Chili Chocolate Pumpkin Marble Bread
I’m late to the pumpkin party. It seems like everyone else has been indulging since September, and I bought my first can of pumpkin puree last week. Why is it that I seem to forget the magic of that deep orange puree and what it does to baked goods, especially quick breads? There was just the right amount of heat in this chili chocolate pumpkin marble bread, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves.
I got inspired to throw chili powder into this loaf because of a cup of granola from a coffee shop that I bought to share with my son. It had a little buzz to it, and when I flipped over the container to read the ingredients my suspicion was confirmed—chili powder! That similar hint of spiciness worked well with the pumpkin and especially with the chocolate swirls that patterned each slice.
Chili Chocolate Pumpkin Marble Bread
Adapted from Bobby Flay
Makes 1 loaf
Non-stick cooking spray
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, line with parchment paper and then spray the paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, cloves, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the batter just barely stirring with a spatula making sure it still looks swirled. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack.
