Chocolate Pumpkin Date Cake with Chocolate Coffee Glaze

Gettin’ good players is easy. Gettin’ ’em to play together is the hard part. ~Casey Stengel

Pumpkin, chocolate, dates, cinnamon, oranges, coffee and a touch of molasses are great players, and they work together well in this Chocolate Pumpkin Date Cake.

No one flavor overwhelms the others. Instead they cooperate to bring out the best of each.

If you are looking for a different take on pumpkin this year, give this cake a try.

The list of ingredients might look a bit long, but there’s nothing there you can’t find in any ordinary grocery store. Most of the items are probably already in your cupboard.

The cake goes together really quickly. Mix your dry ingredients together, drop all the wet ingredients into a bowl and beat, then stir the two together.

Take a couple of minutes to make the glaze while the cake is baking, and you’re done.

Fast and easy, in time for the holidays.

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Chocolate Pumpkin Date Cake with Chocolate Coffee Glaze

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

The chocolate, date, cinnamon, orange and coffee flavors in this cake all work together to create a flavorful pumpkin cake that is perfect for cold weather holidays.

Servings: 18 pieces

Author: Mary Gillespie

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 cups / 750 ml all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking soda
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking powder
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml cinnamon
• 1 cup / 250 ml pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml finely chopped orange rind
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml brown sugar
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml white sugar
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml sour cream
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml orange juice
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml molasses
• 3/4 cup / 185 ml vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons / 7.5 ml vanilla
• 1-1/4 cup / 300 ml roughly chopped dates

Glaze:

• 1 cup / 250 ml chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml instant coffee granules
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml orange juice
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml heavy cream 35%

Instructions

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 176 degrees C.
2. Grease a 9x13-inch / 23x33 cm baking pan.
3. In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. In separate bowl, beat together remaining ingredients except dates: pumpkin, orange rind, sour cream, orange juice, molasses, vegetable oil and vanilla.
5. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the flour and stir gently until almost all flour is moistened. Add the chopped dates and continue mixing gently until all there are no white streaks of flour. Do not overbeat.
6. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake- the cake will continue to cook for a few minutes when removed from the oven.
7. Let cake cool before serving. The glaze can be poured over cake when it is warm, but let the glaze set until the cake has cooled.

Glaze:

1. Melt chocolate with instant coffee and orange juice in a metal mixing bowl set over a pan of boiling water, or in the microwave. If using the microwave, heat in 30 second intervals and stir between each interval until the mixture is smooth.
2. Add cream and stir until mixed.
3. Let mixture cool then pour over baked cake.