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. 
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 & ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ t baking powder
- ½ t baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces soft butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped [3/4 cup chocolate chips]
- 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!
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