Whole Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake -- Something Sweet Before Everyone Goes Their Separate Ways

Packing for Tyler. He moves back to Milford Saturday. Second year of SCC. His dorm mate Marcus is returning too.

Drove Monday-Tuesday.

Justin is still at JBS. He gave me an envelope Friday with $200. He said, "For Grandma. Whatever she needs." I did not know what to say. I put the envelope in my pocket. Gayle saw. Gayle said, "Tell Justin I love him." I did.

Amber moving back to Kearney apartment next week.

Sunday: family dinner.

Sunday’s dinner felt heavier than usual — Tyler packing for Milford, Amber heading back to Kearney, and Justin’s quiet, generous envelope still sitting in my mind. Everyone was going in a different direction, and I wanted something on the table that felt like a hug. This whole grain pumpkin chocolate chip snack cake was exactly right: nothing fussy, nothing that needed a special occasion, just something warm and real that said we were all here together before the week pulled us apart again.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly combined.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup (or honey), melted oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined — do not overmix.
5. Fold in chocolate chips. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving a small handful to scatter over the top.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips on top. Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool and serve. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing into squares and serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 160mg