Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf
It seems a little late in the season to be cooking with pumpkin, I know. We often equate pumpkin with Halloween & Thanksgiving then put it out of our minds until next year. In fact, that was exactly my line of thinking until 2 little sugar pumpkins showed up in my first of the new year CSA share…
I was a taken aback at first, but pumpkin is a “winter squash” after all, so I should not be surprised. And, it is “technically” winter, however you’d never know it living in sunny So Cal. It had been in the high 70s until a few days ago & this morning we were finally blessed with a sprinkle of rain. Raining mornings are perfect for baking & that was #1 on my agenda for this holiday Monday. I knew just what to do with my little pumpkins - make The PPK’s Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf, with fresh local pumpkin puree.
I followed the instructions for homemade pumpkin puree from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen.
I seeded, sliced, roasted, peeled & pureed the pumpkin, omitting the final straining step, as my puree seemed the right consistency for my needs. My little pumpkins yielded the perfect amount of puree for the recipe…
Then it was on to making the loaf! I must say that the iPad makes cooking from blog recipes an absolute breeze! No need to squint at the iPhone screen, fuss with the laptop or waste paper. It’s no wonder it made The PPK’s Top 100. I was lucky enough to inherit a first generation iPad from my Grandpa, who passed it on to my Mom, who passed it to me. It’s awesome…
After measuring, mixing, stirring, & 55 minutes of an amazing aroma filling the kitchen air, this…
became this…
Gorgeous scrumptious ooey gooey chocolate pumpkin loaf! Yummy! I forgot the little trick I picked up on the Food Network about coating the chocolate chips in a bit of flour so they will more evenly distribute, but in a way these heavy huddles of chocolate actually make it even more decadent. The pumpkin flavor is very mild & the chocolate is the star. The subtle hints of ginger, nutmeg, clove, & cinnamon are reminiscent of the holiday season that just passed, but lingers in our thoughts.
Serve warm as dessert with a dollop of cashew creme fraiche, or dip in morning coffee for a sweet & indulgent way to start the day. This bread will be making appearances next holiday, for sure. As always thank you Isa for your amazing vegan recipes. What a delightful way to spend a rainy Monday…I don’t want to go to work tomorrow, but I look forward to breakfast!
