Chocolate Pumpkin Crumb Cake @MaddieDayAuthor #Halloween #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a yummy cake for Halloween and a spooky giveaway!

I went to a local writers' group Halloween party last evening and needed to bring a dish to share. I've had a very busy month with no end in sight, so I looked for something easy to make. When I ran across this recipe for a pumpkin chocolate cake, I knew I had a winner. What says Halloween more than pumpkin and chocolate?

Chocolate-Pumpkin Crumb Cake 

Recipe adapted from KingArthurBaking.com. The original had a glaze on top, but I felt that would make it too sweet, so I left it out.

Ingredients

 

10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter, melted and still warm

1/2 cup (107g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons (37g) granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2 1/4 cups (270g) unbleached flour, divided

1/4 cup (21g) cocoa

1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil

1/2 cup (113g) pumpkin purée

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I made my own using 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ginger)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Line a 8" square pan with a parchment sling, then lightly grease the parchment. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sugars, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cup flour and the cocoa powder, then stir until a smooth, soft dough forms. Cover and set aside while you make the cake batter.

In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the sugar and egg until pale and thick, about 1 minute. Add the oil and whisk until thick, shiny, and emulsified. 

Whisk in the pumpkin, vanilla, spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add 3/4 cup flour and whisk until no dry streaks remain. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.

Use your hands to break the dough for the crumbs into pieces of various sizes (some as big as almonds, others as small as chickpeas and lentils), scattering them evenly over the cake batter. 

Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick or paring knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.

Slice and serve at room temperature with the hot or cold drink of your choice and a good spooky story. Enjoy!

Readers: What's your favorite Halloween dessert (other than candy...)? I'll send one commenter a copy of Murder at Cape Costumers in honor of the holiday!

🎃🧹🎃

Murder at the Toy Soldier, Cozy Capers Book Group #8, is out and available wherever books are sold!

Next up is Murder in the Lighthouse, out in late February, 2027, up for preorder now!

My other recent releases are:

A Poisonous Pour, Cece Barton #3,

Murder at Cape Costumers,

Scone Cold Dead, #13 in the Country Store Mysteries,

and A Case for the Ladies.

Check out all my writing.

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen