a close second...

For about five years, I've had a go-to recipe for pumpkin chocolate-chip "brownies" that I use when I'm in the mood for a pumpkin-chocolate blend of flavors.  But when I saw Averie's recipe for a pumpkin chocolate-chip Bundt cake, that seemed silly not to try.  Who knows?!  It might be even better than the brownie recipe.

And I have to admit - any baking recipe that uses the one-bowl approach sounds awesome.  Not having to use a mixer?  Even more awesome!

Yes, I did run my finger around the bowl to lick up the dredges left behind after pouring the batter into the Bundt pan. I did share, though - it seemed like the nice thing to do, considering that Wildcat Guy was standing in the kitchen doing dishes at the same time that I was baking.

When I took it out of the oven, it smelled delicious!  In fact, that's part of what I enjoy so much about baking with pumpkin - the comforting, almost-earthy smell of the pumpkin mixed with spices like ginger, cloves and cinnamon.  Indeed, pumpkin baked goods would certainly count as a comfort food in my corner of the world.

Phew!  Another successful baking effort in the Bundt pan.  I always feel silly for spraying the inside of the pan so heavily before pouring the batter in - but who wants to have the top of the cake stick in the pan?!  Sure, it might taste just as good...but it's still frustrating to ruin the prettiness of a Bundt cake, right?

Okay, so technically-speaking, the recipe isn't a one-bowl recipe.  It's a one-bowl, one-cup recipe.  Because it would be silly to mix the ganache topping in that large batter bowl!  I would guess that you could use any type of chocolate chips you wanted - whether that be the traditional semi-sweet, or something else like milk chocolate or dark chocolate.  I stayed to the recipe, mainly because I wanted to get a feel for the flavor of the original recipe as she designed it, before playing with it.

Pretty!  And when I tasted the first slice (pictured above), I liked it.  I can't say I loved it, though - the flavor was just a little milder than that of my beloved brownies.  And in the future, unless I'm in specific need or mood for a cake, I will probably still default to my brownie recipe.  But this one is certainly one I'll be keeping, and I was still happy to have a delicious cake to share with my colleagues this week.

Where I am: home
What I'm reading: (nothing)