Chocolate pumpkin surprise loaf 🎃🍫✨ A little pumpkin hiding inside the fudgiest chocolate pumpkin loaf 🤎 Pumpkin Cake Center: 1 box vanilla or yellow cake mix 3 large eggs ½ cup vegetable or canola oil ½ cup pumpkin purée ½ cup whole milk 1 tsp vanilla extract (OR follow cake box instructions and add orange food coloring) Chocolate Pumpkin Bread: ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar 2 large eggs (room temperature) 1 cup pumpkin purée ½ cup neutral oil ¼ cup buttermilk 2 tsp vanilla extract 1¾ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice Optional: ½ cup chocolate chips Pumpkin cake: -Preheat oven to 350°F. -Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment and lightly grease it. -Add the cake mix, eggs, oil, pumpkin purée, milk, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice to a bowl. -Mix until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Don’t overmix. -Spread evenly into the prepared pan. -Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly touched. -Cool completely. -Use a 2–2½-inch pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out your pumpkins. You want enough pumpkins to create a continuous row approximately 8 inches long. -Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Chocolate batter: -Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving some overhang. -In a separate large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin purée, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. -Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. -Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter should be thick but spoonable. Assembly: -Place the chilled pumpkins in the pan directly behind one another, standing upright. Gently press them together so there aren’t large gaps. -Spoon/scoop chocolate batter gently around the sides of the pumpkin row. Once the sides are filled, gently spoon batter over the top. -Don’t press the batter down, you just want the pumpkins completely covered. Smooth the top very gently. -Top with more chocolate chips! Bake: -Bake for 50–65 minutes. Start checking around 50–55 minutes. -Insert a toothpick into the chocolate portion, avoiding the pumpkin center. It should come out with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter. -If the top is getting too dark before the center is finished, loosely cover it with foil. -Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes, then remove it and cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!! #pumpkin #fallbaking #pumpkindessert #fallbaking #cooldesserts - @lori_ilc