Shantal’s Pumpkin Walnut Chocolate Cake

Fresh pumpkin puree makes all the difference in this tasty fall cake. The addition of homemade sage cream cheese frosting brings everything together.

Ingredients:

• Cake:
• 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4-1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp milk
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup refined white sugar
• Frosting:
• 14 leaves fresh sage, coarsely cut
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup refined white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 8 oz stick cream cheese
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions:

Cut small pumpkin in half, remove seeds, and boil until fork goes through easily. Remove from water and drain out water as much as possible from the inside of the pumpkin. Scrape meat from pumpkin to make 1 cup puree. Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moist with wet ingredients. Pour batter into an 8 X 8 greased pan and bake at 375 degrees until a toothpick comes out dry from the center, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before frosting. Frosting: Place sage leaves, cinnamon, sugar, and water in a pan over low heat. Bring liquid to a light simmer, allowing sage flavor to be absorbed into liquid. After 5 minutes remove from heat. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour sage liquid on top. Blend with a mixer until contents are well mixed. Add powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Place frosting in refrigerator for a stiffer consistency.

Number of Servings: 16