Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Note)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spices
• 1.5 tsp of baking soda
• 0.5 tsp coarse salt
• 1 can (425 g) pumpkin puree
• 1.5 cups vegan cane sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• Special equipment: two 22x12 cm cake pans (metal or glass)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C and line two 22x12cm cake pans (metal or glass) with parchment paper, leaving a 5cm overhang on the long sides.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, butter, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth, then add 3/4 cup of chocolate and mix until evenly distributed. The batter should be thick.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Sprinkle each portion with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips (2 tablespoons per pan). Bake until the tops of the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
5. Let the muffins cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Pull the parchment tabs to remove the pumpkin muffins from the pans, then let them cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
   
   

   Note

   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping directly from the bag will compact the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.