it is officially october, my favorite month of the year! i love october, the weather starts to get cooler so sweaters and cute boots can be worn, leaves turn colors and start falling to decorate the ground, pumpkins can be carved and the seeds roasted for a snack. but you can’t forget the obvious though! all the candy and the scary movies; my favorite part!
every year my uncle has this huge garden with tomatoes, corn, beans, and pumpkins. it’s always fun to go to his garden and to pick through the pumpkins to find one of the best ones to carve. and also to be tempted to take one of the gigantic ones that you need a forklift to carry. it was really upsetting to learn that my uncle didn’t do a garden this year. *sigh* was really looking forward to going home one weekend just to get a pumpkin or two to carve. guess i’m gonna have to find some alternative this year for my pumpkin carving.
now on to this cake! i don’t know where this flavor idea came from for this cake, but i’m super glad it did. it’s super easy to make and really delicious. the flavors really remind me of fall and it’s perfect for either october or november as the pumpkin spice ganache filling reminds me of pumpkin pie! for real. it tastes exactly like pumpkin pie and i had to resist real hard to not eat it by the spoonful. it is that delicious. and i’m not even a pie person! i know, shame on me dissing pie.
it’s a really simple cake. that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have lots of flavor to it though. it has sweetness from the white chocolate, flavor from the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and the chocolate buttercream ties it all together! now i wanted this cake to say halloween, so i added some black food coloring into the frosting. this isn’t necessary though, as it would be just as pretty and non-halloween like without the food coloring. if you think about it without the food coloring the colors would be great for thanksgiving. or just because. who said you couldn’t have a just because cake. i’m guilty of that all the time.
but if you want it to really say halloween, you could add in some orange food coloring into the ganache to really make the orange from the pumpkin puree pop! add some orange and black sprinkles and maybe even some of those candy corn pumpkins on top.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
vanilla cake with pumpkin spice white chocolate ganache and chocolate buttercream
makes one 3-layer 6-inch cake
vanilla cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. in a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. make sure that the brown sugar isn’t in clumps. in another bowl, combine the oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk together. pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until fully combined. divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and bake for – minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let the cakes cool for 10 minutes then carefully remove them from the pans to continue cooling. wrap in cling wrap until ready to use.
pumpkin spice white chocolate ganache
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
12 oz bag white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
place the white chocolate and all of the spices into a heat proof bowl. in a small pot, combine the heavy cream and pumpkin puree and place over low heat (i use a gas burner, so if you are using an electric one you can increase the heat to medium-low). constantly whisk the mixture until it starts to simmer or creates steam. when the pumpkin mixture is hot enough, pour over the white chocolate. constantly whisk the mixture until all of the chocolate is melted. put cling wrap over the bowl and place into the fridge to chill.
chocolate buttercream
4 sticks unsalted butter
5 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
6 oz melted dark chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-5 tbsp heavy cream
black food coloring (optional)
melt the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl. put the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. whip on low and gradually increase speed, whipping for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. add in the heavy cream and continue whipping, about a minute. add in some black food coloring if desired.
OMG your cake game is ON POINT – you put all other cake makers to shame! hahaha!
Again, another stunning talented post! (I am not a baker) and I have such respect for this!
All of your cakes sound amazing! Being dairy free what would you substitute for the buttermilk? Love this time of the year for all of the pumpkin recipes.
thank you! use the same amount of whatever dairy free milk you would like to use and then add in a little vinegar to get the milk to curdle. it’s a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk, then just let it sit for a few minutes before using it.
Your skills are quite impressive. The cake is gorgeous.
I need to make this! It sounds so good.
Yum! I need to make this before fall is over!
Wow the layers in this look amazing- I think I have to put it on my “to make now” list haha
Wowzers, what a cake! The black food colouring definitely does the trick for halloween.
Woah, this looks delicious! Definitely saving this recipe for the next time I want to bake.
Pumpkin, chocolate, and spice- in other words, a sure hit with my family!
Wow – this looks amazing!! I need to set some time aside to try this recipe!
This is the perfect fall/Halloween cake . How did you get the icing so smooth ?
Amazing cake recipe! I love it !! I’ll be making it soon 😉
Oh wow, this looks decadent but also very beautiful! Great job, thanks for the recipe.
I’m very jealous at the layers you manage to create. I need to practice more lol!