Pumpkin Bread, Orange Marmalade Butter and Orange Champagne Mimosas – what a delicious afternoon snack or even a brunch to celebrate Fall.
Mom used to make the cutest little pumpkin bread loaves in those mini loaf pans. In fact, one time when I was very young I caught her making a couple in my little cooking pans. The bread loaf pan was probably 4” x 6” and so cute. She had some extra batter that was just too much to fit into her larger pan. Since she never wasted anything, she made one in my tiny little pan. It was so cute!
This recipe is not Mom’s. But after some research I have taken her recipe and made some adjustments in order to get some chocolate into the mix. After all, chocolate makes EVERYthing taste better, doesn’t it? Plus the browned butter gives it a nutty flavor.
Orange Marmalade Butter spread on top brightens the flavors in the bread. Orange works well with chocolate and it also goes with pumpkin, so why not combine them to enhance your Chocolate Pumpkin Bread? I know Mom loved Orange Marmalade but I don’t think she ever combined it with her pumpkin bread.
The butter is easier than you think…just mix the Orange Marmalade with the soft butter and splurge a little with a soft mound on your Chocolate Pumpkin Bread. Let the flavors mix better by letting the Orange Marmalade Butter sit in the refrigerator overnight. Then let it come to room temperature for easy spreading. The bright flavor of the marmalade contrasts nicely with the bread. Yum!
This recipe makes one 9” x 5” loaf for 10-12 thick slices or 20 nice short thick chunks.
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
Prepare your pan:
- Using a 9”x5” metal loaf pan, brush it lightly with butter.
- Line it with parchment paper, with flaps to help lift the loaf out after it’s cooled. I line my pan with two sheets of parchment paper, trimming one to fit in one direction with two flaps while the other is trimmed to fit the opposite direction with two flaps extended. That way you have extended flaps on all four sides. And, you don’t end up with any crinkly paper corners that can give you battered looking corners on your bread.
- Lightly brush butter between the parchment paper sheets so they do not move around while you’re pouring the batter in or when you’re swirling the chocolate into the batter.
Gather up your Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Ingredients:
1 ½ C Sugar
½ C Browned butter, not burnt
2 Eggs
1 C Pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
2 t Vanilla extract
1 ¾ C Flour
1 t Baking soda
½ t Baking powder
2-3 t Pumpkin spice, to your taste
4 oz Chocolate chips, semi-sweet
Marmalade Butter Ingredients:
6 T Butter, soft, not melted
½ C Orange Marmalade
2 t Orange zest, optional
Orange Mimosas Ingredients:
Champagne or sparkling water
Orange juice
Maraschino cherries
(Amounts will vary according to how many you serve and how large or small the stemware is.)
Mix up your batter:
- With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and browned butter together so it has a sandy consistency. I use my portable electric mixer since the batter is not as heavy as a cookie dough. No need to haul out that big monster of a stand mixer for this recipe.
- Beat in the two eggs just until combined.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree until combined. Do not overbeat.
- Sift the dry ingredients (not the chocolate chips) into the wet mix and stir or beat on low until just combined. Scrape down the sides to get everything mixed in well. Set aside while you melt the chocolate.
NOTE: At different times I have added different amounts of pumpkin spice. I personally like the 2 teaspoons. For a stronger flavor, go ahead and add the 3 teaspoons.
NOTE: Since I have all the fall spices in my cupboard, I make my own pumpkin spice. I make my own pumpkin spice of ground nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice…about 1 teaspoon of each. You can personalize yours to your very own taste.
- Next, melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals and stir after each one. My microwave does it in 3-4 different spurts. Set it aside to cool it just a minute or two before drizzling it on the batter.
- Pour the batter into the pan so it’s evenly spread around.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the batter and swirl it in with a knife or offset spatula. Make sure the swirls go deep into the batter. Swirl just enough to get a nice marbled pattern throughout the entire bread.
- Bake at 350F degrees for 50-60 minutes. I check it at the 50-minute mark for doneness. If a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, it should be done. My larger oven bakes a little lower than the registered temp, so I bake this bread for 60-65 minutes.
- When the toothpick test tells you it’s done, take the pan of bread out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes in the pan.
- Using the side flaps of parchment paper lift the bread out of the pan and let it sit on a cooling rack for 20 more minutes before slicing it. I like to cut the loaf once the long way down the middle and then cut thick slices across the short way for nice sized chunks. The thicker chunks go well with the Marmalade Butter.
Mix your Marmalade Butter:
- In a small bowl mix the butter, orange marmalade and orange zest until combined.
- Refrigerate it for at least one hour, letting the flavors work together. I like to mix it up the night before and let it refrigerate overnight.
- For easy spreading, let the marmalade butter sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Do NOT heat it in the microwave. The butter will melt too easily and then you’ll have a goopy mess.
Stir up your Orange Mimosas:
- In stemmed glassware, pour champagne or sparkling water to fill the glasses half way.
- Fill each glass with orange juice so the glasses are ¾ full.
- Garnish each glass with a sweet maraschino cherry. Enjoy!
Storage is easy:
- It's easy to store this in a loosely fitting tin. I like to lay a piece of foil loosely over the top and set it on a small board in the cupboard. If you store it in a tightly covered plastic container it could stay a little too wet.
- It's also easy to freeze for up to a month or so. Just wrap it in foil and place it in a sealable plastic container. When it's time to thaw, let the entire container warm up on the counter. Slice and enjoy!
- Or, slice the bread before you freeze. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place all in a sealable plastic container or bag. Then when you're hungry for a bite or two, just grab one out of the freezer and thaw for a few minutes. Enjoy!
Celebrate the Fall Pumpkin Season with Orange Mimosas next to your Orange Marmalade on Chocolate Pumpkin Bread. It’s a pleasant mouthful of flavors. Whichever way you enjoy your Chocolate Pumpkin Bread, “Bake your own Memories!”
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