpkin and I overfilled it so my cake overflowed but this was not an issue. It did take over 3 hours to cook though, not 2. One hour at 350 and then the rest at 300. I will definitely make this again and make sure not to fill over 3/4ths! Great flavor combination with the butterscotch sauce with pumpkin spice.
My co-worker’s daughter made this and it was amazing! Everyone raved. Just a thin slice is plenty because it is so sweet. I will try it for our company this weekend.
Turned out amazing! My husband really pooh poohed this recipe. The butterscotch sauce is so delicious. I used a 2 lb pumpkin because that’s what I had. There was a little too much batter but I scooped it out and put it in a ramekin when I turned the oven down to 300. Definitely a showstopper.
Easier than it looks and better than I expected. It’s more like a brownie in a pumpkin, not that there’s anything wrong with that. The pumpkin nicely buffers the richness of the chocolate. I fixed a day ahead and kept it in the fridge overnight, taking it out a couple of hours before serving. It slices nicely and it made a great presentation.
Such a unique presentation and so delicious!