Healthy Fluffy Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

This healthy pumpkin cake is made using raw pumpkin and comes with a simple dark chocolate drizzle. This delicious autumnal cake is full of pumpkin goodness and is made with oil for a light and fluffy consistency.

Desserts are not usually associated with healthy ingredients but this healthy pumpkin cake with dark chocolate drizzle is an exception.  There is more pumpkin in this recipe than flour and certainly more than fat and sugar put together.  This means that the cake is high in fibre and vitamins A and C, as well as potassium (all thanks to the pumpkin).

Pumpkin is also very low in calories, which makes it an ideal dessert ingredient.

I used finely grated, raw pumpkin as opposed to more popular pumpkin puree.  Preparing the pumpkin is quite easy to do and not too time consuming.  Simply place a thick pumpkin wedge on its side on top of a cutting board and slice the peel off downwards.  Then finely grate the pumpkin and make the cake!

Despite adding a good portion of raw pumpkin into this recipe the cake is light and fluffy and you can’t really taste the pumpkin.  You will, however, be able to taste a hint of ginger and citrus, which make a fantastic pairing with the chocolate.

If you are a fan of pumpkin bakes you might also like these soft healthy pumpkin cookies as well as easy pumpkin cake with healthy cheese frosting. Both are made using pumpkin puree.

Equipment you’ll need

• Kitchen scale/measuring cup
• 2 large bowls and spoon
• Electric mixer and spatula
• Fruit zester and grater
• 23 cm square pan and parchment paper

How to make healthy pumpkin cake: step-by-step

1.Preheat the oven to 350 F. In one bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda, ginger, zest of orange and lemon and pinch of salt. Stir using a whisk and set aside.

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2. In another bowl beat together the sugar, oil and eggs for a couple of minutes until thick and fluffy.

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3. Stir in the grated pumpkin.

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4. Pour in the flour mixture and stir just to combine.  Do NOT overstir the batter.

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5. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out the top.  Bake for 50 minutes.

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6. Remove from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes.  Lift out of the pan and place on top of a rack or large plate to cool completely.

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7. Heat up the chocolate in a microwave until almost completely melted.  Stir in the butter (it will finish melting as you stir).  Drizzle over the cake and set aside to set. Enjoy!

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Top tips

• Use sugar/culinary pumpkin, NOT carving pumpkin.
• To prepare the pumpkin, place a thick wedge of fresh pumpkin on top of a cutting board and cut the peel off slicing downwards. Then finely grate the pumpkin and make the cake.
• Use good quality vegetable oil. I used cold pressed (bright yellow) rapeseed oil which added more colour to this cake but you can use another oil.
• Do NOT overstir the batter.
• For best results use good quality dark chocolate (approx. 70% cocoa solids).
• Use either salted or unsalted butter in the chocolate drizzle. I like my chocolate with a hint of saltiness.
• This pumpkin cake tastes delicious with the chocolate drizzle, but you can also enjoy it on its own, with a dusting of powdered sugar or healthy cheese frosting I used in my easy pumpkin cake recipe.
• Keep covered, refrigerated for up to 3 days.

More healthy cake recipes using oil

I love using oil in baking.  Oil based cakes and desserts tend to be lighter and fluffier than ones made with butter.  Check out this healthy chocolate banana cake with buttermilk recipe, for example.  You might also like this dairy free chocolate coconut cake.  Another butter free cake I’ve shared on the blog is rooibos infused cranberry loaf cake.

Check out also this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes.

Keep in touch!

If you make this cake I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Healthy Fluffy Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

This Healthy Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle is a delicious healthier dessert - full of pumpkin goodness, it is made with oil instead of butter, has a light and fluffy texture and comes with a decadent chocolate drizzle with a hint of coconut.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 12 portions

Calories: 270kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 300 g pumpkin raw, peeled, finely grated
• 260 g flour (2.08 cups)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 160 g sugar (0.8 cups)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla paste/extract
• Pinch of fine sea salt

For the chocolate drizzle:

• 60 g dark chocolate broken into similar size small pieces
• 1.5 tsp salted butter

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4. Grease a 23 cm square baking pan with a little oil (I spread 1 tsp of oil around the tin using a small piece of paper towel) . Line with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and soda, ginger, pinch of salt and orange zest. Stir well using a whisk and set aside.
• In another bowl beat together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla for a couple of minutes until thick and fluffy.
• Add the grated pumpkin and stir thoroughly.
• Fold in the flour mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 50 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then lift out of the pan and place on a rack or large plate.
• While the cake is cooling make the chocolate drizzle. In the microwave heat up the chocolate until almost melted completely. Stir in the butter and drizzle the mixture over the cake. Wait for the drizzle to set then serve.

Notes

• Use sugar/culinary pumpkin, NOT carving pumpkin.
• To prepare the pumpkin, place a thick wedge of fresh pumpkin on top of a cutting board and cut the peel off slicing downwards. Then finely grate the pumpkin and make the cake.
• Use good quality vegetable oil. I used cold pressed (bright yellow) rapeseed oil which added more colour to this cake but you can use another oil.
• Do NOT overstir the batter.
• For best results use good quality dark chocolate (approx. 70% cocoa solids).
• Use either salted or unsalted butter in the chocolate drizzle. I like my chocolate with a hint of saltiness.
• This pumpkin cake tastes delicious with the chocolate drizzle, but you can also enjoy it on its own, with a dusting of powdered sugar or healthy cheese frosting I used in my easy pumpkin cake recipe.
• Keep covered, refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2178IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

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