Fall baking – Feasting Is Fun

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

The leaves are finally starting to change colour, during a gusty breeze they flutter through the air, landing on the ground, blown into crunchy, golden piles. Autumn is here and with it comes the need to snuggle under soft blankets, while watching telly on a chilly evenings. Warming, comforting food is an absolute necessity. Gone are the salads of summer, instead soups, stews and puddings taking their place. Baking this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake fills the house with pumpkin spice scent, welcoming all who come home after a busy day at work or school.

Autumnal bake on a white plate with bright orange large squash to the side. — Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

As the days become increasingly colder, what better than warm pumpkin spices combined with chocolate chips in a moist pumpkin cake, to make you feel ready to tackle the rest of the day? Sliced and wrapped, this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake is perfect for packed lunches. While at school or work, the taste and warmth of home can be with us, wherever we are.

FF Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake — **Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake** gorgeous autumnal colours.

Pumpkin And Chocolate Combination In A Cake

Creating this loaf cake was a real triumph. Successfully combining pumpkin, pumpkin spices and chocolate into a tasty, moist, healthier cake. Since loaf cakes are so much easier to cut, wrap and pack to go, this has been a huge hit here, especially with hubby. Therefore you will see more loaf cakes appearing on Feasting is Fun.

Starting with the recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins, while delicious, I wanted to add chocolate chips and increase the size of the bake. Because I wanted a cake that was full of flavour, skimping on the chocolate chips was not an option. Deciding to hold back one third to top the cake with, added to the cake’s overall aesthetic.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake serves 8-10

125g Unsalted Butter melted and cooled plus 1tbsp extra for greasing the loaf tin

3 Large Free Range Eggs

200g Pumpkin Purée

200g Natural Yoghurt – I use full fat Yeo Valley

125g Plain White Flour

150g Wholemeal Flour

3tsp Baking Powder

175g Soft Light Brown Sugar

150g Milk Chocolate Chips or Chunks – I use Callebaut

1/4tsp Salt -I use Maldon

2.5tsp Pumpkin Spice

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

A loaf tin that measures 25cm x 11.5cm x 7.5cm (10″ x 4.5″ x 3″) approximately, is needed for this recipe. Grease the tin with butter and line the base with baking parchment.

Making The Cake Batter

First of all, weigh and melt the butter. Then pour the butter into a separate, medium sized bowl or jug to cool.
While the butter is cooling assemble the dry ingredients. In a large bowl add the plain and wholemeal flour together with the baking powder.
Next add the sugar, salt and pumpkin spice to the flour. Use a balloon whisk to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, ensuring any clumps of sugar are broken up. Finally add 100g of chocolate chips and set the bowl to one side.
Now check the melted butter, it should be just warm. Add the eggs, yoghurt and pumpkin purée. Use a fork to break up the eggs and lightly whisk all the wet ingredients together until they are combined.
With both bowls in front of you make a well in the centre of the larger bowl containing the dry ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and then stir with a spoon until everything is just combined. Over mixing will result in a heavy cake.
Now spoon the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake batter into the loaf tin, then add the remaining chocolate chips evenly on to the top of the cake.

Baking The Loaf Cake

Place the loaf tin into the centre of the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. When it comes out clean the cake is ready.
As soon as the cake is fully baked remove it from the oven.
Place the loaf tin on a trivet or cooling rack and allow the cake to fully cool in the tin.

When fully cooled run a palette knife around the edges of the cake. Turn the cake out of the tin and carefully remove the baking parchment from the base of the cake.

Since this cake is so delicious, it is perfect for sharing. Invite friends round for a coffee morning and I guarantee that this cake will be a hit. It is also ideal to serve with frothy hot chocolate after a family walk on a chilly day out. Sharing food with others makes it taste infinitely better, simply because it is a experience that engages others while also creating memories.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake you may also like these:

Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Individual autumnal squash breakfast bakes in red tulip wrappers, displayed in a rustic tray with a large orange, autumn squash in the background. — Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Double Cherry Drizzle Oat Bars

Baking can be a very therapeutic and rewarding experience. Working methodically through a recipe, from start to finish, I find myself relaxing in the process. While baking and giving a cake to friends or family shows that they have been thought of and most of all, are cared about. As a result of a little fore thought and preparation, it is really possible to change someone’s day in a positive way.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

I have most definitely fallen in love. The kind of head over heels, mind consuming, heart compelling love that completely takes over one’s life. And the object of my desire is orange, coincidentally my favourite colour, big and round. Pumpkin where have you been all my life? It would seem, puréed in a can, far, far away. Until now, where I can hoard cans of this delicious ingredient, ready to make Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins whenever I desire.

Autumnal bake with large orange squash. — Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Americans, Canadians, no doubt many other countries have long known the delight that is pumpkin purée. While not the most compelling ingredient straight from the can, it lends a flavour and texture to bakes that other ingredients cannot.

Late To The Pumpkin Party!

Since venturing into Pumpkin Spice World with my very first pumpkin bake, these doughnuts, I soon realised that I had uncovered an amazing ingredient. The tenderness, colour and delicate flavour that pumpkin purée lends to a bake is unique. Resulting in some of the best bakes I have ever tasted.

So, now I have found a regular supplier long may this love affair continue. Since I intend to explore as many different bakes and desserts using my newly discovered love and they will be posted on here. Because sharing my passion seems only fair. Hopefully you will discover a love for all things pumpkin, by the time October ends.

And as always, here on Feasting is Fun, sharing is a key part of my passion behind blogging. An example of how I share, just happened. Unable to drive at the present see here, I appreciate the Pharmacy, adjoined to my doctors, delivering my prescriptions. Just now, once I’d received my medications, I was able to share one of these Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins with the delivery lady. The perfect way to show my thanks.

Recipe: Makes 12 Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

100g/4oz Unsalted Butter melted and cooled

200g/7oz Pumpkin Purée – available from Sainsbury’s

150g/5oz Full Fat Natural Yoghurt – I use Yeo Valley

2 Large Free Range Eggs

125g/4.5oz Plain White Flour

100g/4oz Wholemeal Flour

2tsp Baking Powder

85g/3.5oz Chopped Walnuts

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

150g/5oz Soft Light Brown Sugar plus 1tbsp

2.5tsp Pumpkin Spice Mix see here if you would like to make your own

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 3, 325F

Making The Muffin Batter

Firstly melt the butter in a heatproof, microwaveable jug and set to one side to cool.
Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases, I used pretty tulip wrappers.
Next, in a large bowl add the flours, chopped walnuts, sugar, spice and salt. Stir with a balloon whisk to distribute the ingredients evenly and break up any lumps in the sugar. Dry ingredients.
As soon as the butter has cooled add in the yoghurt, pumpkin purée and eggs. Beat with a fork until the ingredients are combined. Wet ingredients.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry.
Mix until just combined. Over mixing will cause the muffins to become tough.

FF Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins — Bringing the muffin batter together.

Spoon the muffin mix into the muffin cases, distributing the mix as evenly as possible.
Finally, using the extra tablespoon of sugar sprinkle a little over the top of each unbaked muffin.

Baking The Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Place the muffin tin in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
My muffins were baked at 25 minutes, but I started checking after 20 minutes.
Once baked the muffins should be just firm to the touch, without any visible wobble (this was present when checking at 20 minutes). The Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins will have a slight sparkle, or sheen to them from the additional sugar sprinkled just prior to baking.
As soon as the muffins are baked remove the tin from the oven.

Inhale deeply. The baked pumpkin spices smell of warm, comforting, welcoming food. Who needs scented candles?
If you have used the tulip style muffin wrappers I strongly suggest leaving them to cool completely in the muffin tin. Because, I find doing so prevents them from unwrapping themselves, as can be the case if removed whilst hot.
Regular muffin cases can be removed after cooling for 10 minutes in the tin. Place on a cooling rack.

These delightful Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins are their best served warm. One of the benefits of using tulip style wrappers is that they unfold to create the perfect napkin, to hold and enjoy the experience of eating a muffin.

Pulled apart or bitten straight into, these muffins are all that is good about Autumn, wrapped up in an edible parcel. Also golden in colour, they imitate the autumnal palette, crunchy walnuts akin to walking through fallen leaves. Warm spices and tender crumb resemble falling into a big sofa near an open fire, after a crisp afternoon walk.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins you may also enjoy these:

Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Autumn Apple Almond Cake

Gluten free apple and almond cake with a slice cut. — Autumn Apple Almond Cake a GLUTEN FREE recipe.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Baking these Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins releases the aroma of the pumpkin spice mix within, creating a welcoming ambiance in the home. When visitors arrive, or the postman knocks on the front door, I want them to feel welcome. Nurtured by the warmth of our home and good food, they leave contented and comforted.

While baking, making and creating in the kitchen, my aim is to convey love, acceptance and warmth through food. Since sharing the food made, is an extension of home and all it represents. Because, meeting another’s needs on both a physical and emotional level, while sharing time and companionship over a coffee and a home baked treat, shows food really can be so much more than fuel.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of the post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Autumn is such a beautiful season. As leaves change through a rainbow of green, yellow, gold, orange and rust. Low sunlight casting a golden glow on days that are spared from wind and rain ravaged storms. Because Autumn is a season of transition. Summer salads gradually disappear, replaced by comforting soups, stews and roasts. While these Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts not only look autumnal, they warm the senses with long since forgotten spices.

Autumn squash donuts displayed on a small white cake stand. — Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Baking Blogger Inspiration:

Inspiration hit to make these Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts after reading a similar recipe from Baker By Nature. Although I had never baked with pumpkin purée before, the first batch had me hooked. Since, as is the nature of most bakers, after testing, the recipe needed a little tweaking to accommodate our family’s taste preference, a second batch was the made the following day.

Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts really are the beautiful ochre colour that can been seen in the photographs. Also the spiced sugar sparkles in the low afternoon sunlight. So, for once there wasn’t a temptation to sprinkle with glitter!

Baked pumpkin donuts close up for recipe header. — Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Pumpkin love

While the inhabitants of North America’s continent have been using pumpkin in pies, cakes and bakes for many years, over the pond we have been missing out. It seems that here in the U.K. we tend to carve out a stinky, cabbage smelling pumpkin at Halloween, without a thought to eating the flesh. Yes I know we eat butternut squash, in fact I put it in this Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup. Yet, I cannot feel as though we are losing out.

Pumpkin purée lends a tenderness to the crumb of these doughnuts that has to be tasted to be believed. Because the flavour is subtle, it allows the pumpkin spice mix to compliment, rather than overwhelm it. Finishing with a sprinkle of cinnamon spiced sugar creates the contrast in texture and awakens the senses. Resulting in a not quite as light as a fried doughnut, yet delicious in its own right.

Becky’s recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix:

4 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

3tsp Ground Ginger

2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 tsp Ground Allspice

1 tsp Ground Cloves

Mix together and store in an airtight jar.

Making the Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts:

Recipe: Makes 7-8 Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

50g Unsalted Butter – melted and cooled plus extra butter for greasing the doughnut tin.

80g Pumpkin Purée – available at Sainsbury’s

145g Full Fat Natural Yoghurt – I use Yeo Valley

1 Large Free Range Egg

185g Plain White Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1/8tsp Salt -I use Maldon

1.5tsp Pumpkin Spice Mix – Becky’s recipe

75g Soft Light Brown Sugar

To coat the Doughnuts:

60g Unsalted Melted Butter

75g Granulated Sugar

2tsp Ground Cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

Making The Pumpkin Spiced Doughnut Batter:

The baked doughnut tins I use are from Wilton and on testing did not need greasing. However, brushing the doughnut tin with melted butter is recommended.
In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice. Stir with a balloon whisk, breaking up any lumps in the sugar. Dry ingredients.
In a jug or smaller bowl add the pumpkin, yoghurt, egg and melted butter. Whisk together lightly with a fork until the mixture is a uniform orange colour. Wet ingredients.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Stir with a spoon until just combined. Similar to making a muffin mix.
Fill a piping bag, fitted with a circular nozzle, approximately 1.5 – 2 cm diameter, with the doughnut batter.
Pipe 7-8 doughnuts into the tins.

FF Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts — **Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts** in the making.

Baking The Doughnuts:

Place the doughnut tins in the centre of the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes – mine took 13 minutes.
The doughnuts will be firm, with a little spongy give when pressed, slightly golden and look a little crinkled on top when baked.
As soon as the doughnuts are baked remove from the oven and immediately tip out on to a cooling rack.

Coating The Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts:

While the doughnuts are cooking melt the butter to dip them in. 30 seconds on medium was sufficient in our microwave. Ensure the bowl is big enough to take a complete doughnut if you choose to dunk.
Next place the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, ensuring it is big enough as before and mix to combine.
While the doughnuts are still warm, dunk, or as I did, brush all over with melted butter. Remembering to turn the doughnut to ensure even coverage.
Immediately after, either dunk the doughnut in the spiced sugar, or sprinkle over the sugar while the doughnuts are on the rack.

Since trying both dunking and brushing/sprinkling methods, the second method is my preference.
In reality, brushing with butter used exactly the same amount as dunking them. The choice really is yours.
As a family, although utterly delicious, we decided that the first batch of doughnuts were too sugary. Yes that really is possible 😉.
Finally, when dunking the doughnuts in the sugar, the butter makes the spiced sugar damp. An example of this can be seen in the photograph below. Therefore, I decided to sprinkle them with sugar, resulting in less sugar sticking, whilst keeping its sparkly appearance.

Serve immediately, with a warming drink.

Cafe culture at home

I heated a Chocolate Chip Latte Milkshake in a jug with a little extra milk, poured into fancy glasses and given a splash of ginger syrup. The drinks were then topped with mini gingerbread sprinkles. Resulting in a Cafe Culture experience at home. Alternatively, make a hot chocolate and add a sprinkle of cinnamon or ginger spices.

Finally, for those of you who would rather not, or cannot, go out, especially when the weather is bleak, this is the ultimate, at home, Cafe Culture treat!

Pumpkin spiced donuts broken in half to show light and airy texture. — So light and fluffy.

If you have enjoyed the recipe for Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts you may also enjoy these:

Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Easy Blackberry Oat Muffin Recipe

Blackberry oat muffins served with coffee in a lined tray. — Easy Blackberry Oat Muffin Recipe

When served slightly warm I think that these doughnuts truly are at their best. While the recipe makes 8 individual Baked Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts unless you are baking for more I really wouldn’t recommend doubling it. Because the preparation time is scarcely 10 minutes max and these are definitely better eaten the day they are made. That said, kept in an airtight container they will last an extra day. Pinged for 10 seconds in the microwave and they are almost back to freshly baked tenderness.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

Why not take a look at my friend Becky’s blog?

It’s full of fantastic recipes and is written in a step-by-step style. Also, you are sure to enjoy her Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Bisuits.