PUMPKIN POUND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE

This is another recipe that has been with me through several baking gigs. Originally it appeared in a café I worked at in Minneapolis and was a customer favorite each and every time it found its way into the bake case. I took the recipe with me to Bordertown Coffee, and it was lauded as a beloved breakfast there. The recipe is actually similar to the Pumpkin–Olive Oil Bread and most likely came out of a church cookbook of some sort as well. I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate here, but they could be replaced with pecans or dried cherries. serves 8 to 12

3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

4 large eggs

1½ cups (297 g) granulated sugar

1½ cups (297 g) packed brown sugar

¾ cup canola oil

One 15-ounce (425 g) can unsweetened pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces (226 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the eggs on medium until pale yellow and doubled in volume, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars and mix on medium until well combined. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix on medium again until completely combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium until smooth. Stir in the chocolate with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 45 to 60 minutes, until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack to finish cooling. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before slicing.