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This chocolate pumpkin cake with crunchy coconut pecan topping is the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever tasted. In fact, it’s also one of the best chocolate cakes I know! It’s wonderfully soft, rich and moist, with a texture that’s slightly reminiscent of brownies, yet much lighter. Every bite is packed with flavour \u2013 pumpkin, cocoa, cinnamon, coconut, nuts, pineapple, and a subtle hint of almond \u2013 all working together beautifully. The real highlight is the irresistible crunchy coconut and nut topping, lightly caramelised under the grill. It’s a delicious addition that takes this cake to another level. Highly recommended!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Which pumpkin do I use for baking? In Poland, Hokkaido pumpkin is the favourite choice for baking. In the UK, it’s sold as Red Kuri squash. It has a mild flavour, a naturally sweet, floury texture and deep orange flesh, making it perfect for cakes and desserts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients for the chocolate pumpkin cake:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
• 115 g butter, softened<\/li>\n
• 190 g caster sugar<\/li>\n
• \u00bd teaspoon almond extract<\/li>\n
• 2 large eggs<\/li>\n
• 1 cup pumpkin pur\u00e9e<\/li>\n
• 150 g plain flour<\/li>\n
• 40 g cocoa powder<\/li>\n
• \u00bd cup rolled oats<\/li>\n
• 1 teaspoon baking powder<\/li>\n
• \u00bd teaspoon bicarbonate of soda<\/li>\n
• a pinch of salt<\/li>\n
• \u00bd tablespoon ground cinnamon<\/li>\n
• \u00bc teaspoon ground cloves<\/li>\n
• \u00bd cup finely diced canned pineapple or pears<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  All the ingredients should be at room temperature.<\/p>\n

  Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and mix briefly. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin pur\u00e9e and beat until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage, but this is perfectly normal and won’t affect the finished cake. Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt directly into the bowl. Add the rolled oats and gently fold everything together until just combined. Finally, stir in the diced pineapple or pears.<\/p>\n

  Line a 24 cm round cake tin with baking paper. Spoon the batter into the tin and level the surface.<\/p>\n

  Bake at 175\u00b0C for 45\u201355 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately spread the warm crunchy topping over the hot cake (recipe below). Preheat the oven grill. Place the cake under the grill for 1\u00bd\u20132 minutes, just until the topping turns golden brown. Watch it carefully \u2013 the topping can burn very quickly.<\/p>\n

  Ingredients for the crunchy coconut pecan topping:<\/span><\/p>\n

  \n
  • 65 g butter<\/li>\n
  • \u00bd cup dark muscovado sugar<\/li>\n
  • 60 ml double cream<\/li>\n
  • \u00be cup desiccated coconut<\/li>\n
  • \u00be cup pecan halves or walnut halves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Place the butter and muscovado sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the double cream and stir until smooth. Bring the mixture to the boil, then stir in the desiccated coconut and pecans (or walnuts). Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly before spreading over the warm cake.<\/p>\n

    Enjoy!<\/p>\n

    Recipe source: MniamMniam.com.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This chocolate pumpkin cake with crunchy coconut pecan topping is the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever tasted. In fact, it’s also one of the best chocolate cakes I know! It’s wonderfully soft, rich and moist, with a texture that’s slightly reminiscent of brownies, yet much lighter. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,438],"tags":[86,125,104,102,114,322,117,137,359],"duration":[],"tag_group":[],"class_list":["post-17523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chocolate-cakes","category-vegetable-cakes","tag-cinnamon","tag-desiccated-coconut","tag-double-cream","tag-oats","tag-pear","tag-pecan-nuts","tag-pineapple","tag-pumpkin","tag-pumpkin-puree"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n