The pumpkin chocolate chip loaf made by my cousin Laurie, z”l, is continuing to thrive in my family’s kitchen every autumn. It’s a perfect pareve dessert and breakfast item (lunch, afternoon snack, dinner…). The fall flavors of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice pair perfectly, so all that’s left is really to lighten it up. It’s one thing to get your family eating pumpkin, but it’s another thing to think that since it’s pumpkin, you can have five muffins. Not at this calorie count, unfortunately! But still…
I have used agave nectar and honey to replace the sugar, which works but makes a very different product, and I am experimenting with different kinds of flour to try to add fiber and the other health benefits of whole grains to dessert items.
So this is the same recipe as before, but with white whole wheat flour. I found it to build a slightly chewier muffin, which was not altogether unwelcome. Remember that with the muffin method, it’s important to only mix the batter until combined; any longer will overactivate the baking powder and make a crumbly muffin. With white whole wheat, it holds together well but is drier than the same product made with white flour, so feel free to add a couple of extra tablespoons of pumpkin puree or applesauce.
In this recipe’s next incarnation, I am going to try a combination of agave, applesauce and honey along with the white whole wheat, to replace some of the sugar and all of the white flour. I invite you to try your own combination and tell me what you think!
Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
- 3 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice mix
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- 1½ cups canola oil
- 2 cups pumpkin
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Beat eggs, sugar and oil until light in color.
3. Add, alternately, dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing between each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into a large, greased tube pan (or 9-by-13-inch pan) until half full. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until dry in the center.
This cake also may be baked in muffin tins, two 8-by-8-inch pans, or two large loaf pans or three small ones. The baking time will be shorter if you use smaller pans or muffin tins, so keep an eye on them. This recipe can be easily halved or doubled.
By Elizabeth Kratz
