Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Last week I hosted a girls' night at my house, and I used it as an excuse to make this pumpkin cake. The cake in itself was delicious, and it really could pass as a coffee cake or even pumpkin bread (and I'm not just saying that because I may have eaten a piece for breakfast). The cream cheese frosting with a hint of pumpkin and cinnamon is what takes this cake to the next level. It is such a good combination and the perfect treat for fall. 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

for the cake:

1 15 oz can pure pumpkin, divided

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

for the frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 Tbsp pumpkin puree from above canned pumpkin

1-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray all surfaces of a 12-cup nonstick bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour, or grease and flour the inside of your pan. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together with mixer until fluffy. Remove 2 Tbsp pumpkin from the can and set aside for frosting. Add remaining pumpkin to the butter and sugar mixture, beating until combined. Add eggs, one at at time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each egg.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with milk in between each third. Beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips just until combined then spoon batter into prepared pan. Tap pan on counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. 

Bake until a wood pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean, 75-90 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and pumpkin together until smooth. Add milk and cinnamon and gradually beat in powdered sugar, adding additional milk if necessary, to reach desired consistency. Frost cooled cake as desired.

source: recipe barely adapted from carlsbad cravings