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As you are reading this today, I hope that you are enjoying memories of a wonderful Christmas.
We spent it up north, as we usually do, and this year Larry’s Mom went with us, as it less than a month since we lost his Dad. It has been awhile since she could travel anywhere, because Larry’s Dad was ill for so long, so she had never been to our older daughter’s house before. As expected, it was a bit bittersweet for her, but I think it helped her get through a difficult time a little more easily.
And, now that another great Christmas time is over and we are back home, I just want to snuggle into our warm peaceful house and bake comforting, cozy food.
The weather is encouraging us to stay inside, that is for sure. We had become a little bit complacent with the mild, easy winters we’ve had these last couple years, but it looks like this one is going to remind us what winter should be here in Upstate NY. All the more reason for a Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Cake, wouldn’t you say?
I remember the first time I encountered the idea of combining the flavors of pumpkin and chocolate, I thought that it sounded a little odd. Once I tried it though, I realized that it is a flavor match made in heaven. A cozy, warm, comforting heaven!
I think that a dark, bittersweet chocolate goes best with pumpkin, because a sweeter kind would not offer quite the same contrast. You can use chocolate chips certainly, but I like to chop up a bar so that the pieces are less uniform which seems more interesting to me. The bitty pieces kind of melt into the batter and the bigger ones stay intact. 
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces soft butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped [3/4 cup chocolate chips]
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Generously butter a 10 cup or larger bundt pan. Sprikle in 1 tablespoon of flour, and turn pan to coat all surfaces - tap out extra flour. [or use a baking spray]
- In medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and soda and salt - set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, if using a hand mixer, cream together the soft butter and sugar, mixing for about 2 minutes once they are combined.
- Beat in the eggs.
- Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Mix in the chopped chocolate or chips.
- Spread evenly in the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake on center oven rack for about 40 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted near the middle should come out clean.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. You may have to wiggle a table knife in around the edges to loosen them from the pan.
- Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
You aren’t going to mind the cold weather one bit once you have a nice big slice of this in hand!
Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Summer Fruit Galette
Macadamia Lime Blondies
Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread
Savory Chive Cream Cheese Scones
Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
Peach Cobbler
Lime Buttermilk Bars
Soft Cornmeal Muffins
Whole Wheat Lemon Ginger Scones
Donalyn, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I hope that your mother in law found a lot to be happy about, spening Christmas with all of you.
This does look like a wonderful cake for the winter months ahead, and I LOVE chocolate and pumpkin together!
Thanks so much Sallie – I appreciate it, and I hope you make the cake!
woohoooo, this looks so good!
Thank you Valerie!
I always thought the idea of pumpkin and chocolate sounded a bit odd, too, until I tried it. It’s magic! Great combo.And great recipe – this looks lovely. So sorry about Larry’s dad – this must have been a tough Christmas for his mom. Glad you were all together. Anyway, I hope you have a very Happy New Year.
Thanks John – we were really glad she went with us!
I still have some pumpkin in the freezer from our harvest, this would be a great way to use it up!
It would Pamela – hope you love it!
I’ll have to admit that the pumplin and chocolate combination is new to me but your bundt cake looks absolutely delicious!! I’d love to have a slice right now!! By the way, thanks for visiting my blog so I could find yours wonderful blog! Happy new year!
I was glad to find yours as well Yi and I hope you are able to give this a try!
That’s a lovely looking bundt cake and I love how the pumpkin gives it a gorgeous colour. I’m so sorry to hear you have lost your father-in-law. It was lovely that you could take your mother-in-law with you to spend Christmas with your daughter. I’m sure you were of great comfort to her during a very difficult time xx
Thanks HS – I do love that color and thank you for your kind thoughts.
I’m so sorry to hear of your father in law’s passing. I will keep you all in my prayers. And I have loved this flavor combo since the first time I ever had the chance to try it. So delicious together!
Thanks Brenda – much appreciated.
My kids would love this cake…I might have to stop them from gobbling it all up for breakfast, though 😉 We just got back from visiting my MIL this afternoon…we had the same situation, her first Christmas since my FIL passed away. I’m sure a change of scenery was a good distraction for your MIL. Wishing you a happy and joyous New Year!!!
It would make a great breakfast Liz! So sorry for your family’s loss as well.
Wow, this cake looks SO good! I really need to buy a bundt pan, it makes everything look gorgeous! 😉
LOL – that is so true – a bundt makes even a plain cake look all fancy!
Sorry to hear of you loss. I am happy that you were able to spend time with Mother-In-Law, I am sure it made things a lot easier for her.
Your cake looks so yummy, I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate.
Thanks Dawn – she says that it did. And, I hope you get to try the cake 🙂
Hi Donalyn,
Thank you so much for dropping by my blog. I’m so glad that you did. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this intriguing combination of Pumpkin & Chocolate Chips. You make it sound so yummy I will just have to save it for when I dig that frozen pumpkin from the freezer, lol…
Thank you so much for sharing, so sorry to hear of your family’s loss. It is always so difficult at this time of year but I agree, getting out amongst family and friends was a good idea. Now, I’m off to find you on Pinterest! Happy New Year!
Thanks for your kind words, Louise and so nice to meet you – and I hope you enjoy the cake!
Such a delightful looking cake! Glad to hear you had a great Christmas. Winter is already brutal – I’m hoping for an early spring.
I know what you mean Laura – it feels like we are getting all of the winters we missed rolled into one!