Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips: Webisode #1

It seems that Apple Mania has given way to Pumpkin Mania this month. While I've been chowing down on apples, I've also been opening can after can of pure organic pumpkin puree. There is no limit to the amount of dishes I've been making with the stuff, everything from savory pumpkin penne, to pumpkin bars, to sweet pumpkin pudding cake.

I'll admit, after making all of these dishes I was pretty sure I had exhausted my pumpkin repertoire until my friend Jennifer, an accomplished baker herself, handed me her Aunt Margie's recipe for Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips. Make it, she told me, you will love it. Apparently this bread is a legendary dessert in her family, which, as I soon learned, is for a good reason.

This bread has been on my weekly Naptime Chef baking rotation all fall. I most often make it while my daughter naps, and it also proved to be a great mother/daughter baking project. It is a deliciously simple recipe that yields a perfectly moist pumpkin cake, rich with cinnamon flavor and dotted with sweet chocolate chips.

When I was talking about this the other week with my friend April at Babble she suggested I make this into a video for the Babble Nibblers blog. Why not? I thought. I've been writing this website for almost a year and you all must be sick of just reading, reading, reading. Maybe it would be fun to start watching, watching, watching! So, without further ado, welcome to my kitchen and my first how-to video for Aunt Margie's Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips.

As always, I encourage comments, but please be kind to the newbie Naptime Chef's first web appearance!

Aunt Margie's Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips (and a Gluten-free note)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour (for Gluten-Free use Pamela's GF Baking Mix)
1 14 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. Kosher Salt
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Yields:
36 Cupcakes or Two 9x5 Loaves or One Bundt Cake or Lots o' Mini-Muffins (use mini-chips for these!)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and prepare the pan depending on bundt cake, muffins or loaves.
2. In a mixing bowl combine eggs, oil and sugar. Then, add the pumpkin and mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add this to wet ingredients until totally combined.
3. Mix in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon and pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake according to pan size as follows:
Cupcakes: Bake for 25 minutes Two 9x5 Loaf Pans: Bake for 45-50 minutes Mini-Muffins: Bake for 12-15 minutes Bundt Cake: Bake for 60 - 65 minutes
5. Once baking is complete allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, remove it on to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: If you don't like chocolate chips you can certainly omit them, or substitute nuts. I promise, everyone will love this is if you add it to a buffet or serve it at a dinner party. I love that the recipe is so versatile, it's perfect for anything from muffins to cakes. Making this batter while my daughter naps is a snap, plus it is a fun baking projects for kids in the kitchen.
Naptime Stopwatch: As you can see, making the batter takes 10 minutes at the most. After that, all the remains is baking time.
Naptime Reviews: One of our friends, who does not like pumpkin, declared this delicious. She appreciated that it is not over-spiced. The pumpkin flavor is pitch perfect and contrasts well with the chocolate chips.