Pumpkin swirl cake or loaf
Pumpkin swirl cake or loaf
When I was a kid in the 1970’s, I remember feeling proud when I made a Duncan Hines Snackin’ cake for our family’s dessert. I still have the square tin I used. It was one of the pans my Mom gave me when I was first heading out on my own. When I was working on this recipe it brought back those memories. For me there is nothing better than making something delicious for the people you love, whether it is a box cake mix or a recipe from scratch.
Yields: 1 large, 4 mini loaves or one 9 by 9 square cake
Ingredients
\2 cups sprouted spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups pumpkin puree – store-bought or homemade (roast pumpkin, blend flesh with a little plant-based milk to make smooth)
¾ cup organic cane sugar
⅓ cup orange juice frozen concentrate – solids only
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax plus 3 tablespoons water)
Chocolate spice swirl
¼ cup cacao powder
¼ cup reserved pumpkin batter
¼ cup cacao nibs or vegan chocolate chips
2 – 3 tablespoons strong coffee
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice
Pinch of salt
Steps
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine ground flax and water together. Set it aside while it becomes gelatinous.
Combine pumpkin, sugar, orange juice and flax egg in a deep bowl. Mix well. I use an immersion blender.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Fold the dry mixture into wet and add the coconut oil. Do not overmix. Set aside ¼ cup of the batter.
Pour the remaining batter in the baking pan of your choice. Ideally it should only be two thirds full to reduce the chance of the cake or loaf falling.
Mix all the ingredients for the swirl together. Fold in the reserved batter. Add the mixture to the top of the pumpkin batter. Use a knife to swirl it through the cake.
Bake large loaf for 60 - 65 minutes, bake the smaller tins 55 - 60 minutes and the square pan for 45 - 50 minutes. Use a toothpick to check doneness. Pierce the center of the loaf with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it is ready.
Let the loaves or cake cool for 5 - 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.
