Spicy Pumpkin Loaf

food snob mom's Note:

The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is surprisingly wonderful and delicious! This recipe freezes well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 20

• 3 ¾ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
• 12 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Spice Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 dash clove

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Cream 2 sticks of butter or margarine.
3. Gradually add 2 cups of sugar ( I cut this in half and it's still sweet). Cream well.
4. Blend in and beat well 4 eggs.
5. At low speed add dry ingredients alternately with 1 1/2 cups canned or cooked pumpkin, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in 12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips and nuts. Turn into 2 greased 9X5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool then drizzle with spice glaze.
6. SPICE GLAZE: Combine all ingredients and blend in 3-4 teaspoons hot water until consistency of a glaze.

Reviews

[Food Snob in Israel]

Now I LOVE this when my food snob mom (aka MY MOM) makes this but mine just didn't turn out as delicious. Maybe cause mom didn't make it...;) At any rate, I did use the full two cups of sugar and skipped the nuts. I also used whole wheat and spelt flour and really could not taste the difference. I DO feel that 3/4 or 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips would have been MORE THAN ENOUGH chocolate-y...and I LOVE chocolate. Date honey or honey could have replaced some of the sugar, as well, I believe. I am freezing one loaf, but assume that all will go well with that, as it always does for mom. 1.5 cups canned pumpkin=1 full can One large Israeli butter (200g) is roughly equalivant to 1 cup butter or 2 american size sticks of butter. Make sure to let cook to a dark brown (espically if using a whole flour) or else it could be a bit gooey in the middle. Better to slightly overcook this one, imo. It's fluffy but crumbly and very rich and flavorful. Glaze is not so necessary. A unique and frugal way to use a can of pumpkin (which is a rare find here in the middle east). Miss you mom!