A pumpkin loaf is one of those recipes that earns its place in the regular rotation. Warmly spiced, tender, and just sweet enough. It is the kind of bake that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible. This time we have folded through layers of Bennetto Orange with Chilli dark chocolate, which brings a gentle heat and a bright citrus note that works beautifully against the cinnamon and ginger. The result is a loaf that is just a little bit more interesting than the classic, and just as easy to make.
It is also gluten-free, dairy-free, and comes together in one blender. Weeknight baking at its best.
What you need:
- 300g caster sugar
- 170g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 340g canned pumpkin puree
- 120g oat milk
- 2 large eggs
- 240g self-raising gluten-free flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1x Bennetto Orange with Chilli 60% Dark Chocolate bar, roughly chopped
How to make it:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
- Add the pumpkin puree, sugar, melted butter, oat milk, and eggs to a blender and blitz until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into a large bowl and fold in the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until you have a smooth batter.
- Spoon half the batter into the loaf tin, scatter over half the chopped chocolate, then repeat with the remaining batter and chocolate.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1½ hours, testing with a skewer from 50 minutes - it should come out clean when done. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on it.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack before slicing.
Store wrapped at room temperature for up to five days, or slice and freeze for up to a month and pull a slice out whenever you’re craving something a little bit cosy and a lot chocolatey.
