Pumpkin Loaf (With Recipe). Vegan, Gluten Free And Optionally Nut Free.

When we have a couple of grotty, sort of rainy days, I often get the urge to bake. To bake with pumpkin to be more precise. And cinnamon (canela). The wonderful aromas that emanate from my kitchen (or any kitchen for that matter) when there’s something cinnamony rising in the oven, fill me with a lovely, warming sense of autumnal cosiness.

Such a shame that that smell can’t be bottled. No scented candle nor air freshener can get close to it. It kind of makes me feel like a kid again, although I’m not sure why. I don’t remember my mum ever baking anything with pumpkin when I was a child, although she did make other delicious cakes. In fact, I don’t think I had ever tried pumpkin until my teens in Spain. I thought it was just something to make scarily ridiculous, carved out faces with at Halloween.

But I’m certainly making up for it now! Pumpkin and butternut squash are used frequently in our house at this time of year, in both sweet and savoury dishes. They’re super healthy, full of beta carotene (which our bodies convert into vitamin A), potassium, calcium, vitamin C and E, along with some B vitamins. This makes them ideal for supporting our immune system, just what we need this time of year. They’re also high in soluble fibre which helps keep blood sugar levels under control and can reduce high cholesterol.

Aside from all the benefits, they’re delicious. The round, flat type we grow in our “huerta” are perfect for making cakes with, their sweetness allows you to reduce the amount of sugar needed for baking, a definite bonus because sugar can cause inflammation in the body. It’s not too good for your teeth either 😁.

Soooooo, last week we had a couple of rainy days and I suddenly felt the desire to bake. When I bake I rarely use flours containing gluten. Gluten is the protein in wheat (trigo), barley (cebada), rye (centeno), spelt (espelta), etc, and can also be inflammatory. I know it doesn’t really agree with me. Once in a while I may have a cake or some bread when we’re in a restaurant or café but I try not to make it the norm, I’d feel pretty lousy if I did.

There has been plenty of trial and error when it comes to gluten free baking in this abode. I’ve tried all sorts of ecological flours in different combinations. Gram flour or chickpea flour (harina de garbanzo), maize flour (harina de maíz), brown rice flour (harina de arroz integral), white rice flour (harina de arroz blanco), teff flour (harina de teff), buckwheat flour (harina de trigo sarraceno), coconut flour (harina de coco), etc, etc, are all in, or have been in, my fridge. As well as different starches like cornflour (almidón de maíz), potato starch (almidón de patata), tapioca starch (almidón de tapioca) and arrowroot (arrurruz). You name it, I’ve tried it. By the way, I store them in my fridge to avoid bugs breeding in them, especially in the summer.

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I’ve also bought various different brands of ready made, gluten free flour blends but these tend to work out much more expensive, especially when we’re talking ecological. And I like to make everything from scratch, when something turns out well it gives me a sense of achievement. Quite sad really!

Lately though, I find myself using 3 or 4 flours which, in my humble opinion, make the best gluten free baked products. Brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, arrowroot and/or tapioca starch. I also add a small amount of xanthan gum so the mixture binds together, especially when I’m not using eggs. I have omitted it on occasions and the loaf is fine, it just doesn’t hold together as well. This blend is also great for making other things like waffles, pancakes (American style), etc. Although I don’t think I’ll ever completely emulate the taste and texture of a cake containing gluten, no matter what I do and what flours I use, I don’t really feel I need to when this combination works perfectly well.

One other thing about flours before I get on to the making of the pumpkin loaf. Oat flour can be a good replacement for wheat. I have baked with it on occasions with good results. People who have an allergy to gluten can sometimes consume oats and oat products, as long as they haven’t been cross-contaminated whilst being processed. Unfortunately Pep nor I can tolerate them. Oats have a different form of protein called avenin which can also cause allergic reactions. I have found that only a small amount of oats or oat flour will send me rushing to the loo. Pep has the same problem. Certainly not good when we’re doing a gig as we came to learn!!

Right, on to the pumpkin loaf. I’ve nearly always got baked pumpkin on hand ’cause I use it so often. If I haven’t though, I bake the pumpkin in the oven first. You can also use canned pumpkin although I have never tried it. If you do, the amount of flour you use might need altering. Baked butternut squash will also work.

When I saw all the ingredients together, posing for the photo, I was a bit shocked. I hadn’t realised I used so many different products to make a simple cake. They’re all pantry staples if you want to bake gluten free mind you so it’s definitely worth having them in.

In this recipe I’m using raw sunflower seeds which need grinding to a fine meal before adding to the mix. Raw almonds or raw walnuts also work. You could possibly use other types of nuts but I haven’t tried them so can’t give my opinion. I would normally use almonds but wanted to make this recipe nut free for people who are also allergic to nuts, and ecological sunflower seeds are relatively cheap and easy to get hold of. But any of these three will work well.

One of the sweeteners I use in the recipe is blackstrap molasses. It adds a wonderful richness to baked goods and is also full of health benefits. With a low glycemic index, it’s a much healthier choice than refined sugar. It also contains the minerals calcium, magnesium, selenium, iron, zinc and potassium along with certain B vitamins. Here’s a page explaining a bit about this wonder food. You could swap the molasses for maple syrup if you prefer, or maybe even agave syrup. I have never tried either of these for this loaf though.

On with the recipe (at last!). Add the pumpkin, the oil, the sweeteners, the plant milk, the apple cider vinegar and the vanilla essence (if using) to a large bowl. Whizz it all up with an immersion blender to make sure it’s nice and smooth.

To this mixture sieve in the flours and starches, the baking powder, the bicarb, the xanthan gum, the cinnamon, the ground ginger and the salt. Add the ground sunflower seeds and the raisins or sultanas and mix well to make sure it’s all combined.

Line a 9 x 5 inch (2 Ib), 23 x 13 cm loaf tin with baking paper and tip in the batter Level it off and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top if you so desire.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes approximately, until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes or so in the tin then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

The texture is wonderful, almost “Soreeny” (“Soreen” is a malt loaf that I used to adore when I was a child, with lashings of butter spread on top). I have never tried this loaf covered in butter as I don’t eat it now (butter that is), but I’m sure it would be extremely tasty, although it would no longer be vegan obviously. The loaf keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

I thought it a good idea to post this recipe today, seeing as November is World Vegan Month. Two other vegan cakes I have made recently for members of our family are a chocolate loaf with chocolate chips and a wholemeal apple and walnut cake. They tell me that they are scrumptious although both contain wheat flour so they aren’t gluten free. You can find the two recipes on food blogs here and here. I mentioned the apple and walnut cake at the end of this post. Vegan baking can be as delicious as non vegan baking and is just as easy.

Ok, that’s enough cake talk for today. I’m off to conquer one of my most loathed chores, cleaning the windows. After all this blinking sand rain I keep thinking I haven’t pulled my “persianas” (blinds) up in the morning.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Valley Fm this Saturday between 12pm and 2pm with my usual ramblings. Here’s the link to last week’s few minutes if you fancy a listen. Take care. See you soon. Lots of love, Georgie and Pep xxx

Pumpkin loaf. Vegan, gluten free and optionally nut free

A delicious, moist, healthyish pumpkin loaf

5 from 2 votes

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Course Baked product

Ingredients

  

• 225 grams baked pumpkin
• 60 grams olive oil
• 150 ml plant based milk (I use rice)
• 100 grams blackstrap molasses (or maple syrup)
• 35 grams "panela" (pure unrefined cane sugar)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 50 grams brown rice flour
• 50 grams buckwheat flour
• 25 grams arrowroot (or 50 grams if not using tapioca starch)
• 25 grams tapioca starch (or 50 grams if not using arrowroot)
• 4 tsp baking powder, ensure gluten free I use Doves Farm
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 pinch salt
• 150 grams sunflower seeds or almonds or walnuts ground to a fine meal
• 50 grams raisins or sultanas
• 2-3 tbsp pumpkin seeds (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180º centigrade.
• Add the baked pumpkin, olive oil, plant based milk, blackstrap molasses, "panela", apple cider vinegar and vanilla essence to a large bowl and whizz with an immersion blender until nice and smooth.
• In the same bowl sieve in the flours, the starches, the baking powder, the bicarbonate of soda, the xanthan gum, the cinnamon, the ginger and the salt. Add the ground sunflower seeds and the raisins and stir to combine thoroughly.
• Line a 9 x 5 inch, 23 x 13 cm (2Ib) loaf tin with baking paper and tip in the batter. Smooth over the top and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if you like.
• Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes until an inserted skewer or toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
• Remove the loaf from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Serve and enjoy. Keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the toaster if you fancy

Keyword Gluten Free,, pumpkin, Vegan