Pumpkin and Chocolate Cakes

Pumpkin and chocolate cakes are a delicious encounter between the sweetly earthy flavor of pumpkin and the intense note of chocolate. Now, I will list the ingredients and then guide you through the preparation.

Ingredients

• 200 g of cleaned pumpkin
• 100 g of all-purpose flour
• 50 g of almond flour
• 100 g of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 60 g of melted butter
• 100 g of dark chocolate
• 1/2 packet of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Start by preheating the oven to 180 °C.
2. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and steam or bake until tender. Once cooked, blend it to obtain a smooth puree.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar until frothy. Add the lukewarm melted butter and continue mixing.
4. Add the pumpkin puree to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
6. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring gently to prevent lumps.
7. Roughly chop the dark chocolate with a knife and add it to the batter.
8. Pour the batter into previously buttered muffin cups or line them with paper muffin liners.
9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
10. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack before serving.

Curiosity

The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is not very common in Italy, but as in this case, it can offer interesting and balanced flavors. Pumpkin can be used in many ways in pastry, thanks to its natural sweetness and the texture that lends softness to the sweets. Adding a touch of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg not only adds depth to the flavor but also brings us back to the autumn and winter atmospheres, typical of this cuisine.

If you have difficulty finding almond flour, you can replace it with the same amount of all-purpose flour, or you can make it at home by finely grinding peeled almonds.