Best pumpkin cake ever

Really. It turns out the secret to extra-moist cake is vegetable oil!?

My recipe is based on this one. Despite having lots of oil and sugar it is AMAZING. So far my adjustments to the ingredients have not disrupted the integrity of its flavor or moistness. Once I've got the recipe down, I'll try making cupcakes with it. I can't imagine the format would make a difference to the final output, but better safe than sorry.

I first concentrated on replacing the white flour with as much wheat flour as possible. (I've got it to 1 cup white flour and 1 cup wheat flour.) Next was to reduce the sugar...so far I've brought it down from 2 cups to 1 1/4 cup. Of course, the sugar reduction was negated by the 3/4 cup of chocolate chips I added, but it's still better than the chocolate plus the original amount of sugar.

Right?

I tried reducing the oil and adding applesauce. I found that the interior moistness remained, but it gave the exterior a slight crunchiness that I didn't like. I'd rather just keep all the oil and not eat the cake like it's a main dish.

Just in case the link becomes unavailable, here's my modified version of the recipe:

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared 12x18 inch pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.