This Chocolate Pumpkin Cake has been created as part of a paid partnership with Menier Chocolate.
It’s spooky season, which means one thing: this chocolate pumpkin cake is on the cards. If you’re looking for an easy recipe to make with children this Halloween, look no further than Menier’s incredible collection of premium baking mixes. They require minimal effort, minimal baking time and minimal ingredients. This chocolate pumpkin cake is topped with a rich and indulgent chocolate fudge frosting and little “pumpkins” for a fun dessert that’s bound to get people talking.
What you’ll need for this Chocolate Pumpkin Cake:
- Choose good quality ingredients. I personally love Kerrygold butter for it’s beautiful creaminess, and Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs for their rich flavour.
- A 9 x 13 inch tin. Nordicware sell high-sided tins with a lid, so you can store your cake for days after!
- Melting candies. FunCakes sell Deco Melts in various colours that are ideal for dipping your strawberries in. This is how we make the little pumpkins!
- Piping bags. Want to add some realistic ridges to your “pumpkins”? Snip the very end off of a piping bag filled with additional melted Deco Melts and working quickly, pipe lines vertically over your strawberries.
- Parchment paper. Parchment paper is essential for creating a sling for your cake to sit in AND for decorating your strawberries on.
Bonus tips for making this Chocolate Pumpkin Cake:
Want the perfect cake and perfect frosting? Here’s how to achieve those #cakegoals:
- Refrigerate your cake, bring your frosting to room temperature. While Menier’s Moelleux holds it’s shape well after coming out the oven, if you want to be sure it doesn’t break when spreading the frosting on, chill it for 30 minutes. Ensuring your frosting is also at room temperature will mean it won’t tug at your cake when spreading it on.
- Prepare your pans correctly. Butter a 9 x 13 inch high-sided baking tin with butter and then create two slings out of parchment paper. Lay one sling in horizontally and the other vertically. This will help make for an easy release after it comes out the oven.
- Use a cake tester. To make sure your cake is baked through, use a cake tested, toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the centre. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready. If it comes out wet, your cake will need a little longer in the oven.
How to make the pumpkin strawberries:
These are SO simple to make that even kids could get involved! Here’s what you’ll need:
1. Strawberries. Wash them, pat the excess water off with kitchen paper and then twist the leaves off the stalks.
2. Deco Melts. I chose orange Deco Melts for a brilliant pumpkin colour. Melt them down in the microwave in 30 second bursts on no more than 300W, mixing intermittently.
3. Parchment paper. Once your Deco Melts have melted, work quickly to dip your strawberries into the mixture, coating them well. Lay on parchment paper to set. Using parchment is really important as they will stick to any other surface (eg. a plate) and be impossible to remove.
4. Piping bags. Fill a piping bag with an leftover Deco Melt mixture and snip a tiny amount off the end. Pipe verticals lines of Deco Melt over the strawberries to give the “pumpkin” some more realistic ridges.
5. Mint sprigs. Add a few mint sprigs to your pumpkin patch to give it a little greenery!
See how I made this over on Instagram!
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 box Menier Moelleux Premium Baking Mix
- 4 large eggs
- 90 g unsalted butter
For the frosting
- 300 g Menier 70% Dark Chocolate
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 100 g icing sugar sifted
- 15 g Menier Cocoa Powder sifted
- A little milk as needed
For the pumpkins
- 1 box strawberries
- 1 bag Fun Cakes Orange Deco Melts
- A few sprigs of mint
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 180C then grease and line a 9 x 13 inch high-sided baking tin with parchment.
- Melt the chocolate buttons that come as part of Menier's Moelleux Premium Baking Mix with the butter ā either in a saucepan over a low heat, or in short bursts at 300W in the microwave.
- Allow to cool slightly and add the eggs, mixing well until combined.
- Pour in the baking mix. Mix until just combined then pour into your prepared 9 x 13 inch baking tin.
- Bake for 18-26 minutes until firm and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove from the tin to cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the chocolate fudge frosting
- Melt theĀ dark chocolate with the butter together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water
- Meanwhile, sieve together the icing sugar and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Once melted, add the icing sugar and cocoa powder gradually to the chocolate mix and beat with an electric mixer.
- Add a touch of milk if a thinner consistency is desired.
To make the pumpkins
- Wash your strawberries, then pat dry with kitchen towel and leave to air dry properly. Remove the leaves from the strawberries, leaving the stalks, ready for them to be dipped in the orange Deco Melts.
- Melt the Fun Cakes Deco Melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 1 minute bursts on 300W, mixing in between each burst.
- Dip the strawberries one by one, coating well, and then place on parchment paper to set.
- Once you've used around 2/3 of the Deco Melt mixture, pour the rest of it into a piping bag and snip a tiny amount off the end.
- Pipe lines vertically over your strawberries to emulate the ridges of real pumpkins. Leave to set.
To construct the cake
- Spread the frosting liberally over your cake, using the back of a spoon to swirl it.
- Place your "pumpkins" on top with a few sprigs of mint then slice and serve!
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