Soft and Moist Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Bread
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It tastes like pure fall
Wait no more! This is the only pumpkin bread recipe you’ll need this fall season! It’s incredibly moist, with a soft and tender crumb, loaded with warm spices and lots of chocolate chips. It’s made with sour cream and oil, two ingredients that not only help in making this cake ultra soft, they also help in keeping it that way for days!!! Every bite will be warm and cozy, like a hug in a crisp fall morning!
If there’s a food that universally screams fall that’s pumpkin. When mixed with warm and aromatic spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves it makes you think of that cozy spot in your home that you could be in forever. It doesn't have to be large or luxurious, it just has to make you feel warm and happy.
Add to that chocolate chips and you have the perfect recipe to start all the pumpkin baking spree. Baking this soft and moist pumpkin bread is a very easy way to evoke all those feelings in one delicious bite.
For the spice mix I went all the way and used a good amount of cinnamon plus ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. The end flavor was a nice spiced kick without knocking you out, complimenting perfectly the chocolate chips. Feel free to add a bit more if you prefer a stronger flavor.
Let me tell you, even if I love sweet breakfasts, I can’t have a piece of cake early in the morning. But I had a slice of this pumpkin bread with a nice latte made by my personal barista ; ) and it was the perfect breakfast! Easy, warm, soft and moist and not overly sweet. Can’t wait to repeat that!
This pumpkin bread is based on my Super Soft and Moist Banana Bread. I experimented a bit with the temperature and, instead of baking at 325° and then increasing the temperature to 350° during the last 10 minutes, I baked for 8 minutes in 350° and dropped the temperature to 325° for the remaining baking time. That’s why this cake has a crunchier top than the banana bread.
I baked it again starting at 325° and I have to say I liked it better. The top was a bit softer, like in the banana bread. That’s why those are the instructions I’m leaving here. If you prefer a crunchier and toasty crust, bake in 350° for 8 minutes and then drop the temperature to 325° and bake for 55 minutes. Please let me know which way you baked it and how it turned out!
Now, read on everything you need to make this amazing cake!
How to make this super soft and moist chocolate chip pumpkin bread
Start by greasing or preparing a 9” x 5” loaf pan and preheating your oven to 325°.
Next, whisk the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl mix in high speed the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes. This is key to incorporate some air into the batter and make this pumpkin bread rise.
Next mix in the oil, eggs, full fat sour cream, and vanilla. Finally mix the pumpkin puree and the spices.
You are going now to gently incorporate the flour mixture in a folding motion, if you over mix you can end up with a tough cake crumb. When you have mixed half of the flour add the chocolate chips and fold until you don’t see streaks of flour.
Transfer to prepared pan. If you want (but why wouldn’t you!!) add sliced almonds or chopped pecans on top, more chocolate chips and lightly sprinkle a bit of a course sugar such as Demerara or turbinado.
Bake for about an hour. Remember that you may need to increase the temperature to 350° to finish up baking, but just for 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t increase the temperature during the first hour.
Now it’s time to wait until this cake cools down and sets. Ideally you should wait about an hour or two before eating. The spices will shine through with time.
A tip for reheating: cover cake slices with a damp paper towel and reheat in a countertop oven at 350°. The water from the paper towel will prevent the surface of the cake from getting too toasty and will create moistness in the oven, keeping it soft.
3 recipes I think you’ll love if you’re loving this one:
Gooey Apple Ricotta Cake
Extra Dark Chocolate Loaf Cake
Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecake with Rosemary Infused Dark Chocolate Crust
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You’ll want to squeeze and hug this cake as soon as it’s out of the oven. The aroma of the spices will fill your home with happiness and comfort. And after the first bite, you’ll love it even more! Come back and tell me how much you love it!
I’ve been loving to see my recipes in your kitchens!!! Please keep tagging me in Instagram (@devamadeo), Facebook (@DevAmadeo) when you make one. Can’t wait to see more!
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Soft and Moist Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Bread
Ingredients
◯ Cake flour, preferably unbleached - 2 cups, 300g
◯ All-purpose flour, preferably unbleached - ¼ cup, 45g
◯ Baking powder - 2 ¼ Tsp, 10g
◯ Fine sea salt - ¾ Tsp, 5g
◯ Dark brown sugar - ½ cup, 89g
◯ Natural granulated sugar - ½ cup, 110g
◯ Vegetable oil - ¾ cup, 155g
◯ Large eggs - 3
◯ Full fat sour cream - ½ cup, 120g
◯ Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp
◯ Pumpkin purée - ¾ cup, 170g
◯ Cinnamon - 1 ¼ Tsp
◯ Ground ginger - ¾ Tsp
◯ Ground nutmeg - ¼ Tsp
◯ Ground cloves - ¼ Tsp
◯ Cardamom - ¼ Tsp
◯ Bittersweet chocolate chips - 1 ½ cup, 252g
◯ Sliced almonds, and extra chips to cover the top (optional) - about a tablespoon of each
◯ Demerara or turbinado sugar (optional) - to sprinkle on top
Details
Yield:
a 9” x 5” loaf pan
Total time:
1.5 hour
Active time: 10 minutes to make the batter
Baking time:
1 hour to 1 hour with 15 minutes
Equipment:
parchment paper, loaf cake pan, stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Steps:
Preheat oven to 325°.
Grease, spray with baking spray or line with parchment paper a 9” x 5” loaf pan. If lining with parchment, rub a bit of butter on the sides and bottom of the pan as a “glue” for the paper.
In a bowl gently mix the 2 cups/300g of cake flour, the ¼ cup/45g of all-purpose flour, the 2 ¼ teaspoon/10g of baking powder and the ¾ teaspoons/5g of salt with a hand whisk, just to incorporate everything.
In a large mixing bowl beat in high speed the ½ cup/89g of dark brown sugar and the ½ cup/110g of natural granulated sugar for 3 minutes.
Add the ¾ cup/155g of oil, the 3 eggs, the ½ cup/120g of sour cream and the teaspoon of vanilla and mix until fully incorporated (you should not see the oil separated).
Mix in high speed the ¾ cup/170g of pumpkin purée, the 1 ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, the ¾ teaspoon of ginger and the ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, cloves and cardamom until well blended, about 2 minutes.
Add the flour mixture and gently mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. When half of the flour has incorporated, add the 1 ½ cup/252g of chocolate chips and fold just until the chips look well distributed.
Transfer batter to the prepared pan, filling only about ⅔ of it. Depending on your pan, you may have about ¼ cup of batter left (do not throw it out and make 2 cupcakes or 1 jumbo muffin). Cover batter with sliced almonds and more chocolate chips (optional). Lightly sprinkle some Demerara sugar if you have.
Bake for 55 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350° and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until a toothpick comes out clean from batter when you insert it throughout the center of the cake. Poke at different spots and as deep as possible to make sure it’s done. Remember you can get melted chocolate in the toothpick, so clean it and poke in another area if you need to make sure.
Allow pumpkin bread to cool down completely. Wait a couple of hours before slicing and eating to let the flavors set.
Store in an airtight container on your counter for the first day, then in the fridge.
To reheat, cover a slice with a damp paper towel and place it on a small baking tray for a counter top oven. Heat at 350° for a 5 to 10 minutes until warm.
