The Cake Slice October 2010 - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

I am so fortunate because I have joined a wonderful group of baker's from The Cake Slice.  We will be baking for the next 12 months from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  Our first cake from the book is a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.

This cake certainly did not disappoint.  I have made a few different pumpkin cake recipes over the years but this has quickly become my new favorite.  It made the whole house smell wonderful and I couldn't wait to get the cakes out of the oven.  Although the recipe called for a loaf tin I decided to make it in a 12-cup mini bundt tin.  I adjusted the baking time to 20 minutes and I managed to make 18 mini bundts from this recipe.  The only other changes I made was to use pecans rather than walnuts only because I have a Costco-size bag that I've been trying to use up, and I used mini-chocolate chips because I had two bags of them in my freezer.

One of these little cakes warm from the oven and a cup of my favorite coffee from Coffees of Hawaii (Ka'u of course), and I was in heaven. The crumb from this cake is so incredibly delicate and moist.  The little sprinkle of powdered sugar on top proved to be a good choice, especially when I found out that after a little while it turns orange, which seemed fitting for this cake.

Click here to check out all of the other Cake Slice Baker's blogs and see their versions of the same cake.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

(recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes)

Ingredients

• 1 3⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1⁄3 cup milk
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the inside of a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust it with flour.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin purée and vanilla. Stir in the milk.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1⁄2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.

Tip - Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for up to one week.