Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Cake

So it is the first full week of October and there is definitely a chill in the air here in Northern New Mexico. The temperature was 30 degrees when I left for yoga this morning and the leaves are turning beautiful shades of gold, red, maroon and orange. You can smell the pinon wood burning in fireplaces throughout the neighborhood and last Saturday's Farmers' Market had bushels of apples, peppers, winter squash and fall flowers.  And pumpkins...lots of pumpkins.

Happily, this is "Pumpkin Week" at Fall Fest so, while I used canned in this recipe, I was inspired by the beautiful fresh pumpkins displayed at the market. Yes...fall is here.

This cake is easy to make, very moist, last for days and is delicious. While the cake bakes, your home will be filled with the amazing scent of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. I adapted the recipe from Gourmet Magazine but "healthified" it by swapping white whole wheat flour for some of the white, eliminated all the white sugar and used coconut sugar and used almond milk for flavor and lightness. Then, to gild the lily, I added dark chocolate chips. I made the glaze from creamed coconut milk, but feel free to use your favorite frosting, glaze or even dust with powdered sugar if you prefer.  Enjoy! You will make this cake all season.

Note, I am in Taos which is at 7000 feet. The recipe posted below is the "regular" recipe and I added the high altitude adjustments at the end.

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Cake
adapted from Gourmet Magazine
(12 servings)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
extra virgin olive oil for cake pan
1 1/4 cup organic white whole wheat flour
1 cup organic unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pure pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups coconut sugar
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with olive oil. Dust with flour and set aside.

Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt into a  medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Whisk together pumpkin, almond milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of mixer and beat until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes at medium speed.) Add the sugar and beat until well mixed (about 3 minutes more).  Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. 

Reduce speed to low and add 1/3 flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Add 1/3 pumpkin mixture and beat until just incorporated. Repeat steps until both flour and pumpkin mixtures are incorporated into the batter. Do not overmix. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out cake directly onto wire rack and allow to completely cool. Drizzle Coconut Cream Glaze (or topping of your choice) over cake and serve.

Store cake in an airtight container or well wrapped with saran wrap and then foil. Cake can be kept at room temperature 4-5 days.

Coconut Cream Glaze
1 7 oz box organic creamed coconut, unsweetened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
sugar, coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup to taste
almond milk to thin

Add creamed coconut, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Add 2 Tablespoons of preferred sweetener. Add additional sweetener to taste. Thin with almond milk if needed to achieve a pourable consistency. Drizzle over cake, cookies or fresh fruit. 

Store in refrigerator. Glaze with thicken as it sits. Thin with additional almond or coconut milk as needed.

Click Here for Printer Friendly Recipe

High Altitude adjustments for cake:
Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees
Decrease sugar by 1 tablespoon
Increase milk by 2 tablespoons

It is "Pumpkin" week at Food Network's Fall Fest roundup. Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe?  Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. 

The Lemon Bowl: Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Jeanette's Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Oat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Bacon and Souffle: Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Weelicious: Quick Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Virtually Homemade: Gluten-Free Dark Brownies with Pumpkin Frosting

Devour: Eat As Much Pumpkin As Possible 

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Cake

Red or Green: Spiced Pumpkin Waffles with Maple Syrup Glazed Bacon 

Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies 

The Cultural Dish: Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts 

The Mom 100: Pumpkin Gingerbread with Crystallized Ginger 

Haute Apple Pie: Pumpkin Bread Truffles 

Domesticate Me: No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites with Dark Chocolate Chunks (Vegan and Gluten-Free) 

Swing Eats: Pumpkin Almond Spice Waffles (Gluten-Free) 

FN Dish: Pumpkin Spice (and Everything Nice)

I Am Baker: Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow 

Taste With The Eyes: Savory Little Pumpkins with Labneh, Zaatar and Pumpkin Seed Oil

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.