It’s very rare, but occasionally a recipe hits the bullseye the first time around, and to that hall of fame I’m now adding this pumpkin cake. I wanted a (apologies in advance for using this word) moist cake with integrity, one that wouldn’t succumb to the one-dimensional sweetness that pumpkin can sometimes have, and the bitter dark chocolate and spices here help perfectly with that. I also wanted a cake that could be prepped in just five minutes (no small feat) and that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Thanksgiving or Halloween table. There were a lot of hoops for this cake to jump through, but jump it did.
Pumpkin and chocolate crumble loaf cake
Prep 5 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Makes 1 loaf, to serve 8
280g white spelt flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
160g demerara sugar
100g dark chocolate, chopped into 1cm chunks
425g tinned pumpkin puree – I like America’s Finest
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
6 tbsp whole oat milk
For the crumble
60g demerara sugar
50g shelled pecans, finely chopped
25g white spelt flour
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and grease and line a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper.
Put the flour, bicarb, baking powder, spices, sugar and chocolate in a large bowl and mix well. In a second bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, oil and milk. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until well combined, then put to one side.
Next, make the crumble topping by mixing the sugar, pecans, flour and oil in a small bowl.
Transfer the cake batter to the lined loaf tin, smooth out the top with the back of a spoon, then tap the tin on the countertop to knock out any bubbles. Top evenly with the crumble mixture, then bake for 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean; don’t worry if it has melted chocolate on it.
Take out of the oven, leave the cake to cool in its tin, then lift out, slice and serve.