What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?
Squash!
I think I've been eating pumpkin almost every day for the last month. Whether at breakfast, where I cut it into pieces in the oatmeal, or I simply eat it with banana and cinnamon for dinner, the pumpkin is there! And why not make a dessert with it, with a little sugar and many pretty healthy ingredients.
In addition to pumpkin, the star of autumn, this bread contains: wholemeal flour, replacing white flour, a little raw sugar, replacing white or brown sugar, aquafaba - water from canned chickpeas , replacing eggs, many seasonal spices for a boost of antioxidants and some ingredients to help with the baking.
Why you'll like this recipe?
It has a tender, slightly moist consistency . If most vegan cakes that include pumpkin, banana, or other fruits / vegetables tend to be dense, this bread is fluffy, light, and not at all dense. Slightly moist at the bottom, where the pumpkin makes its place among the other ingredients… yum yum.
It's pretty easy to do , all the preparation doesn't take more than 20 minutes, and then you let it bake for another 45-50, while you do other chores / meals, or wait for time to pass and finally taste it. You don't even need a lot of utensils: a cake tray, some baking paper, a few bowls and an electric mixer.
It is perfect for the rainy season , it is a dish that gives you warmth and some autumn flavors throughout the house. A slice of sweet pumpkin bread can make an ideal breakfast, along with a cup of hot tea, or a nutritious snack, when you feel like eating something sweet.
It is also pretty healthy
Contains pumpkin, known for its health benefits:
- 100g of baked pumpkin contains the recommended daily dose of vitamin A - in fact precursors of vitamin A, beta-carotene , which is converted into vitamin A by the body for as much as it needs . Thus, include pumpkin in your diet and it will help you have eagle eyes and baby skin.
- with only 20kcal per 100g , it is a perfect food for weight loss. It is a densely nutritious food, but also filling, because pumpkin fiber helps you get full on time and not overeat.
- It contains other vitamins and minerals , in smaller quantities, but which are added to the recommended daily dose: potassium, copper, manganese, vitamin C, E and B2.
- It can be eaten in various forms : baked, in soups, purees, cakes, or pies. Beware, however, of processed pumpkin products, which may contain a large amount of added sugars, or other harmful ingredients.
Recipe
Pumpkin spice bread
Equipment
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 400 g Pumpkin Puree canned, or homemade, by blending baked pumpkin
- 90 ml aquafaba canned chickpea liquid, preferably unsalted
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 70 ml melted coconut oil or other oil
- 90 ml plant based milk I used soy. unsweetened
- 90 g whole sugar
- 240 g whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice combine 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp powdered cloves, 1/4 tsp ginger powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a loaf pan with parchement paper, or grease the pan with a little oil and line it with flour.
- In a bowl, drain the liquid from a can, or two, of chickpeas, for as much as you need. Use a sieve in this process, so as not to drop pieces of chickpeas in the bowl. Mix the composition with a mixer for 1 minute, until a foam is formed.
- Mix plant based milk with apple cider vinegar separately. The result is a vegan buttermilk which, in combination with baking powder and baking soda, give the cake a tender and airy consistency.
- In a bowl, mix the sugar with the oil. Add the aquafaba and vegetable milk mixture with apple cider vinegar over the sugar and oil, and mix.
- Sift the wholemeal flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a fine sieve over a larger bowl. Whisk well to ensure everything is evenly distributed. Sifting is an important step if you want to achieve the same result as mine, otherwise the dough will be dense at the end.
- Add the dry ingredients over the wet ones and mix the ingredients with a silicone spatula very slowly, without insisting. A common mistake is to mix the composition strongly and for a long time, but this way you risk the gluten to get already activated, and the cake will end up a total failure.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and put it in the oven for 45-50 minutes, at 180 degrees Celsius. After 45 minutes, I suggest you check with a toothpick if it's done. It may come out with a few wet crumbs, but there should be no leftover uncoocked dough on it.
- Serve it with a cup of tea or coffee while reading a good book and hearing the rain!
Sources:
- Nutrition facts: https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2601/2
- 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Pumpkin: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pumpkin#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
Lavinia Dinca
Nutritionist
English 
Română