Add Canned Pumpkin To Devil's Food Cake Mix For An Easy Fall-Inspired Treat

If you want to bake up fall recipes as soon as the air turns crisp and the leaves show signs of changing color, you've probably tried making pumpkin desserts like quintessential pumpkin pie to seasonal cookies. But pumpkin is also delicious when used in cake batter. There's a chance you may have heard about the magic of mixing a can of pumpkin puree with yellow cake mix to make an easy 2-ingredient pumpkin cake, but there's another pumpkin twist made especially for chocolate lovers: blending pumpkin with boxed devil's food cake. The result is in a fall-inspired treat that's extra moist and decadent, using one seasonal ingredient to totally transform the dessert.

There are a couple different ways to make devil's food cake with pumpkin puree, and all are pretty quick and easy. Some home bakers like to mix rich chocolate cake mix, such as devil's food cake varieties, with the pumpkin puree, then transfer the batter to a pan to bake. This makes a dense, fudgy chocolate cake, which gets its moist texture from the pureed veggies rather than the vegetable oil, butter, or dairy ingredients many boxes require. Other bakers like to add pumpkin puree along with the eggs listed on the box instructions, which helps give the cake a bit more structure and lift. An important thing to note is that the pumpkin flavor will be relatively subtle since the dark chocolate is quite dominant so if you want to make the cake scream fall, there are some extra steps you can take.

Once you start finding creative ways to elevate boxed cake mix, you'll see there are a variety of ingredients that add intrigue. For more pumpkin flavor, add a quality canned 100% pumpkin brand for stronger pumpkin flavor. Bakers can also add pumpkin spice seasoning or a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other warm spices to the batter. This will bring out the notes of pumpkin in the chocolate cake, whether you're baking the mix into a quick bread, layered cake, or muffins. 

If you really more pumpkin flavor, you can blend canned pumpkin with both yellow cake mix and chocolate cake mix (in separate bowls), then layer the chocolate pumpkin and pumpkin batter in the cake tin for a fun marbled look and satisfying autumnal taste. 

Beyond the cake itself, what you top the dessert with can give it some serious fall vibes too. Try classic pumpkin buttercream made with butter, powdered sugar, and a pumpkin spice blend. Or craft a pumpkin whipped cream frosting made with heavy cream, pumpkin puree, and warm spices. The frosting will be a perfect complement to the easy-to-make moist pumpkin chocolate cake.