- Bread | Cake | Dessert | Quick Bread
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Bread

This chocolate chip pumpkin bundt bread is one of my kid’s favorite after school snacks! This bundt bread gets requested every fall once school starts, and it’s become a back to school tradition in my house. It’s a great fall afternoon snack, or anytime of the year snack. It almost qualifies as a dessert, because it’s that YUMMY! This bundt bread does not last past day 3 in my house!
I made a tweak to the original recipe to make it healthier. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and I try to stay away from using refined oils like vegetable and canola, so I’ve replaced it with 1/4 virgin coconut oil and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. The kids never noticed the tweak and honestly, I think it tastes better.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Bread
- 1 cup pumpkin puree – my favorite brand is Farmers Organic Pumpkin.
- 1/4 cup fresh-pressed virgin coconut oil, in liquid form
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or GF flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine Celtic sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips – I love using bittersweet but my kids prefer semi-sweet
Note: The coconut oil does not give a coconut taste to this cake, but if you’re not a fan of coconut oil, then you can use 1/2 cup vegetable oil, just make sure to omit the applesauce in the recipe. You can also use 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease up a Bundt pan. I always use a paper towel and some coconut oil to grease my bundt pan. Make sure that you grease the pan up along the edges and the middle.
Measure out an overflowing 1/4 cup of coconut oil using a dry measuring cup. Add the solid coconut oil to a glass measuring cup and place it in the microwave for 35 seconds. By using the liquid measuring cup you can make sure that you have 1/4 cup once it melts.
Whisk together the 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup applesauce, 2 large eggs, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon allspice and the 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice until well combined.
Whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda until combined.
Add in the 1 cup of chocolate chips and give it another stir.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon mix the dry into the wet until JUST combined.
Spoon into the Bundt pan and even out slightly using a spatula. Give the bundt pan a slam on the counter to release any trapped air and to help the batter get a bit more even.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 42-46 minutes. Different ovens have different baking times, so the baking time is just an estimate here.
Baking tip: It’s hard to give an exact cooking time when it comes to baking because every oven, pan and even geographic locations, can command a slightly different cooking time. A great way to know when a cake is done, is to do the finger test as well as the standard toothpick test. To do the finger test, press your finger down gently in the middle of the cake, if it’s done, it should puff back up automatically on it own. If it stays dented, then the cake is not ready to come out yet. Also, a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean as well.
Cool briefly and turn out onto a plate or rack.
Enjoy this as a snack with a tall glass of milk, some tea or coffee, or add some vanilla ice cream and have it for dessert.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Bread
10
minutes42
minutes52
minutesNote: The coconut oil does not give a coconut taste to this cake, but if you're not a fan of coconut oil, then you can use ½ cup vegetable oil, just make sure to omit the applesauce in the recipe. You can also use ¼ cup vegetable oil and ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce.
Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin puree - my favorite brand is Famers Organic Pumpkin
¼ cup fresh-pressed extra virgin coconut oil, in liquid form
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1½ cups all-purpose flour, or GF flour
½ teaspoon fine Celtic sea salt or kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips -I love bittersweet, but my kids prefer semi-sweet
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease up a Bundt pan. I always use a paper towel and some coconut oil to grease my bundt pan. Make sure that you grease the pan up along the edges and the middle.
Measure out an overflowing ¼ cup of coconut oil using a dry measuring cup. Add the solid coconut oil to a glass measuring cup and place it in the microwave for 35 seconds. By using the liquid measuring cup you can make sure that you have ¼ cup once it melts.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup pumpkin puree, ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup applesauce, 2 large eggs, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice and the ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice until well combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the 1½ cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda until combined.
Add in the 1 cup of chocolate chips and give it another stir.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the dry into the wet until JUST combined.
Spoon into the Bundt pan and even out slightly using a spatula. Give the bundt pan a slam on the counter to release any trapped air and to help the batter get a bit more even.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 42-50 minutes. Different ovens have different baking times, so the baking time is just an estimate here.
Baking tip: It’s hard to give an exact cooking time when it comes to baking because every oven, pan and even geographic locations, can command a slightly different cooking time. A great way to know when a cake is done, is to do the finger test as well as the standard toothpick test. To do the finger test, press your finger down gently in the middle of the cake, if it’s done, it should puff back up automatically on it own. If it stays dented, then the cake is not ready to come out yet. Also, a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean as well.
Cool briefly and turn out onto a plate or rack.
Enjoy this as a snack with a tall glass of milk, some tea or coffee, or add some vanilla ice cream and have it for dessert.
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Jackie-two thumbs up from my kids!
Jackie, I have made this recipe a handful of times since you first posted and have to say, it is delicious! I have made when family has come to town and it is a hit. Especially over Thanksgiving, when the dessert of choice with one family member was a piece of this instead of pumpkin pie or carmel pie. One thing I do, though is double the pumpkin, makes for a very moist and dense flavor. LOVE!
Hi Cathy! So good to hear from you! Ilse told me you made the bread a couple of times. I love your addition of doubling up the pumpkin. I’m so going to do that next. My friend Averie tweaked this recipe as well, and I made it with her tweaks but have yet to post it. She made it moister by adding Greek yogurt and decedent by adding chocolate gnache to the top! So good, and it takes the bread from an afternoon snack to a dessert.
Glad to hear it was a hit with your family! I hope to see you out and about Marin soon 🙂
those are my favorite chocolate chips! totally pinning this recipe.
Hi Hillary! They’re mine as well, and I found myself eating a bunch yesterday as I updated the recipe for this bread. I wanted to try it using coconut oil! I love the way it came out! xoxo, Jackie
Hi Jackie,
Have you ever made your own pumpkin puree? I just made some and used some in my normal pumpkin bread recipe. The puree is not a thick as what is in a can, so I was thinking about adding some applesauce to the puree? What do you think?
Hope you are having a good Saturday, it is a beautiful fall day here in Virginia!
Leslie
Hi Leslie! No, I haven’t tried that yet, but want to at some point. I hear the homemade stuff is the best! Maybe you just need to drain off some of the liquid from the puree. I would try straining it through a cheesecloth or over a fine mesh strainer to get rid of some of the liquid and see if that thickens it up first! Let me know if that helps! It’s a gorgeous fall day here as well and I’m eating lunch in between the kid’s soccer games. I hope your bread turns out amazing! xoxo, Jackie
it just looks so delicious! thanks for sharing!
I don’t have a bundt pan – what do you suggest I use instead? 🙂
Hi Hillary. You can use a regular old cake pan, you just have to adjust the cooking time as it will take less time to bake. I had a reader use a cake pan and it seemed to work perfectly for her. She just cooked the cake for a shorter period of time. You could also try this trick that I saw on the Kitchn. The batter for this cake is thick, so it could work.http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-hack-diy-tube-pan-104312 Let me know what you end up using and how the cake turns out for you! xoxo, Jackie
Jackie, We love this bread! Was there an earlier version of the recipe? I don’t recognize some of the ingredients — but I could just be loosing my mind!
Thanks for your blog!
Hi Beth! Yes, it’s totally the same recipe! I just updated it and used a combination of coconut oil and applesauce in lieu of the vegetable oil. I had a few readers who wanted to know if it would taste the same made with coconut oil or half applesauce and either coconut oil or vegetable, so I tired it all 3 ways and it works. Ok, hopefully I’m not confusing you anymore. Basically , if you want to make the same recipe you’ve been making, then ignore the 1/4 applesauce and coconut oil and just use 1/2 cup vegetable oil. I will try to clarify it in the recipe! Thanks for letting me know that it was a bit confusing. I’m glad you love the bread 🙂 xoxo, Jackie
These are so great! I followed your recipe exactly, with the addition of suggested yogurt and an extra 1/4 tsp of cinnamon since I was out of oumpkin pie spice. As I didn’t have a bundt pan (where did that pesky pan get to?) I cooked it in an oblong pan for 40 min and it turned out great. Preschool party hack: I covered the still warm cake with the rest of the dark chocolate chips leftover from the 12 oz bag, waited 4 minutes, then spread gently across cake/bread for a perfect quick easy frosting. Cut them into 1″ squares and they were devoured by kids and adults! Thank you for another great recipe!
Awesome Lisa! What a great idea to spread the chocolate chips across the bundt cake! I’m so going to do that next time. This is still one of our favorite fall (or anytime of year cakes). It’s just easy and tasty! I’m glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know! Have a blissful week girl! xoxo, Jacquelyn
I made this last night and was very pleased!! Turned out just like the pictures and tasted great!! Thank you for the recipe, it’s definitely going in the books. 🙂
I am amazed to see how long ago this recipe was posted–I have been making it, frequently, since you shared it. I have a piece of this and a spoonful of almond butter all the time for breakfast. In fact, I often make multiple batches of the dry ingredients and freeze them, to save time when I’m ready to bake.
I don’t use the chips though–I don’t love chocolate and pumpkin, and basically I just think this is so delicious the chips aren’t necessary. I do the version with apple sauce and vegetable oil, and I always use the yogurt. I also make it with white whole wheat flour, with no issues.
The only downside, for me, was the bundt pan, because it had to be washed by hand. So I switched to a loaf pan (and bake longer). It doesn’t look as nice, but since I usually cut this up before I freeze individual pieces anyway, that’s not much of a concern. And I can put my loaf pan in the dishwasher. 🙂
Anyway, thanks so much for this recipe–one of my all-time favorites.
Do you have any experience with Convection ovens not baking with as high a rise on cakes and breads? We moved into our new home a year ago and my convection oven makes lopsided muffins and my bundt cakes and this bread are only rising 1/2 the height of the pan. Tasted the bread and it was still delicious…. This has happened with homemade as well as with a boxed cake mix. Frustrated.
Love this recipe by the way!!
Hi Margie,
Honestly I don’t use the convection feature in my oven because I feel like I can’t get it right. I would read your oven manual, as it will tell you the right temp for baking items with the convection feature. You usually have to put the heat at a lower temp, like 25 degrees lower than what the recipe calls for. If you’re finding the convention isn’t baking to your standards, then don’t use that feature and just bake without the convention feature. I bake everything normally in the oven.
can I bake it in a muffin pan?
Hi Shiri, Yes, you can make these in muffin tins, but only fill them 3/4 way to the top and shorten the baking time. Most cupcakes take 20-21 minutes to bake. Let me know how this turns out via cupcake version.
Best,
Jackie
Looks so nice!
Would work wonderfully in a Tami pan too. I am curious about the results.