Pumpkin and Chocolate Tartlets
- Gluten Free
- Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 40 min
- Cook time: 20 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
- Note + the cooling time in the refrigerator for the ganache (at least 30 min.)
PRESENTATION
Pumpkin chocolate cake—it's like a warm hug on Italian tables when the weather cools down. And look, across Italy, folks really love using pumpkin, or zucca, not just in savory dishes but in sweet treats too. These mini pumpkin and chocolate cakes are a real favorite for cozy afternoons. Super tasty. They are made with rice flour and almond flour instead of the usual wheat, which gives the cake a really tender crumb. Also, a nutty flavor that plays so, so well with the pumpkin.
Seed oil and almond milk keep these cakes extra moist. And if you avoid dairy, no problem—everyone can have a slice. Seriously good. You end up with a pumpkin cake that's soft and lightly golden, with bits of rich chocolate that melt just a bit as you bite in. Perfect for sweater weather, right?
Italian baking? It's always changing. Thing is, they use old favorites like pumpkin in new, creative ways. Almond flour adds just enough sweetness, letting the natural taste of the pumpkin really really shine through. Pretty much a staple at family gatherings, or even as a delicate treat after school. And people who want easy pumpkin cake recipes love them. They're somewhere between a classic chocolate cake and a fall-flavored muffin—moist, not too heavy. Packed with flavor.
Since they're so simple, anyone can try their hand at baking from scratch without too much fuss. Plus, top them with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or eat them plain. They're good either way. Whether you call it a pumpkin chocolate cake or tortina di zucca e cioccolato, it's one of those comforting fall dessert recipes that gets everyone talking, sharing and reaching for seconds. And here's the thing—their small size makes them perfect for a quick, satisfying bite whenever the craving hits. Really, you can't go wrong.
You might also like:
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for 4 tartlets with a diameter of 4 inches
- Delica pumpkin 0.9 cup (210 g) - to clean
- Rice flour 1 ¼ cup (150 g)
- Almond flour ½ cup (50 g)
- Brown sugar ½ cup (100 g)
- Almond milk ¼ cup (50 g)
- Vegetable oil 3.4 tbsp (50 g)
- Eggs 2 oz (55 g) - (approximately 1 medium)
- Baking powder 1 ¾ tsp (8 g)
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- for the ganache
- Dark chocolate 5.25 oz (150 g)
- Fresh liquid cream ½ cup (120 g)
- for dusting
- Powdered sugar to taste
How to prepare Pumpkin and Chocolate Tartlets
To prepare the pumpkin and chocolate tartlets, first clean the pumpkin and cut it into chunks 1: you will need 160 grams of cleaned pumpkin. Transfer the pumpkin to a tall, narrow container, add the seed oil 2 and almond milk 3
and blend with an immersion blender until you obtain a smooth cream 4. Now pour the brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment 5, add the egg 6, and work at low speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the pumpkin cream 7 and work again to combine it. At this point, sift the rice flour 8 and the baking powder 9 into the bowl,
also add the almond flour 10 and work everything to incorporate the powders into the mixture. Finally, add the salt 11 and work again until the mixture is smooth and uniform 12.
Butter 13 and flour 4 round molds with a diameter of 4 inches and a height of 1.2 inches, fill them with the mixture up to three-quarters 14, and place them on the oven rack that you have preheated to 340°F in static mode 15. Bake the tartlets for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the ganache: finely chop the dark chocolate with a knife 16, then pour the cream into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer 17. Transfer the chopped chocolate into a bowl, pour the hot cream over the chocolate 18
and mix vigorously with a spatula until you obtain a cream 19. Blend the obtained cream with an immersion blender to make it smoother and shinier 20, then cover it with cling film touching the surface 21 and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
When the tartlets are cooked, remove them from the oven 22 and let them cool, then remove them from the molds and cut them in half transversely. Transfer the chocolate ganache into a piping bag and fill the lower half of the tartlets 23, then cover them with the other half 24.
To create an original decoration, cover part of the surface of the tartlets with a sheet of paper and dust with powdered sugar (25-26). Your pumpkin and chocolate tartlets are ready to be enjoyed 27!