9.30.2010

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake With Chocolate Crackle Glaze

If you're craving a warm, moist slice of pumpkin cake, studded with chocolate chips, and glazed with rich chocolate doughnut frosting, then you need to make this cake.

Pumpkin chocolate chip Bundt cake

The recipe is based on a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaves in Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. It's supposed to make two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaves, but of course neither of my loaf pans are 9-by-5-by-3 inches.


I remembered that the The Art and Soul of Baking had a baking pan volume chart in it, so I flipped to that to see what other pan options I had. I learned that a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan has an 8-cup capacity. Since the recipe makes two loaves, I needed a 16-cup-capacity alternative.

Pumpkin chocolate chip Bundt cake

I thought it would be fun to make a bundt cake instead of loaves. I looked up my 10-by-3 1/2-inch bundt pan and found that it has a 12-cup capacity. I had 4 cups more to find and noticed that my mini bundt pans (1 3/4-by-4 inches) each have a 1-cup capacity.

Pumpkin chocolate chip Bundt cake

With a plan in mind, I buttered and floured my bundt pan and four mini bundt pans. The recipe actually yielded 8 cups of batter. Reasoning that each loaf pan would have held 4 cups of batter, half their capacity, I poured 6 cups of batter in the bundt pan and a 1/2 cup of batter in each of the four mini bundts. It actually worked out perfectly.

Pumpkin chocolate chip Bundt cake

The chocolate glaze was an after-thought. The finished bundt cake looked rather plain, and I had hoped for something more stunning. While the cake was cooling, I remembered a recipe for chocolate doughnuts with chocolate glaze in The Craft of Baking. I looked up the glaze, saw that I had all the ingredients, whisked everything together, and poured it over the cake. The glazed cake looked far more stunning, and the glaze itself complemented the chips and added even more chocolate flavor -- so I see nothing wrong with that!

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did!

Pumpkin chocolate chip Bundt cake

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake With Chocolate Crackle Glaze (adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and The Craft of Baking)
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients

Cake
3 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (one 15-ounce can)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup room-temperature water
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons hot water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour pans (bundt pans or loaf pans, as explained above).

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and oil until combined.


Add sugar and continue whisking. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Whisk in vanilla and then water. With a rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips.

Fold in dry ingredients. Do not overmix.


Divide the batter between the prepared pans (half and half for loaf pans or 6 cups in 12-capacity bundt pan and 1/2 cup in each of four mini bundt pans).


Smooth the batter.


Bake until toothpick in center comes out clean. I put the bundt and mini bundts in at the same time. (The recipe says to put both loaf pans in together)

For mini bundts, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn after 10 minutes.


For bundt cake, 55 to 70 minutes. Turn after 30 minutes.


(According to recipe: for loaves, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn halfway through. )

Transfer pans to cooling rack. Let cool enough to handle, and then loosen cakes, and turn them out onto the cooling rack to cool completely.



Make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in hot water. Add more to thin glaze, if necessary.

Pour the glaze over the bundt cake.


I had enough for the large bundt cake and one mini. I recommend doubling the glaze if you want to coat all of the cakes.




Do you like pumpkin baked goods? What are your favorites?

Have you ever done some finagling to get a recipe to fit in a different size pan?




You might also like these mini pumpkin whoopie pies and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with chocolate drizzle.