This chocolate marbled pumpkin bread is made with a super moist pumpkin loaf that’s swirled with a rich chocolate loaf.
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chocolate marbled pumpkin bread
Today we’re taking pumpkin bread to the next level by marbling it with chocolate! I know it might sound a little odd, but pumpkin and chocolate is a surprisingly delicious combination. The loaf is super easy to make – no mixer required and no need to make two different batters. And you get delicious moist pumpkin bread & rich chocolate cake in every single bite.
So let’s get into it! 🙂
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before starting the recipe.
Mix the cake batter carefully:
It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.
how to tell when your loaf cake is done.
It’s always a little game with telling if your loaf is done. Sometimes it will look done, but it’s still super wet in the center, and now that you’ve opened the oven door, you risk the loaf collapsing in the middle which is never desirable. I recommend waiting until at least 50 minutes to start checking for doneness. If the cake jiggles when you move it, it’s not ready to be checked on yet. When checking for doneness, you’ll want to take a long toothpick and stick it down the exact center of the loaf. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs, you’re good to take it out! If it’s still a little wet, put the loaf back in the oven, checking in 5-minute intervals for doneness.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for chocolate marbled pumpkin bread:
Pumpkin bread:
- All purpose flour: gives the bread structure.
- Baking powder & baking soda: helps the loaf rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the loaf and adding flavor. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetening the loaf and for keeping it moist.
- Eggs: for binding, moisture, and leavening.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: make sure the puree is 100% pure pumpkin and is not pumpkin pie filling! The only ingredient listed should be pumpkin.
- Sour cream: for moisture. You could also use a full-fat yogurt here.
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: to make the chocolate cake. I recommend dutch processed cocoa for the best flavor, but you could also use natural cocoa powder or black cocoa powder here.
- Espresso: to bloom the cocoa and make it taste more chocolatey – the taste of espresso doesn’t really come through, it’s just there to amplify the chocolate flavor. You could also use hot coffee or hot milk here.
how to make chocolate marbled pumpkin bread:
Here’s a little bit of what the process of making this loaf looks like. The full recipe is at the end of this blog post!
- Mix together the wet ingredients for the pumpkin loaf.
- Then fold in the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa and espresso, then mix in some of the pumpkin batter.
- Layer the pumpkin batter and chocolate batter in a loaf pan, then bake, serve, and enjoy!
chocolate marbled pumpkin bread
recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results. Once you’ve doubled the batter, simply divide it up into two loaf pans to bake.
what size loaf pan do I need?
You will need a 1 lb. metal loaf pan for this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend a 1.25lb pan because you’ll end up with a shorter loaf. Please note that I always use and recommend metal baking pans, and if you choose to use ceramic or glass, the baking time will likely be much longer.
How to store this PUMPKIN BREAD
Keep the cake stored in an airtight container at room temperature. It will taste the best on the day it’s baked, but will keep well for up to 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Chocolate Marbled Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
Pumpkin Loaf
- 100 g vegetable oil (½ c.)
- 200 g light brown sugar (1 c.)
- 300 g pure pumpkin puree (1 ⅓ c.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 60 g sour cream room temperature (¼ c.)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 220 g all purpose flour (1 ¾ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
Chocolate Loaf
- 24 g dutch processed cocoa powder (¼ c.)
- 45 g freshly brewed espresso (1 ½ oz.)
Instructions
Pumpkin Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter and line a 1 lb. loaf pan with parchment paper, to make a hammock for the loaf.
- To a large mixing bowl, add in the oil, sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Carefully mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no flour streaks remain.
Chocolate Loaf
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and some freshly brewed espresso until no lumps remain.
- Transfer 340g (1 ½ c.) of the pumpkin batter into the bowl with the cocoa powder. Gently fold the chocolate into the pumpkin batter until the mixture is cohesive.
- Alternate spreading a thin layer of the pumpkin batter and chocolate batter into the loaf pan. Once all of the batter has been used, sprinkle the top of the loaf with some granulated sugar (optional.)
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick/knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to fully come to room temperature before slicing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Delicious! It isn’t ultra sweet which I actually loved. I did add a bit of cinnamon and thought it was nice in this recipe. Very moist bread and looks beautiful while being super easy to make 🙂