Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

This cake was delicious. Super moist but not super sweet. I added 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice to cake mix. I made buttercream frosting with about 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice for the rim and to drip down the sides. Milk chocolate icing on the top. After thinning the pumpkin spiced buttercream frosting with a tiny bit of water I drizzled that on the top over the chocolate icing. It actually was a normal amount of icing but looked a bit special.

I'm impressed, actually. Had I not tried this for myself I wouldn't have believed it. Wouldn't have believed that they'd be moist, tender and, most important, that the texture would be right. It was yes to all. While I was tempted to tinker with the eggs and/or oil I didn't, as I wanted to see this for myself as written. These didn't taste like pumpkin at all, which was fine by me - I didn't want them to. In fact, I wanted a bold chocolate flavor, so I added a teaspoon each of chocolate and vanilla extracts as well as a cup of miniature chocolate chips. I chose this PUMPKIN chocolate cake recipe because it doesn't hurt to infuse your cake with a little good stuff and...because I still have an abundant hoard of canned pumpkin thanks to the Great Pumpkin Shortage of a year or two or three ago. I baked this as cupcakes/muffins, 350 degrees about 18 minutes.

I made this recipe into mini muffins, only using 2 egg whites, and 2 T. of water, cake mix and one can of pumpkin. I did not frost them, they are a sweet treat without it! Delicious, and a pretty guilt free snack for my chocolate craving!