Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
1. Prepare a 9″ square baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and oil all sides. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C. 

2. In a bowl, sift the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and spices together. Mix until combined. 

3. Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside.

4. In another bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs yolks until a lemony color is achieved. Slowly mix in half of the sugar and all of the salt. Whisk until pale yellow. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix. 

5. Whip the egg whites with the whisk attachment. When the eggs become frothy, slowly add the rest of the sugar one teaspoon at a time. Whip until stiff peaks are formed. 

6. Add a tablespoon of the whipped egg whites to the egg yolk-dry ingredients to loosen the mixture. Fold in the rest of the egg whites in two additions. Pour into the prepared baking pan, and smooth the top with a spatula to evenly distribute the batter. 

7. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely inside the mold on a wire rack. 

Whipped Mascarpone Cream
1. Place the softened mascarpone cheese and maple syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium until slightly whipped, about 1 minute. Then slowly add the heavy cream. Whip until medium peaks form.*

To Assemble
1. Once the cake is completely cool, spread the whipped mascarpone cream over the cake. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.