Well it’s Halloween again… yipee! SO of course this month has been all about the glorious pumpkin… in all its forms… we must honour our seasons ingredients , but must never push them too hard I always say..
I love using the winter veggies in all kinds of ways.. It’s important to enjoy them in their prime..I do also believe that other fruit and veg that may not necessarily be “in season” at this very moment but are still around , still very much a part of the family at the market stalls, deserve to be noticed too… it’s okay if we still enjoy a caprese salad … to eat a mango as part of our sunny breakfast while Instagramming.. it’s okay to allow ourselves a cooling berry parfait… it’s ALL okay… that’s what food should be about… allowing yourself to eat those things that you love… seasonal or not… of course, seasonal is always more exciting to play around with as there will always be more choice out there…
I enjoy a roasted butternut squash or pumpkin with a couple of spices thrown in… cumin, chilli, garlic… and the same thing, roasted and whizzed up with chickpeas and tahini… a dreamy version of hummus… it works too… and because pumpkin or any of these winter squashes is stronger in sweeter tones, it’s perfect for desserts… baked, gooey dessrts, like this one…
They’re sweet and “spicy”.. the pumpkin spices ( cinnamon, nutmeg… if you have pumpkin spice blend you can just use that).. really come through in the bake… and at first they may seem cake like, but if you have the patience to leve them or a few hours, let them cool down, let flavours harmonize, there is a beautiful fudginess to them from the pumpkin that really works with the chocolate…. the trick is to not overcook them and obviously this will vary from oven to oven… so you can follow the time I have stated but also, you know you’re oven…. so use your knowledge here…. it’ll work! 🙂 And you will LOVE these…
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups wholewheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin ( I used a full can)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
- Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
- Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; You can also use a hand held beater; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
- Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl.
- In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.
- With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect.
- Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.
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