Try this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
- 1/8 easpoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature is best as not to harden the
- 2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin filling)
- 1/3 up honey (or maple syrup)
- 1/3 up mini chocolate chips (i use enjoy life brand)
- Carbohydrate 10.2408334056437 g
- Cholesterol 14.2828703688976 mg
- Fat 11.644990375156 g
- Fiber 1.67726663451725 g
- Protein 2.50869281359608 g
- Saturated Fat 8.62464396718106 g
- Serving Size 1 1 bar (44g)
- Sodium 56.5514110724504 mg
- Sugar 8.5635667711265 g
- Trans Fat 0.771606333618239 g
- Calories 149 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl stir the spelt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and all spice together.
- In another medium bowl whisk the eggs; then stir in pumpkin, maple syrup and coconut oil together.
- Mix the wet ingredients with the dry. Fold in chocolate chips. Transfer to baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake about 25-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool, cut into 9 bars and enjoy!
Why does pumpkin puree create such a dense crumb while requiring extra chemical leaveners to lift the batter? Pumpkin is packed with pectin and moisture, which adds heavy starch weight that standard baking powder alone struggles to aerate. Combining two teaspoons of baking powder with a quarter teaspoon of baking soda provides the necessary carbon dioxide production, reacting effectively against the mild acidity found in honey or maple syrup.
Spelt flour contains a fragile gluten network that tears easily under aggressive mixing. Stirring the dry spelt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice gently into the whisked eggs, melted coconut oil, and pumpkin prevents tough baked goods by limiting gluten development. Spelt also absorbs less liquid initially than hard wheat, meaning the batter will look slightly slack before the starches hydrate completely during the first ten minutes in the oven.
Mini chocolate chips distribute more evenly through dense pumpkin batters than standard chips because their smaller surface area-to-weight ratio prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Tossing the chips briefly in a tablespoon of the dry flour mixture before folding them in creates friction against the wet batter, anchoring them in place.
Baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty-five to twenty-eight minutes allows the heat to penetrate the center before the exterior over-browns. Testing with a wooden toothpick inserted into the thickest section ensures complete starch gelatinization, signaled by a clean withdrawal free of wet crumb residue.
