Chocolate pumpkin cake

A deeply chocolatey, light and fluffy cake enriched with pumpkin purée and finished with a pumpkin-cinnamon icing. This chocolate pumpkin cake is moist and full of autumn warmth, thanks to the cocoa and cinnamon. If you fancy adding a little extra kick, try a pinch of cayenne pepper — just like in Mexican hot chocolate. The cake itself is wonderfully simple and quick to make. Perfect for an autumn afternoon with a mug of warm milk or cocoa.

Ingredients for the chocolate pumpkin cake:

• 2 large eggs
• 150 g light brown sugar
• 230 g pumpkin purée
• 120 ml milk
• 120 ml olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 130 g plain flour
• 45 g cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a generous pinch of salt
• 85 g dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar for about 1 minute until slightly frothy and well combined (not fully whipped). Add the pumpkin purée, milk, olive oil and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt directly into the wet ingredients. Gently mix with a whisk until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a 23 cm round tin with baking parchment. Pour in the batter and level the surface.

Bake at 180°C for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (it may have melted chocolate on it, but no raw batter). Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Drizzle with pumpkin-cinnamon icing and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Additionally

• chopped walnuts, for sprinkling

For the pumpkin-cinnamon icing:

• 100 g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pumpkin purée
• 15 ml milk
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of salt

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using a whisk. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk (for a thinner icing) or more icing sugar (for a thicker one).

Enjoy!

Recipe source: Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi.