Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

Less than two weeks for Halloween and I feel like I'm a little late to the party because (almost) everybody started sharing Halloween recipes right after the summer holidays ended. But hey, there's still time to prepare some pumpkin-ish things!

Which holidays do you prefer the most? Halloween or Christmas? I think I prefer Halloween because there's not much fuss, it's a more chill holiday, not as stressful as Christmas with all the cooking frenzy, gift-shopping...during Halloween you can have fun decorating the house or even dressing up, watch horror movies all cozied up at home and enjoy desserts and snacks made with fall produce like butternut squash, sweet potato, pomegranate, apple, etc. I mean, spooky dark things are always funnier! ;-p

Talking about fall desserts and Halloween, this vegan chocolate pumpkin bread is super moist, almost like a brownie, and very, very chocolatey. It's absolutely delicious, trust me! Also, it's a very easy recipe that anyone can make no matter how skilled you are in the kitchen. Enjoy a slice of this tender chocolate loaf with your favorite cup of tea or a pumpkin latte for a complete cozy-autumn experience, hehe. Don't forget to be generous with the chocolate chips on top, they really do make a difference. ;-)

I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

(20x10 cm loaf pan)

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree (around 400g baked and mashed pumpkin or butternut squash).

1 1/2 tablespoons flaxmeal + 3 tablespoons water.

1/3 cup mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil.

1/2 cup whole cane sugar.

3/4 cup flour.

1/4 cup pure cocoa powder.

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt.

3/4 teaspoon baking soda.

1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.

1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, plus some extra chips for sprinkling.

Directions

To make the pumpkin puree simply bake around 400g of peeled and chopped pumpkin (or butternut squash) and when it's tender mash with a fork until completely pureed.

Mix the ground flax seeds with water and let it rest until it thickens and becomes a gel, around 10 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 180ºC and line a 20x10-cm loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl beat together the pumpkin puree, flax "egg", olive oil and sugar. Vigorously mix until a soft batter forms. Set aside.

In a different bowl stir together the rest of ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula until soft, glossy and lump-free. Finally, fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula and sprinkle a generous amount of chocolate chips on top (optional but recommended).

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist (but not wet) crumbs. The texture of this pumpkin chocolate bread is very similar to brownies, very moist and chocolatey but not as thick or dense.

Once the bread is baked let it cool on the pan for a few minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Tip: to easily slice this bread store it in the fridge overnight.