Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Pumpkin. . . for dinner, breakfast and lunch! I love pumpkin! I have this amazing new cake cookbook (I've mentioned it before): Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. It's a small, slim book but filled with just oodles of great recipes (not vegan, but one cannot live off vegan cookbooks alone). The cakes are not your Ace of Cakes concoctions--they are real world, just-a- bit-on-the-side, I have to have cake!, recipes. I am willing to give anything a "vegan" spin". These are the days when pumpkin is a craving and a must-have in this house. I was down to my last can when I went to make this and had a minor panic attack (much like I do when the chocolate chips run low). Pound cakes are a mystery to me--I had never really attempted them as a non-vegan, only because the thought of using a pound of "everything" for the mixture was a bit much when you are a runner and try to maintain a semblance of "health" (but still crave sweets!). So, I wanted to try a vegan version of this cake and make it my own with a few tweeks. I can promise you that in regard to its tasty-lasting goodness--we are on day 3 and this cake is still luscious, and full of flavor and very moist. Vegan baking is not difficult as long as you have confidence--if something fails, move on, don't dwell (as I have with so many of my vegan brownie attempts!). I am under some stress right now because I am preparing for a fundraiser: Sweat-4-Pets (I'll do a post on this today!). Sweet tooth mania has arrived!

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

*A little drizzle of vegan sour cream and confectioner's sugar glaze wouldn't hurt this one bit!

1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 stick Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

1 1/4 cups Florida Crystals

4 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup soy milk or rice milk

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Oil and flour (or spray with Baker's Secret) a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Combine the

Ener-G Egg replacer with water in a small bowl--whisking really well, and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and fine sea salt and set aside. Cut the Earth Balance stick into small pieces and place in a separate bowl. Cream this well with your hand blender--until it is fluffy. Now, add the Ener-G egg replacer mixture to this in 1/4 cup increments mixing well after each addition. Next, stir in the pumpkin, soy milk and vanilla. I do the rest of the mixing by hand--do not over mix this or it will taste like a very rubbery cake! Add the flour mixture in 3 separate amounts. Mix well after each addition. Add the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the baking pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour (test for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake)--if you under cook this, it will be sad, so be sure this is baked through! Let cool.

Vegan Sour Cream Drizzle

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons vegan sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix well in a bowl and drizzle over cooled cake.