Autumn is here. The sun, if out at all, is low in the sky, fallen leaves rustle underfoot and the the smell of wood burners is wafting through the air. That’s my (and your) cue to do some baking. Today’s recipe therefore is a cake, it’s a vegan pumpkin marble cake that has been inspired by this beautiful, alas non-vegan, specimen in New York Times.
My recipe is based on my old recipe for pumpkin cake, which I still very much love except that I added bloomed cocoa powder to a portion of the batter and swirled both of them together slightly for a beautifully marbled look.
This vegan pumpkin marble cake is simple to make – it starts its life as a single cake batter, which then gets split into two. It’s fragrant with autumn spices – I went for a mixture of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg – and slightly sweet, but not overly so. I increased the sweetness of this loaf a little bit in comparison with the original but that’s because I wanted to compensate for the savouriness of unsweetened cocoa powder that gets added to a third of the batter.
You are welcome to add some chopped walnuts or perhaps chocolate chunks to this cake. I actually tested a delicious chocolate glaze on it but decided against it as I wanted something simpler to go with the afternoon cup of tea or coffee. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
PUMPKIN PURÉE: While I normally make my own pumpkin purée, this time I used America’s Finest pumpkin purée which I purchased at Waitrose. If that’s not available to you, make your own by steaming cubed pumpkin of choice until a skewer goes in easily and then turn it into a purée in a food processor.
OIL: Oil is what keeps this cake moist. I recommend using a neutral type of oil, like grapeseed or mild olive oil so that its flavour doesn’t detract from the subtler autumnal flavours of pumpkin and warming spices.
PLANT MILK: Any plant milk will work here. Sometimes I use oat, sometimes soy whatever I currently have in my fridge.
SUGAR: To sweeten this vegan pumpkin marble cake, I used a combination of superfine (caster) sugar and about a third of dark brown sugar for extra flavour. Any sugar combination will work.
LEMON JUICE: I added a touch of lemon juice to the batter as a little bit of an acid helps with the raise. You could use lime juice or just a teaspoon of vinegar.
FLOUR: I made this cake with plain wheat flour. If you want to make it gluten-free, use a well formulated gluten-free mix of flours (not a single gluten-free flour) and a bit of either xanthan gum (½ tsp) or ground flax to help with binding.
SPICES: I used a combination of a few dry spices for this cake, you could also use ready made pumpkin spice mix if you have it.
BAKING AGENTS: I used a combination of baking soda and baking powder to make this cake rise beautifully.
HOW TO MAKE IT?
1) BLOOM THE COCOA
Blooming cocoa intensifies its flavour and gets rids of annoying lumps. To do that, put cocoa powder in a small bowl and then whisk in 3 tbsp of boiling water. As soon as smooth paste forms, cover the bowl with cling film (glad wrap in Australia) so that the extra liquid hydrates the cocoa instead of evaporating, then set aside to cool down completely.
2) COMBINE WET INGREDIENTS
First, note down the weight of the bowl you intend to use for mixing the batter. In that bowl, combine all the wet ingredients until smooth: pumpkin puree, plant milk, oil, sugar, acid and vanilla.
3) ADD DRY INGREDIENTS
The next step is to add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. I recommend sifting them through – the best way to do it is to put a large sieve over the mixing bowl and sift in half of the flour first. Fold it in gently using a flexible spatula, then sift in the rest of the flour, both baking agents, salt and spices. Be careful not to overmix, mix only until there are no dry ingredient pockets left.
4) STIR COCOA INTO A THIRD OF THE BATTER
Now weigh the mixing bowl, this time with the batter in it, again. Then subtract the weight of the bowl and divide the resulting number into three. Transfer a third of the batter into a separate bowl and gently mix in your bloomed cocoa power.
5) LAYER AND MARBLE
Finally, layer the two batters in a prepared baking tin. Start off with pumpkin batter at the bottom, tap the tin against the counter gently, then dollop in some chocolate batter and tap again. Carry on until you’ve used up both batters. Finally use a chopstick or a skewer to swirl the two batters together even so slightly – you don’t want to overdo it as you don’t want the two batters to remain separate. Bake until a skewer comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife.
- 300 g / 10.5 oz (approx. 1¼ cup) pumpkin purée*
- 120 ml / ½ cup plant milk
- 60 ml / ¼ cup mild tasting oil (if using coconut oil, melted)
- 200 g / 1 cup sugar, I used caster and dark brown
- 10 ml / 2 tsp lemon / lime juice
- 10 ml / 2 tsp vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 20 g / 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 220 g / 1¾ cups all purpose white flour or GF flour mix
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- SPICES: 1½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, ½ tsp cardamom, ¼ tsp nutmeg, pinch of cloves
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (recommended only if using GF flour mix)
METHOD
- To begin with, bloom your cocoa powder by whisking it with 3 tbsp (45 ml) of boiling water in a small bowl. Cover with cling film (that’s important) and set aside to cool completely.
- Warm up the oven to 175° C / 350° F and grease and line a small loaf cake tin (mine is 22 cm / 8.5 inches by 11.5 cm / 4.5 inches at its widest part) and dust with flour or line with paper.
- First, note down your large mixing bowl’s weight. In that mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin purée with plant milk, sugar, oil, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix very well.
- Place a sieve over the mixing bowl and sift in half of the flour, both baking agents, dry spices and salt. If using GF flour mix that does not contain xanthan gum, I recommend adding it too.
- Using a spatula, start incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet ones by making small circles in the middle of the bowl first (to minimise lumps), gradually extending the circles to incorporate more and more flour. Be slow and gentle.
- Next, sift in the other half of the flour and proceed as in the previous step.
- Mix until there is no flour streaks left, but do not overmix (that’s only important if you are using a flour containing gluten)!
- Weigh the bowl with the batter, subtract the weight of the bowl from the total and divide into 3. Transfer a third of the batter into a separate bowl.
- Gently fold cooled cocoa mixture into the third of the batter until homogenous.
- Layer both batters in the prepared baking tin, tapping gently after each addition. Use a chopstick to swirl the two batters a little, not too much as don’t want them mixed with each other..
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean (this cake should be moist). Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool down completely.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the cake – it produces neater looking slices. Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
NOTES
BAKING TIN SIZE: 900 g / 2 lb tins vary enormously between brands so I recommend measuring the volume of the tin you intend to use first. For this recipe, I used a tin that holds 1250 ml / 5 cups of liquid (to the brim), but the batter should fill no more than 2/3 – 3/4 of the 2lb cake tin or else the cake may not raise.
