Pumpkin, Spice & Everything Nice

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

It’s safe to say that every fall season there is an outpouring of pumpkin spice excitement in about every town in America.  Coffee shops, bakeries, boutiques, candle shops, you name it, there is definitely a pumpkin variety of any product for your choosing and/or enjoyment!  And why not?  Pumpkin kinda screams ‘fall season’ for everyone, including me.

Aside from the usual pumpkin desserts that join us at our Thanksgiving holiday tables, there are some recipes that shake it up a bit by adding other scrumptious superstar ingredients like:  chocolate.

This week, I am going to share a recipe given to me by my baby sister, Kathy.  A fellow baker at heart, she has a repertoire of some fantastic recipes:  ones she’s collected, ones we look forward to her making every holiday season, and some favorites handed down from our Nana.  So, she suggested this Chocolate Pumpkin Bread.

I had often seen many recipes that combined both pumpkin and chocolate, but for some reason, it never seemed to appeal to me enough to try it.  You know, it’s kinda like sunshine when it’s raining… like one or the other, people – choose a side! The two flavors just didn’t seem likely companions for my palate, BUT after being up for the challenge I can now report that since tasting this sweet bread, I am a converted skeptic! It’s not only rich with a great texture, but it is also absolutely delicious with the perfect marriage of two strong and well-loved flavors!

         

Prep Time:     15 minutes

Cook Time:     1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1 can (29 oz) pumpkin puree
• 1 1/4 cups canola oil
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips, plus optional 1/2 cup reserved to sprinkle on the tops

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 9×5 inch loaf pans.  (I used 8 mini loaf pans.)
• In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

I hand-whisked the ingredients.

• In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt your chocolate in your microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until all the pieces are melted.
• In another separate large bowl, whisk together by hand the eggs, pumpkin, oil, melted chocolate, and vanilla.

• With a rubber spatula, stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
• Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour into prepared pans and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out from the pan to cool completely.

I turned my loaves right side up again on the rack so that the tops would not be smashed down.

This is definitely a quick and easy recipe that is great to enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream on top, a hot cup of coffee or tea and a few friends.  It could even be a perfect go-to recipe for making in a few mini loaf pans as I did and wrapping them up to give away as gifts for friends or a school teacher!  Either way, this recipe doesn’t disappoint.

Thanks, Kathy!

Now, go put on your favorite apron, grab all your ingredients, and get busy trying out this delicious combination of pumpkin, spice & everything nice! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family & I did!

By the way, if you like the book pages pumpkins used in my pictures, you can find the instructions here:  Book Pages Pumpkins.

Happy baking!