Halloween , Chocolate , Pumpkin , Skillet Cake , Indirect Grilling , Cookies
Best for: A shareable dessert to finish a Halloween cookout.
A fudgy chocolate skillet cake gets a pumpkin-cream-cheese swirl and a playful cookie graveyard. Gentle indirect heat bakes the center while keeping the chocolate rich and soft.
Grill: Indirect, 350°F. Equipment: 10-inch cast-iron skillet, mixing bowls, whisk, skewer, heat-resistant gloves. Course: Dessert.
Ingredients
30–40 minutes Cooling: 20 minutes. Total: 75–85 minutes.
Chocolate batter
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, for greasing
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Pumpkin swirl
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup plain canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Graveyard topping
- 6 chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed
- 4 oblong vanilla sandwich cookies, for tombstones
Directions
Preheat the grill to a steady 350°F with no flame or coals directly beneath the baking area. Grease the skillet with 1 teaspoon butter; do not preheat the skillet.
Whisk melted butter and ¾ cup sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl combine ½ cup flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold dry ingredients into wet just until combined, then fold in chocolate chips.
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in pumpkin, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and pumpkin pie spice. Spread chocolate batter in the skillet. Dollop pumpkin mixture over it and draw a skewer through a few times to make broad swirls without fully mixing.
Place skillet over indirect heat and close the lid. Bake for 30–40 minutes, rotating halfway, until edges are set and the center no longer jiggles loosely. A toothpick inserted into a chocolate portion away from a chip should show moist crumbs, not liquid batter. Continue in 5-minute increments if needed, maintaining 350°F.
Remove with heat-resistant gloves and cool on a trivet for 20 minutes. The center firms as it cools.
Scatter crushed chocolate cookies across the surface as soil, leaving some pumpkin swirls visible. Press the 4 vanilla cookies upright into the cake as tombstones. Slice or spoon into 8 portions and serve warm.
Grilling tip: Check the grill thermometer frequently. If the skillet bottom darkens too quickly, elevate it on a grill-safe rack within the indirect zone, away from the heat source.
Allergens: Wheat, milk, eggs; chocolate and packaged cookies may also contain soy or other allergens.
