Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf Cake with Fudgey Chocolate Glaze

With half of a sugar pie pumpkin lying around in the fridge and waiting to be used up, it is time to share another decadent sweet treat. Five weeks away from the holidays and the house is already feeling quite spirited with the frequent baking and festive dishes. So, by popular demand, chocolate loaf cake is au rendez-vous with a twist of fresh pumpkin which is from where this cake packs in its luscious fudgey appeal. While you cannot distinctly taste it, the pumpkin contributes much to the texture of this relatively low-fat cake. Married with warming hints of cinnamon, coffee and molasses, it adds just enough of a rich caramel flavour for that feeling of contentment that we all look for from a bite of chocolatey indulgence or from life itself. Whoever claims not to like chocolate is just lying with a passion.





The recipe is an easy straightforward one as it is the basic dry and wet mix method. I do suggest you use the metric measurements for this one as the amount of liquid to dry ingredients does affect the texture quite considerably. While this is a relatively low-fat cake with just two tablespoons of oil, it does get some of the natural fat from the coconut milk. If you would like an even lighter cake, you can certainly substitute with another lighter non-dairy milk like soy or oat milk.





The video goes through the steps and, as I make the cake, I am also sharing with you a few thoughts on life from my experience. If you have missed the previous post, you can read more on how I came to certain realisations about taking the time to actually live, through my sister who is pretty laid-back, care-free and "slow-paced" (by definition). To simply put it, there are no ordinary moments in life and I choose to live in the present moment as there is no tomorrow. And this moment is eternity in which I am life itself and appreciate the simple delights of each moment, like biting into a piece of decadent chocolate cake.

Fudgey Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Ingredients (1 small loaf cake)
Dry mix:
1 ½ cups (225g) plain (or all-purpose) flour
4 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee/expresso powder (if using granules, dissolve in the wet ingredients)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon salt

Wet mix:
110 g [3.8 oz] fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 apple [140 g, 5 oz when peeled], cut into small pieces
2 tablespoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
100 ml canned coconut milk (you may need to add more later so that pumpkin-apple puree and milk make 400ml of liquid)
1 tablespoon molasses (either blackstrap or fancy) or maple syrup (optional)
1 cup (loosely filled, don’t press) [130 g, 4.6 oz] soft dark brown sugar

Fudgey Glaze Recipe

Ingredients
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons coconut milk (or oat milk or other non-dairy milk)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or coconut oil)

Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Farenheit.
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Place fresh pumpkin and apple pieces in a blender with the milk and blend until smooth. (Alternatively use a hand blender in a measuring jug).
(At this point, pumpkin-apple puree and milk should come to 400ml in a measuring jug, if it doesn’t add more milk or a little water).
Add oil. Then add the molasses or maple syrup. Add sugar and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients. Mix well with a whisk.
Make a well in the centre then add in the wet ingredients. Stir and mix gently (DO NOT BEAT this mixture). Mix well until all dry are well incorporated with the wet to make a smooth batter.
Pour batter immediately in the loaf pan, fill up to 3/4.
Bake straightaway at 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Farenheit for the first 20 minutes then lower the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Farenheit) and continue to bake for another 20 to 40 minutes (depending on your oven). Insert a metal or bamboo skewer to test. If done it should come out clean or with just a few crumb bits. Else put back in the oven for another 5 – 10 minutes and check again after this time until cake is done.
Allow to cool completely before demoulding and glazing.

Make the glaze:
Place all ingredients in a thick bottom pan. Heat over medium-low.
Stir constantly until all is melted and well incorporated. When mixture starts to bubble, keep stirring (for about 30 seconds) until a fudgey consistency is obtained.
Continue to stir off the heat for a couple of minutes, then immediately pour on cake.