I never really understood the American’s love for pumpkin-based desserts. I couldn’t see the appeal. However, I will raise my hand up and say that I was judging a book by it’s cover.

Adding pumpkin makes a baked good incredibly moist, and the spices added (those normally associated with pumpkin-based desserts) add such a great kick to the flavour.

This loaf cake is vegan, but you can swap in non-vegan alternatives if you want to. You can also sub out the xylitol and add caster sugar. It’s a very easy recipe to play with.

I also used my Pumpkin Spice vanilla extract from Heilala, received for supporting their crowd funding campaign a while back, but again you can use whatever vanilla extract you have to hand.

The melted puddles of chocolate inside this loaf cake are wonderful bites of bittersweet in contrast to the “spicy” pumpkin loaf. Of course, you could always use darker chocolate or more chocolate, depending on your tastes.

Ingredients

300 grams pumpkin puree
16 grams golden flax meal
1.5 tsp Heilala Pumpkin Spice Vanilla Extract (or regular vanilla)
125ml coconut milk from a carton (or milk of choice)
140 grams plain flour
75 grams xylitol (or sugar of choice)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
105 grams 60% vegan chocolate, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, flax, vanilla and milk. In a second, larger bowl mix combine the remaining ingredients.
3. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir until everything is just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven allow to cool for 10 – 15 minutes, then remove from loaf tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Serve warm or at room temp.