Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
A delicious autumn treat! I made this for a birthday celebration at the office and everyone loved it. I used Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix, canned pumpkin and Belgian baking chocolate.
A delicious autumn treat! I made this for a birthday celebration at the office and everyone loved it. I used Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix, canned pumpkin and Belgian baking chocolate.
- Carbohydrate 103.649573333333 g
- Cholesterol 352.5 mg
- Fat 19.2227733333333 g
- Fiber 7.3333667708238 g
- Protein 17.2795933333333 g
- Saturated Fat 8.72428983333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (295g)
- Sodium 702.4855 mg
- Sugar 96.3162065625095 g
- Trans Fat 2.84011066666667 g
- Calories 621 calories
Step-by-step
- Grease a bundt pan and set aside.
- Combine pumpkin bread mix and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Combine canned pumpkin, water and eggs in another bowl and beat on low speed until thoroughly combined.
- Melt unswetened baking chocolate and stir in sugar. Add mixed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until thoroughly moistened. Gently stir in melted chocolate just until marbled and pour into prepared bundt pan.
- Bake at 350 for about an hour and ten minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and flip onto plate. Serve warm or cooled.
Managing Viscosity in Dense Batters
Standard cake mixing methods rely on creaming butter and sugar to trap air bubbles for rise. This recipe dispenses with added solid fats, utilizing canned pumpkin puree to supply moisture while relying entirely on chemical leaveners hidden within the commercial bread mix. Blending the water, eggs, and pumpkin thoroughly before introducing them to the dry components prevents lumps and ensures even hydration. Stirring the batter only until moistened avoids the gluten overdevelopment that creates a tough crumb.
Achieving the Chocolate Marble Effect
Incorporating melted baking chocolate requires careful temperature management so the cocoa solids do not seize upon contact with cooler ingredients. Melt the chocolate separately and stir in the sugar while the mixture remains warm and fluid. Folding this chocolate stream gently into the batter at the very final stage creates distinct ribbons rather than a uniform brown color. Stop folding the moment distinct dark streaks disappear into a marbled pattern.
Thermal Transfer in Cast Aluminum Bundt Pans
Baking dense batters in a patterned bundt pan requires greasing every interior crevice thoroughly to prevent the crumb from anchoring to the metal. A standard oven temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit provides enough radiant heat to penetrate the thick center column of the pan. Insert a wooden toothpick into the deepest part of the cake ring after one hour and ten minutes; dry crumbs indicate complete starch gelatinization and structural setting.
