This Chocolate Pumpkin Bread is rich, moist, and tender; a cross between a chocolate cake and a pumpkin bread. It has the warm flavor of pumpkin spice blended with cocoa and just enough sweetness to make it feel special but still easy enough for everyday baking.
If you love chocolate and all things pumpkin, then you will love this quick bread. It is moist and chocolatey and full of fall flavors. This chocolate loaf is easy to make and perfect for fall gatherings. I have a sugar and grain free version of this cake on the blog and have been asked to make one with regular flour and sugar. It was easy to recreate and every time I've made it since, it comes out perfect. I have even made a few loaves and given them as gifts .
If you love baking with pumpkin, try my Keto Pumpkin Cake or Pumpkin Butterscotch Bread; both are delicious, sugar-free options.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Pumpkin purée - Use 100% pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar in it.
- Greek yogurt or sour cream - Either adds richness and moisture to the batter.
- Oil - Either vegetable or canola oil are best used for baking. But avocado oil is also a neutral oil that can be used. Coconut oil is also good if you don't mind a mild coconut flavor.
- Espresso powder (optional) - Enhances the chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee.
- Baking chips (optional mix-ins) - Stir in about ½ to ¾ cup of chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, or pumpkin-flavored chips before baking for a fun twist.
How to make Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, spices, baking soda.
Step 2: Whisk the pumpkin, eggs, sugars, vanilla and sour cream.
Step 3: Gently mix the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. Pour into greased loaf pan.
Step 4: Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs on it.
Step 5: Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan. Cool completely before glazing.
How to make Pumpkin Glaze
Ingredients for Glaze
Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
Recipe Testing Tips
- Measure flour correctly. Too much can make the bread a bit dry and heavy. Use the scoop and level method for measuring.
- Mix just until combined. Stir the batter only until everything looks evenly blended. Overmixing can make quick breads dense instead of tender.
- Use room temperature eggs and yogurt. This helps the ingredients blend smoothly.
- How to check doneness: The bread should look set, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. The crack in the center is nothing to worry about.
- Cool before glazing. Let the bread cool at least 1 hour so the glaze doesn't soak in too much.
- Thicken the glaze: If the pumpkin glaze seems thin, whisk in about 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch until smooth before spreading or drizzling.
- Wrap in foil after cooling. It keeps the bread moist and soft.
- Try flavor mix-ins. Stir in baking chips such as chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, or pumpkin-flavored before baking for a fun flavor addition.
Storage and Leftovers
- Wrap the cooled loaf in aluminum foil and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. After that, refrigerate for up to 2 more days.
- My husband swears the chocolate pumpkin loaf is best served slightly warmed in the microwave with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. So there probably wouldn't be leftovers in our house.
- For longer storage, freeze the unglazed loaf in foil and a freezer bag to keep out moisture, which leads to freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve, thaw overnight and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
The pumpkin glaze is a nice compliment to the chocolate flavor . But you can leave the glaze off if you prefer; the bread is still moist and full of flavor. You can also drizzle a simple chocolate glaze or sprinkle the top with powdered sugar once cooled.
You can! Divide the batter evenly among greased muffin cups or mini loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for about 18-22 minutes for muffins or 28-32 minutes for mini loaves, checking for a few moist crumbs on a toothpick.
This can happen if the batter was overmixed or underbaked. Mix just until combined and test for doneness toward the end of baking time. The loaf should look set in the center and pull slightly away from the edges of the pan.
Also, too much baking soda can make the bread rise too fast and then sink down in the pan. Measure all ingredients carefully to avoid this happening.
How do I avoid the "crack" down the middle of the loaf?
That crack is actually a good sign of a well-risen, well-baked bread. But if you'd like to minimize it, use a teaspoon to make a shallow groove down the center of the batter before baking. It gives the bread room to rise more evenly.
If you tried this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it you gave it a comment or rating. This tells me what you enjoy and what you would like to see more of. Thanks
Chocolate Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Glaze
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minuts
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Moist and rich Chocolate Pumpkin Bread has a smooth pumpkin glaze. A perfect fall quick bread that blends cocoa, pumpkin, and warm spices. It's an easy mix loaf that freezes well too.
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups pure pumpkin puree'
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 large eggs, room temperture
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder, optional
Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree'
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 6 inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Whisk flour, cocoa, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, sugars, yogurt, eggs, oil, vanilla and espresso, if using.
- Pour dry ingredients into the wet batter and stir gently until combined. The batter will be thick but pourable.
- Pour into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 45-50 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached to it.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack. Wait about 1 hour to fully cool before glazing.
- For the glaze: whisk powdered sugar, pumpkin, cream, cinnamon and cloves until smooth. Add more cream if you want it thinner. Add another spoonful of pumpkin and powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch for a thicker consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the bread and let set before slicing.
Notes
*Store at room temperature wrapped in foil for up to 4 days. You can refrigerate for an additional 2 days or freeze up to 3 months.
*I think leftover bread slices taste best at room temperature or slightly warmed in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
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