Pumpkin Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Pumpkin Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Adapted from Gjelina's infamous Kabocha, Olive Oil and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, this fall-ish cake recipe does without the original olive oil glaze but doubles down on the pumpkin flavour by using Delica - a gourd among gourds. Indeed the sugar-laden flesh of this particular type of pumpkin gives the cake a deliciously earthy sweetness, which is complemented by the bitter accent of dark chocolate – another personal deviation from the original, which called for bittersweet.
500g piece of Delica pumpkin
125ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling the pumpkin*
125ml plain full-fat yoghurt
180g plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
200g light brown sugar
3 large eggs
200g 85% dark chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 220°C | 425℉. Set the pumpkin (cut side down) on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Cook until very soft and beginning to caramelise around the edges, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Scrape out the pumpkin flesh and mash with a fork (or transfer to a food processor and pulse until smooth).
Wrap the pureed pumpkin in a tight bundle in a doubled piece of cheesecloth. Put in a colander set over a bowl, and let drain for about 2 hours, or overnight (the exact time will depend on the type of pumpkin and its moisture content). Every now and then, squeeze the cheesecloth to drain more water. (You can do the same using a fine-mesh sieve, too). Unwrap the drained pumpkin and measure out 225 g | 1 cup. (Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days; use in any other recipe that calls for puréed pumpkin).
Preheat oven to 170°C | 325℉. Grease and line a 23cm | 9inch loaf pan.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the sugar, olive oil, yoghurt, pumpkin puree and eggs. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until springy and browned and a toothpick comes out clean – about 75 to 90 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, and then unmould it and set it on a cooling rack to cool completely.