This post has been sitting in "drafts" since last fall. Oops.
Who has an overwhelming amount of puréed pumpkin sitting in their freezer? We do!! I didn't have the heart to discard our uncarved pumpkins this year so we roasted, pureed and froze them in one-cup portions*.Aware of my post-Halloween situation, my aunt kindly sent me this recipe from Jody at Urban Frum Eats. As the author puts it, "It is not super-exciting but subtly sweet, paired with a morning mug of coffee or an after dinner tea, this pumpkin loaf is truly a slice of fall". It won't win any baking awards, but it is worth sharing because it is delightful, moist, easy to make and my toddler gave it the thumbs up. Oh, and it is helping to make more room in my freezer for foods other than pumpkin...
Ingredients
- 1½ c all-purpose gluten-free flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ c maple syrup
- ¼ c maple flakes or organic cane sugar
- 1 c pumpkin purée (canned or made fresh* and stored)
- ½ c olive oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ c water
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Optional: 1/2 ts cloves, chopped walnuts or chocolate/carob chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan. I prefer a mini loaf pan.
- Sift together flour, salt and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, syrup, sugar, oil, eggs, water and spices together.
- Quickly combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir in the nuts, chocolate chips if using.
- Pour mixture into the loaf pan. Bake about 60 minutes or until knife / toothpick comes out clean.
*Pumpkin purée: cut pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds in the middle and lie face down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft (about an hour.) When it has cooled, scoop out the flesh and gently puree in a blender or food processor. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place 1-cup portions on the tray. Place in the freezer until it is frozen then place pumpkins in a freezer bag.
