When pumpkin and chocolate are two of your favorite things, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake is the happy result.
This cake is perfect for the holidays and delicious enough to bake year round. And, bonus, it’s healthy and a breeze to make!
My recipe for this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake is a more dessert-y version of my pumpkin banana bread, which I have on heavy rotation during the season.
You wouldn’t know it is sans gluten, dairy, oil and refined sugar. It’s that good! And if you want to keep the entire dessert oil-free, just melt the chocolate without the coconut oil.
This cake is made with fine almond and coconut flours, canned pumpkin purée, chocolate chips and walnuts. For the sweetener I went with coconut sugar, but you can sub brown sugar if preferred.
I also use all of the warm baking spices ~ nutmeg, cloves, ginger and of course lots of cinnamon. You can sub 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice for the spices if easier.
Be sure to toast the nuts before using for best flavor
As for the nuts, I recommend toasting those first (as always). Walnuts are my go-to here, but pecans would also be delish if those are more your jam.
I don’t recommend making any subs to the flours. Baking is so precise that other flours may not yield the same delicious result.
The ganache is an easy one-step recipe
For the chocolate ganache, don’t be intimidated by the word “ganache”, because it’s a two-ingredient, one-step quick recipe. You just melt some dark chocolate and a little coconut oil and boom, chocolate ganache.
I recommend using Theo 70% or 85% dark chocolate, which can be found online or in most grocery stores.
Toasted walnuts on top add a nice crunch
When buying and baking with chocolate, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- bake only with chocolate you would eat out of hand. i.e. start with high-quality ingredients for the best end result
- go with 70% or higher cacao, for the antioxidant benefits of the chocolate
- look for chocolate without soy lecithin, dairy, or palm or other oils
- melt chocolate gently in a double boiler or 30 seconds at a time in the microwave when a recipe such as this one calls for melted chocolate
This cake would also be great as a quick bread or muffins. To make it more breakfast-y, just omit the chocolate and add ½ cup raisins or dried cranberries. Unless you like chocolate for breakfast!
Be sure to let me know if you make this recipe. Tag me on Instagram or comment below, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Like chocolate? Don’t miss these tasty treats…
Chocolate Dipped Fruit (vegan, GF)
Sunflower Seed Butter Fudge (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not the pie filling
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup fine almond flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts divided
- 2 cups chopped dark chocolate divided
- 1-2 tsp unrefined coconut oil optional
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
Dry ingredients
Add ins and toppings
|
|
- preheat your oven to 350° and line an 8”x8” square baking dish with parchment paper
- in a medium bowl combine wet ingredients and blend well
- in a large bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well
- add wet ingredients to dry and mix well, then fold in 1 cup of the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the walnuts
- bake cake uncovered until a tester comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes
- melt remaining 1 cup of the chocolate gently in a double boiler or in the microwave, then spread over cake; you can melt with 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut oil if a smoother consistency is desired (or skip for oil-free!)
- top cake with remaining chopped nuts, cut into slices and enjoy!
cake serves 8 - 12 (can be cut into small or larger squares)
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com