I love pumpkin and squash season, there is so much we can do with it, like this Chocolate and Pumpkin Cake for example. I love the versatility of pumpkins, you can make salads, whole dishes, or desserts.
My son, who is three, discovered chocolate and obviously loves it so I wanted to make something not too sweet that he could enjoy for his snack, while adding a vegetable so it is not only gluten, butter an sugar.
This recipe checks all the marks.
What do you need to make the Chocolate and Pumpkin Cake
Not much! I use my stand mixer as it is easier and faster, but everything can be done by hand with a whisk.
You will need a loaf pan to bake the cake and that’s it.
How to be sure my cake is fully baked?
Nothing complicated. Insert a knife into the cake to check if it is ready. The blade should come back clean. If you have cake dough on it, it is not ready yet. Baking time will vary depending on your oven. I found that in the US, I need to almost double time compared to when I am in France for example, which was a bit frustrating at the beginning because I failed a few cakes or because I was never on time for dessert. Don’t overcook your cake or it will become dry, and who likes a dry cake?
The Steps to make the Chocolate and Pumpkin Cake
First, peel and cut your pumpkin into cubes and steam it. Same thing, cooking time may vary so check doneness by poking with a fork or a knife. Once steam, puree it by hand or using a blender. This can be done the day before if you want.
In a bowl, whisk the sugar and butter. Butter should be soft, so take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to starting the recipe. You want to make sure to whisk well to create a light and fluffy mixture. You can then add eggs one by one.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. This will avoid having lumps in the cake. We always mix the baking powder with the flour to make sure the baking powder is distributed evenly in the cake, and it will then rise evenly as well. To finish, add the milk.
You now want to divide the dough in two.
We will add the pumpkin puree and spices to one, and the cacao powder and remaining milk to the other (cacao powder dries out the dough that is why we add a bit more milk, pumpkin puree on the other hand moisten the dough).
To create a nice marble effect, alternate layers of dough in your loaf pan. Then sprinkle pepitas on top of your cake.
Bake your cake first at 200C (392F) for 100 minutes, then lower oven to 180 C (356 F) and continue baking for about 40 minutes (make sure to check doneness as baking time vary greatly depending on oven). You are now all set to enjoy your Chocolate and Pumpkin Cake
Chocolate and Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Or a whisk
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 200 g pastry flour
- 10 g baking powder
- 180 g sugar
- 100 g butter room temperature
- 4 eggs
- 45 g +20g milk
- 1 cc pumpkin spice
- 170 g pumpkin
- 20 g cacao
Instructions
- Peel and cut the pumpkin in cubes. Steam for about 25 minutes (stick a knife into a pumpkin cube to check for doneness. The pumpkin will be soft when cooked). Blend to puree.
- Preheat your oven to 200C (392F). Grease a loaf pan.
- Whisk butter and sugar. Add eggs, one by one. Sift flour and baking powder together and add to butter and sugar mixture. Add the milk.
- Divide the dough in 2. In one, add the pumpkin and the pumpkin spice, in the other add the cacao plus 20g milk.
- Alternate the layers of dough in the loaf pan to create a marble effect. Add pepitas on top of the cake before baking 40 to 50 minutes. Lower temperature to 180 C (356 F) after 10 minutes.
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