Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pound Cake

This was a simple recipe I watched on the Today Show one morning. It is odd, but delicious. It is in the form of a bread, which is typically sweet, yet it full of unexpected spice. The chocolate chips even it out and a dollop of whip cream on the top it is a delightful fall dessert.

Pumpkin chocolate-chip pound cake (more like a loaf, if you ask me)

From "Cake Keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 3⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves-I subsituted more cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1⁄4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin purée

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1⁄3 cup milk

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the inside of a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust it with flour.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin purée and vanilla. Stir in the milk.

5.Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1⁄2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.

TIP

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for up to one week.