Chocolate Pumpkin Marble Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

For Both Cakes (Mix, then divide in half)

• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar, gently packed
• 1 ¼ cup (296 ml) canola oil
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pumpkin Cake

• 1 ¼ cup (305 g) pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) buttermilk, (or milk with ¼ tsp lemon juice or vinegar, set 5 minutes)
• 1 ¾ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour (stir, spoon & level)
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup (237 ml) buttermilk, (or milk with 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar, set 5 minutes)
• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour (stir, spoon & level)
• ¾ cup (60 g) cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Cream Cheese Icing

• ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
• 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese (Neufchâtel works well)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 Tbsp milk

• MIXTURE FOR BOTH CAKES: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine granulated and brown sugars with the canola oil. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Divide the mixture in half — about 1½ cups per bowl if the total is roughly 3 cups.
• PUMPKIN CAKE: To one half, add the pumpkin puree and ⅓ cup buttermilk (or milk with ¼ tsp lemon juice/vinegar, set 5 minutes). Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just incorporated — the batter will be thick. Set aside.
• CHOCOLATE CAKE: To the other half, add 1 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar, set 5 minutes). In another bowl, combine 1 cup flour, ¾ cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just combined. The chocolate batter will be thinner than the pumpkin batter — that’s normal.
• TO FILL BUNDT PAN: Grease and flour a bundt pan (shortening with a paper towel or softened butter works well). Spoon about one-third of the pumpkin batter into the bottom of the pan. Drop spoonfuls of chocolate batter on top, leaving some pumpkin visible. Alternate spoonfuls of each batter until both are used, then swirl gently with a knife to create a marble effect.
• Bake for 45–55 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick in both the pumpkin and chocolate portions. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out, then cool another 10 minutes on a rack.
• CREAM CHEESE ICING: In a bowl, beat the powdered sugar and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla, then add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Pour the icing over the warm cake, then let the cake cool completely before serving.