October Blessings

I love October! Even before moving to the Arizona desert, where October  brings summer's end and blessed cool weather, I have loved this month. Fat bumply pumpkins and dry corn cobs turn me all woobly inside and I want to pull on an old sweater and knee socks.

Then I come to my senses and realize I'm standing in the craft store check-out line, tearing up over a plastic pumpkin. It's 93 degrees in Phoenix on October 2nd. Sweaters and socks will have to wait, but I'm baking something with pumpkin tonight.

My mother used the recipe on the back of Libby Canned Pumpkin for her pumpkin pie filling, but her crust was a graham cracker crumb crust with chocolate chips baked in it. I have never been able to reproduce that crust - either the chocolate burns to the bottom of the pan or the chips float to the top of the pumpkin filling.

Even so, the combination of pumpkin and semi-sweet chocolate is unforgettable, and this small cake combines them nicely. It is chocolaty enough to feel indulgent, with enough nutritious whole-grains, eggs and pumpkin to feel righteous. It also happens to be just the right size for a family or small party without a lot of left-overs tempting me in the middle of the night.

{Warning: My husband hated this cake! Apparently, he had a sad childhood bereft of chocolaty pumpkin memories. You'll have to try it and decide who has the best taste.}

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, spelt preferred
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter, oil or fat (see note)
3/4 c. sugar, fine raw sugar preferred
3 eggs
3/4 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. chocolate chips (any variety; I like the semisweet)
1/2 c. chopped nuts (not peanuts, please)

Glaze:
3/4 c. chocolate chips (these probably should match those in the batter)
1/4 c. milk or milk substitute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" cake pan, line bottom with waxed paper, then spray again and dust lightly with flour.

Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. Dust 1/2 c. chocolate chips and nuts with a tablespoon or so of this mixture.

With electric mixer, cream butter or oil with sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin puree. Don't be concerned if the mixture does not seem to blend.

Add dry ingredients about half a cup at a time. (A flour chute is handy to prevent flour flying everywhere.)   Stir in chocolate chips and nuts by hand.

Turn batter into prepped pan, then tap the filled pan on the counter to eliminate voids. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until a tester inserted halfway between edge of cake and the center comes out clean. (Cake edges may not pull away from the pan.) Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge, invert on rack and remove waxed paper. Invert again onto another rack and cool completely.

Melt 3/4 c. chocolate chips with 2 Tbs. milk in microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir to complete melting. Let cool slightly - only add more milk if needed for a  glaze of thick pudding consistency. Scoop onto cooled cake and use a spatula to gently nudge glaze to drip over cake edges. Chill to firm glaze, then garnish as desired.

Serves 8 or more.

NOTE: Anyone who has ever watched Julia Child knows that butter is the preferred fat for cakes. But what if your family is dairy intolerant? Oil works in some recipes, but in others, some solid fat is needed for texture, and oil cannot replace the savory flavor of butter. Looking to the past for inspiration, I (re)discovered lard. Yet the packaged lard sold today is partially hydroginated, i.e., trans fat, and not suitible for human consumption. Searching further, I found "schmaltz" or (don't cringe, please!) rendered chicken fat. It has the mild richness of butter, melts when heated and solidifies when chilled. It is 100% natural, real food. It is animal fat, but then, so is butter. If lactose intolerance is a problem, schmaltz is a good option. For this cake, I put about a tablespoon of schmaltz in the measuring cup then filled the rest with canola oil. It tastes as close to butter as you can get without a cow.

copyright Starr Luteri 2009