Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Just in time for another Thanksgiving recipe! Maybe a cranberry and orange cake, aint your thang, or maybe you need a little pumpkin + chocolate in your life or on the Thanksgiving menu. If so, this cake is for you :) I have made this cake more than a few times now and haven't wrote out a recipe. Yesterday I made it again for a family gathering, and finally wrote it out and was very happy with the results.

The first time I made it I was working from my pumpkin date muffins  recipe that I had made, and it was great, but to fill a bundt pan and to have the texture and moist-ness it needed it had to have the measurements adjusted to get the cake at it's best. So, I've done the leg-work for you and the experimenting ;) now it's your turn to try out this treat for the holidays or family gathering.

I hope you are finding time to reflect this season. It's so easy to be sad and stressed when your life revolves around what you can and cannot eat because of your health. And that can only escalates in a season of food traditions and even if you are a food blogger ;) Trust me, even after a decade of eating gluten-free (and many allergies-free) the depression/anxiety/sadness/grief feelings still unmask it's ugly self. So a simple way for me to deal with these emotions and stress is simply making a list of the many foods I CAN eat, and then finding a recipe or two that I CAN eat and enjoy and making it apart of my menu and even if it means starting a new tradition. I know that this does not take away the grief, and it is important to sit with that grief and really see it as that. Something that has also helped me over the years is writing out the simple things that I am thankful for each day....sometimes silly, but when you need to be reminded of how much in our lives is a gift- it seems really important. So it can be the things you use every day, the hot shower, indoor plumbing, the favorite mug from a friend, that one recipe you love and enjoy, the sunrise, chai tea, the sunset, your dear loved ones, and as you can see, an endless list of the gifts in your life. Food is a very important part, but it is not the only part, so trying to not let it be the controlling factor of your emotions is really important. And then when you can see it as just part of the balance to fill you up in your life, then you can start to find how food can be a gift to nourish a tired and weary body and soul. My prayer and hope for you is that food might be just that- a way for you to nourish your whole self. A way to inspire and fill up your body and soul to be the best version of your self. Many blessings and much love to you, friend xoxo

 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, seed, nut, and refined sugar-free}VEGAN

1 1/2 cup of finely ground GF oat flour
1 cup of white rice flour
1/3 cup of tapioca flour
1/4 cup of potato starch
1/4 cup of coconut flour
3/4 cup of coconut palm sugar
2 ts. of baking powder (I use Hain brand)
1 ts. of baking soda
1 ts. of sea salt
2 TB of pumpkin pie spice blend

1/3 cup of applesauce
1/3 cup of pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (I used 1 can of Green Valley pumpkin)

1 cup of date puree ***This involves pouring 1 cup boiling water over 1 cup of pitted dates and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes and then blending in a high powered blender to whip up a creamy date-pudding like substance.

3/4 cup of melted coconut oil
1/3 cup of coconut milk beverage ( I use So Delicious)
 plus 1 TB apple cider vinegar
juice from 1 fresh lemon - 1-2 TB of juice

1 cup of dairy-free mini chocolate chips (Enjoy life brand)

First grind your GF oat flour and mix well with all the other dry ingredients. Then mix in the wet ingredients, date puree and lastly the warmed oil. Mix well and you will start to see the lemon juice and baking powder do it's work and make the batter poof up a bit. Fold down and then mix in the mini chocolate chips, but making sure to not over mix.

Pour in a coconut-oil-lined baking pan. I baked mine in a bundt or angel food cake pan. But you could also make this in a 9x9 circle or square pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until it is no longer wet and giggling. The cake should show a clean toothpick from the middle of the cake and firm, but soft. no wetness. Pull from the oven and let it cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze Recipe
1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 TB of cocoa powder
pinch of sea salt

In a small saucepan, melt the above ingredients and whisk very quickly with a hand whisk then pull off the heat. Be very careful to just warm and not boil or over cook and burn. Let sit for a few minutes to cool, and then pour over the top of the cooled cake just on top and let it drip over the sides in an organic fashion. Let it cool for 1-2 hours before serving. 

Then cut and serve. It is a beautiful cake and holds it form so beautifully... it's so easy to serve and would match well with some tea or coffee as well. Hope you give it a try and ENJOY!
 much love xoxo