It has been a weirdly fast October. Days were still warm and sunny that we hadn't noticed that Autumn had arrived. With October came the olive harvest season, so we spent our days among the branches of olive trees, enjoying the sunshine and the harvest. Even though the days felt more like a soft summer in June, nights had that autumn breeze, making you go inside and enjoy the fireplace. The season change brought pumpkins to the nearest farms, and I bought so many to decorate and enjoy in the kitchen.

While I use pumpkin in many of my savory recipes (often, I change the recipes to be more seasonal and add pumpkin even if not required), I love using it for baking and making desserts. So, as I felt like I hadn't enjoyed October as much as I wanted to, I decided to end the month with a delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake and a tea party in the woods.

I love the contrasting marble effect the two batters give to this cake, and it represents a beautiful dessert for many Fall gatherings and upcoming holidays. Besides being elegant and pretty, this Pumpkin Chocolate Bundt Cake is super moist and delicious, with a perfect balance between sweet pumpkin and bitter chocolate taste.

The marble effect is so easy to make - all you have to do is layer one batter over another and then use a butter knife to make swirls and create design you prefer.

how to prepare pumpkin purée at home

If you live outside of Italy, you might find a pumpkin purée in stores, but I suggest to try making a homemade one. Homemade Pumpkin Puree is so easy to make, and you can prepare it in advance and freeze it for future recipes. 

When choosing pumpkin for puree, I usually go either for Fairytale or Butternut. They both have deep orange, dense flesh perfect for making puree, but you can use most of the pumpkins and winter squash for this recipe as we will be blending it anyhow. 

The process of making this recipe is very straightforward. All you have to do is the following:

1. Preheat your oven at 200 C or 400 F. Wash the pumpkin with warm water, then use a sharp knife to remove the top stem and bottom nub. Cut the pumpkin in half, then again in half. If you are working with Butternut, it's enough to cut it in half. On the other hand, if you have a larger pumpkin, you might want to cut it into 6 or 8 slices.
   
2. Place the pumpkin wedges cut side down on a baking sheet and pour enough water on the sheet just to cover the bottom. Roast the Pumpkin at 200 C or 400 F for 30-45 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and easily pierced with a fork.
   
3. Remove the pan from the oven, drain off the water, and let the pumpkin cool until you can easily handle it. Using your hands or a small knife, peel the skin off of the pumpkins. After removing the skins, place the pumpkin flesh in a blender or food processor and puree for 30 seconds to one minute, or until smooth and silky. You may need to scrape the sides down to get all of the pumpkin.
   
4. If you are using the pumpkin puree immediately or in the next two days, place it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. If you have a leftover puree, you can freeze it in ziplock bags or glass containers for up to 3 months. 

tips for making a perfect bundt cake

1. Don't overbeat your mixture.

In order to have a fluffy and moist bundt cake that will rise perfectly, it is important not to overbeat your mixture. First, beat the eggs with sugar until almost all the sugar is melted, then add oil and pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients, and instead of using the mixer, incorporate them with a spatula or a wooden spoon. The mixture is ready when no flour can be seen. In this way, you will have more control over the batter, and you will not overmix it. 

2. How to know when the bundt cake is done?

Bundt cakes tend to bake longer than regular cakes. The time will also depend on the size of the bundt pan you are using. This recipe is perfect for a taller bundt cake with a diameter of 20cm or two smaller bundt cakes like in the picture with 13cm diameter and 9cm height. If you are baking one large bundt cake, allow it to bake for 50-60 minutes. Start checking the center of the cake after 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. When the toothpick comes out clean, your pumpkin bundt cake is done!

3. How to store your Pumpkin bundt cake? 

Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap securely in food wrap or foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. 

4. Variations of the recipe

• Try adding spices like nutmeg, ginger and cloves for more holiday-spiced bundt cake.

• If you don't have cocoa powder you can create a "pumpkin only" bundt cake or even add a handful of chopped walnuts into the mixture.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE MARBLE BUNDT CAKE
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

For one large bundt pan or 2 smaller ones 
Serves 12

4 eggs, room temperature

200g light brown or regular granulated sugar

120ml sunflower oil

220g pumpkin puree

1tsp cinnamon

360g all-purpose flour

16g baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder + 2 tbsp warm water for the chocolate batter

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or 350 F.
In a stand mixer, place eggs and sugar and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until almost all sugar is melted. Add the sunflower oil, a pinch of salt, and pumpkin puree and mix again just until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, then sift in all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the batter until all the flour is gone. Make sure not to overmix the batter. For this part, I suggest mixing with a spatula or spoon instead of using the mixer as you have more control over the batter, and you will avoid over mixing.
In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder with warm water until combined and without clumps.
Pour 1/3 of the pumpkin batter in a medium bowl, then add cocoa mixture and whisk until combined.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. For greasing, I suggest using soft, room-temperature butter for the best result. Sift the flour over the butter until all parts of the bundt pan are covered, then reverse the bundt cake over your kitchen sink and tap a couple of times to remove the excess flour. Place a few tablespoons of pumpkin batter in a bundt cake, then cover it with the chocolate batter and keep alternating them until both mixtures are used. Use a butter knife to make swirls and create a design you prefer.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be aware that all the ovens work differently, so you might need more or less time to bake the cake. I would suggest checking the cake after 40 minutes.
 
Let it cool for 10 minutes before inverting to a cooling rack to cool completely. Depending on your bundt cake, you might want to run a butter knife on the edges of the bundt cake to extract the cake easier. Let cool completely, then drizzle with powdered sugar or some melted chocolate. Enjoy!