Harvest Loaf Cake

It's autumn. My favorite season. Season of beautiful leaves, cooler & crisper air, pumpkins, apples, football, Halloween, and Harvest Loaf Cake. I usually make this loaf cake every year, but last year I didn't, probably because last year SP was gluten free. I had a craving for this loaf cake and SP can now eat gluten so yesterday afternoon, we made it. The recipe was in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette many years ago.

It's very simple. I measured out & combined the dry ingredients first:

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt

There's also:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup pure canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (which I omit)

Then it's the 'usual' process: cream the butter, add sugar and beat until fluffy, add eggs and blend well, add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin starting & ending with dry ingredients:Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts), pour into loaf pan that has been greased on bottom, bake at 350 for 60-75 minutes.Cool and enjoy. It's moist, pumpkin-y, you can taste the spices, the chocolate chips add a terrific chocolately taste with the spices & pumpkin. Delicious! We shared a slice as an appetizer and then had another slice with a mug hot tea during Amazing Race. A wonderful fall treat.