Pure Hunger

I’m incredibly sick. The kind of sick where you should be laying in bed doing nothing but breathing and hoping that goes okay. I certainly should not be putting up a blog post but I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t wait to share this amazing recipe. It was honestly the only thing that sounded even remotely good during these last few days. While I have not been able to consume this last loaf I baked, opting for mild soups and noodles, I easily and heartily consumed the first loaf in a little under five days. This took great restraint, a will of steel really. While sick, this last loaf baked and filled the house with warmth and comfort. The smell of ginger, cinnamon and pumpkin soothing my irritable body.

Ingredients

1 cup canned pumpkin
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil (or canola), softened
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
Chia egg (1 tbsp chia + 3 tbsp water)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour*
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (OR 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger)
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 th tsp ground cloves

*Can also use all purpose flour for the whole 1 2/3 cup or white whole wheat flour

Frosting
1/4 cup vegan/dairy cream cheese
1/4 cup vegan/dairy butter
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp soy/almond/rice/cows milk (for thinning)

Of course I completely stole another recipe from my new favorite vegan cooking blog. I think I might be just a tad obsessed. I’m incredibly glad she posts only once a day or I might actually spend more time on her site than facebook and that’s an embarrassing amount of time. I did make some changes to her recipe, which she got from Fat Free Vegan.

My first attempt, I made it exactly as written in her post. The second time around I decided to fiddle with the flour, omit the nuts and change up the frosting which was to buttery for my personal taste. I used whole wheat pastry flour the second time around and due to the low protein content it was not nearly dense enough. Although it turned out like a bread pudding, no complaints from me.

It was also the first debut of my brand new can opener. I’ve been giddy about this little device since we ordered it and it showed up on our door step. I swear the old can opener has been around since I first moved into my dorm in college. I’m sure you know the story. Old, rusty, doesn’t really “open” cans leaving you frustrated, banging the lid in desperation to get it open. Well this one is incredibly cool. Not only is it red but it leaves no serrated edges, opening the can along the glue seal. I might just have a mild crush.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a regular sized loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly oil on top. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for about 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and set aside. Combine the following ingredients (pumpkin, maple syrup, sugar, coconut oil, molasses, chia egg) in a medium-sized mixing bowl and blend well. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the wet mixture to the dry, and stir well. Pour the batter into the pan, smooth out with wet spoon, and bake for 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from pan. While it is baking, make your spiced buttercream frosting (see below). Serves eight 1-inch slices.

Whip butter and cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and blend well, stopping to scrape the side of bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and almond milk (if needed). Mix well. Add in the remaining powdered sugar and blend for several minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Once the Gingerbread has fully cooled, spread on the icing using a wet spatula.

I also opted to leave the bread out on the counter without the icing and leave the icing in the fridge. When I was ready for a slice I would just spread some icing on a slice and savor and before I knew it, it had disappeared.