Pumpkin Chocolate Cake, #SundaySupper

Halloween is now a booming business in Japan. Like Christmas, the sweets shops concoct cute treats for the holiday. The holiday is strictly commercial. Halloween costume parties (and Christmas parties) are ever popular. Still, it’s just a reason to celebrate and have a good time.

There is no trick or treating on Halloween. Growing up in Tokyo, my friends and I would trick or treat in “gaijin” (foreign) compounds. The lucky kids were those who had connections on to the US military bases. They were the kids who got real American candy from the States.

Some Japanese children are aware of the American tradition. One of my Japanese friends teaches English to children in Southern Japan. Her students asked if they’d get Halloween candy on October 31st. Her answer was an emphatic no. “This is Japan.”

Of course, if my friend lived in the U.S., she’d be giving out treats to mini princesses and pirates on Halloween. The trick to the treat situation though is avoiding the bulge. Bulging bags of leftover candy.  (And avoiding the muffin handle that comes with sneaking one too many of those tiny foiled wrapped wonders.) Overbuying seems to be the norm for most of us. So the SundaySupperMovement is throwing a post Halloween party. Leftover Halloween candy can now be turned into even tastier treats…and shared. The offerings are brilliant! Please see the list below.
 

As a fan of Hershey's Miniatures, I incorporated the chocolates into pumpkin autumn cakelet leaf pans.  Extra batter was poured into cupcake tins. No matter the shape, the cake is moist and light. The flavor is like enjoying pumpkin pie in cake…I’m not sure how that sounds but it is divine!  Especially with the surprise Hershey's Miniatures in the middle.

What do you do with leftover Halloween candy? Love to see your tricks in the comments section.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

chocolate pumpkin cake autumn cakelet pan

Pumpkin is a yummy vegetable. It's healthy, right? With a few spices and a little flour, sugar and butter, it's even better. And absolutely divine when accented with a bit of chocolate. The recipe below is easy. The cake is tender and light. Pumpkin is definitely the star but not in an overpowering way. I used Hershey's Miniatures for surprise chocolate centers. What chocolates would you use for this pumpkin cake?

Ninja Note: Baking time will change depending on the size of pan you use. My autumn leaf cakelet pans took about 30-32 minutes. The cupcakes only needed 22-24 minutes in the oven.

Adapted from an AllRecipes.com recipe.

Ingredients: 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 generous tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger powder
  • ½ teaspoon allspice powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves powder
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup (firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 24 or more Hershey's Miniatures or your favorite chocolates
  • Coconut oil for greasing cakelet pans
Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350°

Grease cakelet pans with coconut oil and/or slip cupcake cases into muffin tins.

Whisk together the flour, pudding, soda, salt and spices in a large bowl. Set aside.

Whip up the butter until fluffy in the bowl of a kitchen stand mixer. Pour in the sugars and incorporate into the butter. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla. Gradually add the flour spice mixture.

After all ingredients are combined; with an ice cream scoop pour batter into the cakelet pans or cupcake cases. Place a chocolate in the centers. Cover with more pumpkin cake batter.

Ninja Note: Cakelet pans seem to produce the best results about ¾ full. 
Cupcakes work well when filled 2/3 full.

Bake for 30-32 minutes for cakelet pans and 22-24 minutes for cupcakes. 

T.R. Crumbley of Gluten-Free Crumbley arranged this sumptuous buffet of Halloween treats stuffed into more treats! Don't pass up his Gluten-Free Seven Layer Candy Bar.

Bars

Brownies

Cakes

Confections

Cookies

Snacks

Supper

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

 

 

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#pumpkin #chocolate #cake #cupcakes #easy #recipe #SundaySupper #Halloween #Japan