Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake

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This Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake is the perfect mix of moist chocolate cake and creamy pumpkin cheesecake. The combination of flavors and textures is delicious – even better than I expected! I think chocolate & pumpkin is my new favorite flavor combination thanks to this tasty layer cake!

Hungry for another delicious pumpkin and chocolate treat? You should try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes!

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake on a white plate

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake

So after our trip, it has been good to be back in the gym the last couple of days. I hadn’t worked out for almost a week, and I have absolutely no control when on vacay, so it has been much needed.

The only problem is that I’m a bit sore. Not from the gym, but from the trip. My niece was really into doing handstands while were there and it reminded me not only of my younger self, but of my cheerleading days. I cheered competitively for 8 years and it had me missing it.

So I made the brilliant decision to get up and do handstands with her. Which then turned into cartwheeling into a handstand. I hadn’t done those in like, a long time. It was actually a lot of fun and I could’ve kept on doing it. But surely I should have stretched or something first. My 29 year old body has clearly decided to punish me. That was Thursday, and my hamstring in my one leg is still sore. My shoulders are finally getting better. #ImNot10Anymore #ThisIs29Almost30 #Dangit #WhatHappenedToMyBody

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake on a white cake tray with a couple slices removed
Overhead view of a slice of Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake on a plate

Oh well! Cake makes it all better. And this cake in particular. Oh. Em. Gee. There are so man things about it to love.

Why I Love This Pumpkin Cake

First of all, it uses my favorite chocolate cake. It’s the moistest, most delicious chocolate cake ever. Moist for daaaaaays.

And the pumpkin cheesecake rocks. It tastes awesome and baking it is a breeze because it doesn’t need a water bath. Normally, I’d advise to use one because it makes a bigs a difference in the way a cheesecake bakes. This cheesecake is the one exception that I know of. And because it’s getting stacked into a cake, you don’t even have to make a crust. #winning

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake slice on a plate with a bite on a fork
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake with a couple slices removed

And then the pumpkin icing. It doesn’t get any better than this icing. So pumpkin-y but still thick and perfect for icing a cake. It’s so good I’m trying to think up a mother recipe to use it in so that I can make it again. Mmmmm…

If you’ve made some of my ice cream cakes or millionaire cakes, then it must be said that stacking this cake is even easier than those. Because the cake and cheesecake layers are nice and solid, you stack them just like any other cake. No need to stack them in a springform pan or anything like that. Just stack then with the ganache between the layers to help hold them together. Easy peasy.

Seriously, while the directions look like they might be tough at first glance, this cake really isn’t hard to make. There’s just more steps involved. Just trust me – it’s worth it. When you combine the delicious chocolate cake with the creamy pumpkin cheesecake and then add the pumpkin icing? Whoa. Just whoa. So good.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake on a white cake stand
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Cake slice on a plate

You might also like

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Layer Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake

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Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake on white stand with slice missing
Recipe

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 18 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 Slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake is the perfect mix of moist chocolate cake and creamy pumpkin cheesecake. The combination of flavors and textures is delicious – even better than I expected! I think chocolate & pumpkin is my new favorite flavor combination thanks to this tasty layer cake!


Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CAKE 

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup boiling water

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

  • 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

PUMPKIN ICING

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 + 1/8 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • Chocolate sauce, if desired (I used Hershey’s Fudge Topping)

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

  • 4 oz chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CAKES:
1. Prepare two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.
2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.
5. Pour into cakes pans and bake at 300 degrees for about 38-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
6. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line the entire inside of a 9 inch cake pan with aluminum foil. Press it into the pan to get it as flat as you can. You’ll use the aluminum foil to lift the cheesecake out of the pan when it’s baked and cooled.
2. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, flour and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks).
3. Add the pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
4. Pour the filling into the pan. Drop onto the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
5. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave in oven with door closed for 15 minutes. Crack door and allow to cool another 15 minutes
6. Remove from oven and chill until completely cool.
TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN ICING:
1. Beat together butter and shortening until smooth.
2. Slowly add 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
3. Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and mix until smooth.
4. Add remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
1. First make the chocolate ganache. Place chocolate chips in a metal bowl.
2. Microwave the heavy cream until it starts to boil. Remove from microwave and pour over chocolate chips.
3. Cover bowl with saran wrap for 5-7 minutes.
4. Whisk chocolate and cream until smooth.
5. Remove domes from the tops of the two chocolate cakes.
6. Place first chocolate cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread half of chocolate ganache onto cake.
7. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and carefully peel off the aluminum foil. Place cheesecake on the first chocolate cake layer. It may be a bit bigger than your cake, depending on your cake pans. Use a large serrated knife to trim edges, if desired.
8. Spread remaining chocolate ganache on top of cheesecake.
9. Place second layer of chocolate cake on top of cheesecake.
10. Ice cake with pumpkin icing.
11. Drizzle edges of cake with chocolate sauce and add sprinkles, if desired.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 1052
  • Sugar: 97 g
  • Sodium: 592.3 mg
  • Fat: 62 g
  • Carbohydrates: 121.1 g
  • Protein: 10.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 163.5 mg

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Enjoy!

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126 Comments
  1. Carla

    Your cheesecake cakes are so amazing. This will be the 5th one I’ve tried.

    For this one, I’m wondering why you use oil? Can you just increase the butter instead of using oil in the cake mix and frosting? Just curious as to what difference it makes when you use butter only. Thanks!

    1. Lindsay

      I’m so glad you enjoy the cheesecakes!

      As for oil in the cake, it’s just an oil-based cake. Oil-based cakes are often more moist and while I don’t always prefer that with a vanilla cake, I tend to prefer it with a chocolate cake. This is a super moist chocolate cake. If you were to use butter instead of the oil, it would completely change the texture of the cake, and it would likely be much more dense. I hope that helps!

  2. Lauren M

    Hi! Can this be made in 8” pans? Do you have suggestions for how long to bake them in 8” pans? Thank you so much

    1. Lindsay

      They could, I’m just not sure if all the cheesecake batter would fit in that size pan. You may not be able to use it all. And I’m not sure on bake times.

  3. Alex Higgins

    Question for you what type of shortening are you using for the pumpkin icing. Im about to try this recipe for thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie. Want to make sure i use the proper shortening in the recipe. Crisco, liquid? Not sure what is used thank you

  4. Anne Jernigan

    Another winner!
    I made this for our annual”Friendsgiving” dinner and it was a stunner. The dark chocolate cake is absolutely delicious . I liked the “subtle” pumpkin flavor of the cheesecake and the frosting. Was gone by the next day. Everyone loved it! Thank you for another fabulous recipe.






Lindsay
About Lindsay

I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer behind Life, Love and Sugar. I love sharing trusted recipes with helpful tips to give you great results.

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29