September and the start of the Autumnal weather means one thing for me.. Pumpkin season! I kid you not, the second September begins and mornings and evenings begin to get darker, I’m starting to build my pumpkin collection and throw half a tonne of warming spices into everything! This chocolate pumpkin loaf cake is the perfect Summer- Autumn transition bake and an excellent way to get your daily chocolate fix! A slice of this with a cup of coffee mid morning is pure perfection!
So, why use pumpkin in baking?
Technically speaking, you can use either pumpkin or sweet potato in this recipe. I know not everywhere stocks pumpkin purée and chopping and cooking your own can be a little taxing. The pumpkin actually helps to keep the cake really moist and replaces some of the oil/butter needed in the mixture. It’s a great replacement for bananas in baking if you don’t want to have an underlying banana taste.
What do you need to make chocolate pumpkin loaf cake?
- Oat flour- this recipe calls for oat flour as the GF flour of choice. It’s a really affordable and convenient option and can easily be made at home by whizzing up some oats in a blender.
- Cocoa powder- I always try and make sure that I’m using a really high quality cocoa to insure a beautifully rich flavour.
- Pumpkin- as I mentioned previously, you can sub this for mashed sweet potato. This adds a tonne of moisture to the cake and you honestly can’t taste it, I promise!
- Vegan butter- I’ve often for vegan butter in this recipe to keep things dairy free. You could also try switching this for coconut oil if you’d prefer.
You guys absolutely have to give this cake a try and make sure to keep an eye out for the many, many upcoming pumpkin themed recipes that will be coming your way! I’ve been experiencing some serious chocolate cravings over the past week and trust me, this recipe is really does the trick! I should also mention that it’s completely dairy, gluten and refined sugar free too! However, I guarantee your friends and family would never be able to tell any difference! If you’re still craving chocolate, then you need to give some of these a try!
Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sweet potato or pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- tsp baking powder
- tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 40 g chopped dark chocolate
Frosting
- 2 tbsp smooth nut butter
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 50 g dark or other dairy free chocolate
- tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp chilled coconut milk (canned)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180c and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
- Mix the milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and coconut sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and sweet potato until well combined.
- Gradually add in the flour and milk whilst stirring until you're left with a smooth batter.
- Fold through the baking powder, bicarb, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon and finally the chocolate chunks.
- Pour this into your loaf tin and bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, then allow to cool thouroughly.
- For the frosting, gently melt the chocolate and coconut oil together. Mix in the peanut butter, cocoa powder and finally coconut milk.
- Spread this over your cooled cake and decorate with fruit or other toppings of choice.
