Cornelli Lace & Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

When I picked up my son from school today, we had a little conversation.

(He is autistic and only says a few words at a time.)

He declared, "Go Home!"

We had to go pick up his big sister at her school, so I said...

"Ellany first, home second."

He replied with, "Home first, Ellany second!"

I laughed a little, but again repeated, "Ellany first, home second."

Then he said, "Cake third!"

He didn't know that I had made a cake while he was at school.
But this exchange clearly shows two things...

He is an excellent negotiator.

We have a lot of cake at our house.

And here is my latest one! I used to call this pattern "squiggles".
Now I know it is called Cornelli Lace.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. cocoa powder
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk (you can make your own by adding 1/2 T. vinegar to 1/2 c. milk)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree, minus 1/4 cup reserved for frosting
2 t. vanilla

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, mix together and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla. Add the flour mixture a little at a time and mix well. Pour into two 8 inch cake pans, bottoms lined with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 c. unsalted butter (softened)
6 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. canned pumpkin
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
orange food coloring

Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. Add pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and food coloring. Mix well. This frosting is very soft, so you may want to refrigerate it before you frost your cake.