Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt - #BundtBakers

A couple months ago, I lamented that we were finally getting some rain (goodbye, drought!) but unfortunately, I did not have any pumpkin seeds to plant. I finally got some seeds and stuffed them in random places all over the backyard. I spotted two plants today. The rains seem to have stopped but hopefully, my little pumpkin plants can flourish. I'm going to toss the seeds from the pumpkin I used for this month's bundt down there too. The more the merrier. I envision a backyard filled with more pumpkin than I could ever eat. That actually happened early last year. I made so many pumpkin breads for a church sale, gave away some, and steamed lots of pumpkin for dinner. I am suddenly craving a pumpkin and coconut cream pasta from Usain Bolt's Tracks & Records. C'mon pumpkin! Grow!

I used fresh pumpkin puree in this Bundt but feel free to use the canned stuff. I don't get the canned stuff here so I either roast the pumpkin or stick it in the slow cooker (no water!). I find that it is best to cook twice the weight that I need for a recipe. This helps to account for the water lost during the cooking process. 

There is pumpkin galore from the Bundt Bakers today. Scroll down to see them all. Thanks for hosting, Stacy!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt 

Ingredients 

2 3/4 cups flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

4 eggs

1 cup oil

1 1/2 cup brown sugar 

2 cups (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Thoroughly grease and flour and Bundt pan. 

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Toss in the chocolate chips and stir. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, then add the remaining ingredients. Beat thoroughly. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until incorporated. The batter is thick!! Don't overmix. 

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.  Bake 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

Cool completely before removing from the pan. Glaze the cooled cake, if desired. 

Enjoy!

• Buttermilk Pumpkin Bundt + a Browned Butter Glaze from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Bundt with Caramel Icing from Palatable Pastime
• Pumpkin Chai Spiced Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra
• Pumpkin Chocolate Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pumpkin Studded Bundt from Sneha's Recipe
• Sour Cream Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes from Making Miracles
• Spiked Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• The Perfect Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze from Patyco Candybar
• White Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Chai and Cardamom from Sweet Sensations

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our home page.

Anadama Bread - #BreadBakers

This uniquely named bread has its roots in New England. The name could be from a disgruntled husband who was upset about only having cornmeal and molasses for lunch and shouted "Ana, damn her!" as he whipped up his own concoction or from an inscription on a tombstone or most likely neither. The loaf has white flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal and molasses. Some also add rye as I did. I only get a really dark molasses in my supermarket. It isn't labeled Blackstrap but I guess that is what it is. It does lead to a very molasses-forward loaf. If you don't want a strong molasses flavour, opt for a lighter molasses. I need to get my hands on some lighter molasses because this one will definitely be too intense cookies.

Please scroll down to see all the brown breads that the Bread Bakers have for you this month! Thanks for hosting this month's Bread Bakers, Wendy! 

Andama Bread

Ingredients

113g cornmeal

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons  oil

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup boiling water

240g all purpose flour

57g  whole wheat flour

53g rye flour

28g nonfat dry milk

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Directions 

Mix cornmeal and salt in a bowl. Add oil, molasses and boiling water. Stir until smooth and then let cool for 15 minutes. 

Add the remaining ingredients. Mix until it just comes together and then let rest for 20 minutes. 

Knead until smooth. It should be a little sticky. If it seems a bit dry, add a little water at a time. 

Allow to rise until doubled. You can also refrigerate overnight. 

After the dough has doubled, shape as desired - a boule or form a log and place in a greased loaf pan. 

Cover and let it proof until doubled once more - about 90 minutes depending on the temperature of your room. 

Near the end of rising time, preheat oven to 350 F. 

Bake 40-45 mins or until the centre registers 190F. 

Cool and devour. 

Notes 

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Baking Company

• Anadama Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Boston Brown Bread from Pastry Chef Online
• Brown Sandwich Bread from Anybody Can Bake
• Copy-Cat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Copy-Cat Outback Steakhouse Bread from Making Miracles
• Golden Braid of Bern from What Smells So Good
• Irish Brown Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Molasses Rye Slider Buns from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• No Knead Sprouted Wheat and Flax Seed Sandwich Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Molasses and Honey Brown Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Traditional Steamed Brown Bread from A Messy Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Rolls from Magical Ingredients
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread from Ambrosia
• Wholemeal Soda Bread from Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Java Plum Muffins - #MuffinMonday

A few years ago I discovered an unknown tree growing in my backyard. I did some research and found that it is called java plum but Jamaicans call it ribena (a reference to the black currant drink). It is native to Southeast Asia. The fruit is extremely tart and I immediately wanted to bake something with them. I also learned that Jamaicans make a drink with them. Side note: Jamaicans make a drink with EVERYTHING. Multiple times this past week persons mentioned making pumpkin punch. I stick to baking. 

I wanted to use the java plum as one would use blueberries but the huge seeds are a pain. Deseeding them leaves you with little yield and a very purple kitchen and hands. I ditched my plans and in 2018, the tree was cut down because it had become a hazard (tall trees + hurricanes). A few weeks ago, I noticed the fruit on the ground. The tree had sprung back up and was bearing. Time to try again. This time I made a bit of a jam and swirled that into my muffins. 

Scroll down to see what the other Muffin Monday bakers made!

Java Plum Muffins 

Yield: 12 muffins

Jam Ingredients

250 g Java plums 

1/4 cup water

75g sugar

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Muffin Base Ingredients 

1 3/4 cup flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 eggs 

3/4 cup sugar 

1/2 cup oil 

1/2 coup sour cream 

1/4 cup milk 

2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions 

Place the java plums and water in a small pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until the pulp falls off the seeds. Turn the heat off and remove the seeds. That is a bit tedious. Sorry.

Add sugar to the pulp and return to medium heat. Cook until thickened. Stir it often so it doesn't stick tot the sides or bottom of the pot. I reduced mine by about a half or so. Stir in the lemon or lime juice. 

Allow to cool completely. Chill if you have time. 

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan. 

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs and sugar then add oil, sour cream, milk and vanilla. 

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin wells - they will be almost full. Gently swirl in a heaping teaspoon of java plum jam. Alternatively, you can add about a tablespoon and a half of batter, a little jam, more batter and then swirl a little more jam. That gives you a nice surprise in the middle. 

Bake for 5 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake for another 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Notes

• My research suggested that the over-ripe fruit was not best for jam - less pectin. I still used very ripe fruit because it is not as tart. The texture was fine for my purposes.
• Don't swirl too much!

 

• Apple Streusel Muffin Tops from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Banana Mocha Chip Muffins from Making Miracles
• Dirty Chai Latte Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Java Plum Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
• Sweet Summer Squash Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.