Pumpkin Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper.

2. Add all the wet ingredients, brown sugar, and white sugar to the stand mixer and whisk together until fully incorporated.

3. Add in all the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

4. Divide batter between the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

5. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert on a cooling rack to fully cool.

6. Once fully cool, using a cake level cut each cake layer in half to create 6 layers total if desired.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter on high speed with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. This should take approximately 5-10 minutes.

2. Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, and milk and mix on low until combined.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips until fully melted in 30-second intervals stirring between each interval.

4. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the melted chocolate.

5. Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.

Chocolate Ganache Drip

1. In a microwave-safe bowl heat the chocolate and milk in 30-second intervals until fully melted and smooth stirring between each interval.

2. Depending on the kind of milk, the drip may require a touch more milk to thin or a few more pieces of chocolate to thicken. *I always test my chocolate ganache drips over the edge of the kitchen sink before applying to a cake to check the consistency.

CAKE ASSEMBLY

1. Place one leveled layer of pumpkin cake on a cake board or plate. Top with approximately ¾ cup of buttercream.

2. Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of buttercream all over the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

3. Cover the cake with another layer of buttercream and smooth sides using the Wilton cake comb.

4. On a well-chilled cake, with a spoon or a piping bag, drip the warm chocolate ganache over the edges of the cake and put it back in the refrigerator to set.

5. Decorate as you please. I used chopped-up pieces of BarkThins and pumpkin seeds to decorate around the top edges to make a border. Enjoy!