Italian Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread With Amaretti Streusel

It’s nearly Fall, and many of us are already craving cozy afternoons filled with baking. But the question is—what should we bake first to welcome the new season?

Since you’re here, I have a feeling we had the same idea. Maybe you’ve been tempted by the trending chocolate chip pumpkin bread, or perhaps you’ve baked it before and are now looking for a more flavorful twist.

This Italian-inspired version is the one you’ll fall in love with. It starts with the base of a beloved Italian breakfast cake, enriched with fresh pumpkin and melty chocolate chips, then crowned with the most irresistible amaretti streusel topping.

To make things even better, this bread stays incredibly moist thanks to extra virgin olive oil—and it’s also a touch healthier than most recipes because of the thoughtful choice of ingredients.

I can’t wait for you to try it!

Why Try This Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread?

There are so many pumpkin bread recipes out there. So why should you try this one?

Here are five reasons I think you are going to love this more:

1. It’s Italian, and don’t we all love Italian food? When I say it’s Italian, it’s not because an Italian (that is me) made it. It’s because it truly features Italian ingredients. My recipe is very close to how my Sicilian grandma would make her cakes, and it even includes a special ingredient she used. This ingredient is the star of all my cakes.
   
2. It’s tried and tested. I have been making this breakfast cake recipe for the past 5 years. I have tried many variations, including a healthy banana bread I might share soon. So I was confident that this chocolate chip pumpkin bread was going to be a success, and it is!
   
3. It has a fantastic Amaretti streusel topping. Streusel it’s delicious on its own, right? Imagine adding the bold taste of amaretti with that iconic Italian almond flavor. And if you don’t like the strong flavor of amaretti, I get you as I don’t like it either. The streusel toned that down and made me love it. It really takes this recipe to the next level.
   
4. It’s so easy to make. I make this breakfast cake recipe at least three times a year, so I have learnt to perfect the base recipe, and simplified it as much as possible. I don’t know about you, but I love baking simple recipes that feel like a therapeutic cozy afternoon session. So simplifying a recipe is always my priority. If you are worried that the streusel component is going to complicate it, don’t. I have thought about that for you! And if you want to skip it, and make just the cake and the healthy frosting, please go ahead and do that.
   
5. It’s indulgent but healthy. While I wouldn’t compare this chocolate chip pumpkin bread with amaretti streusel topping to eating a Greek yogurt, or a fruit bowl, my sweet bakes are always healthier than most. That’s because I am a calorie counter by nature. I like eating healthy and feeling so, but I also love delicious food. That drives me to strip my recipes to only include the minimum necessary ingredients, making sure they are all high quality and as clean as possible, sweet enough but not too much, and most importantly they taste homemade. What’s the point in baking something from scratch for it to taste artificial and almost store bought? Nothing wrong with store bought, but if you are baking it, it should taste fresh and lovely, don’t you think so?

Ingredients For Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Let me share my unique mix of ingredients, but don’t worry you can easily find them at your local supermarket.

Pumpkin Puree – I make my own by simply slicing the fresh pumpkin onto a baking dish and baking it for around an hour. You can then blend it, or mash it with a fork. I blended mine.

Extra virgin olive oil – I like to make my Italian cakes with Italian extra virgin olive oil. That’s how my Sicilian grandma always made hers, and so did my mum. I love the subtle fruity taste a great EVOO gives to cakes, and I also like how moist it makes them. I use this one.

Greek Yogurt – None of the other recipes I saw uses this ingredient, but I have to because it just makes cakes so much better. I tried it once while testing a recipe for a client’s blog and I was hooked. I nearly never skip it now, and the result is extra soft and fluffy cakes.

Eggs – These are obviously fundamental in baking, but if you are intolerant or vegan I suggest you try substituting them with flax seeds. I did my fair share of vegan bakes in the past and that always worked for me. Replace 1 egg with 1 flax egg, which is 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds plus 2.5 tablespoons water.

Flour – I have always used Barilla 00 flour to make this specific Italian breakfast cake, and while I have recently tried Caputo and loved the results for cookies, I am not ready to risk it for this recipe. I’d rather stick to what’s tried and tested. But when I do make it again, I will try it with Caputo patisserie flour. I can let you know about the results in my newsletter, so subscribe if you are not.

Sugar – I often bake with just coconut sugar because it’s healthier and less sweet, but I know most people out there would prefer a sweeter option, so I am using a combination of both white sugar and coconut. The white sugar gives you the sweetness and the coconut sugar gives this recipe the caramel-like flavor of brown sugar but with more earthy notes.

My secret ingredient – This is the ingredient I hinted to earlier when I said that my grandma always used this when making her cakes. It’s the Paneangeli Lievito Vanigliato. It’s a baking mix Italians use instead of baking powder and soda. It comes with added vanilla essence, and it’s just the magic touch to every bake. You need to try it! I doubt you will find this at your local supermarket, so I have included a link for you to get it on Amazon. Every pack comes with three sachets, and we only need one for this pumpkin bread.

Garam Masala – It’s weird, I know, but wait till you try it! This is another of those ingredients that once I tried, I never looked back. Garam masala is a mix of Indian spices. Mine includes these – coriander, cassia, ginger, cloves, cumin, fennel, and dill. It’s perfect. It’s warm and the right level of spicy (I don’t like spicy for your reference), and you can use it for both sweet and savory recipes. If you don’t want to try it, replace it with your pumpkin spice. I am keeping the spice low because we don’t want to cover the pumpkin or amaretti taste.

PS: If you happen to be allergic to any of those spices, just omit one. If on the other hand, you’d like to use a more Italian spice mix, use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and fennel.

Salt – I like to use Sicilian iodized salt, but any other table salt will do. You just need a pinch, but it’s, nonetheless, an important ingredient. 

Chocolate chips – I suggest you don’t skimp on these because we are making a chocolate chip pumpkin bread and every bite must include a few! I like to use milk chocolate, but dark chocolate will work as well. In this case, I used a mix of both, with a ratio of 2:1 (milk:dark).

Amaretti Streusel – If you choose to make yours with the amaretti streusel, which I suggest you do, you will also need these other ingredients: amaretti biscuits (the hard crispy ones, not soft), butter, and extra flour and sugar. 

Healthy Frosting – You don’t need the frosting if you choose to bake the streusel with the cake. That works fine for a breakfast cake, or a healthy dessert. My frosting is however healthier, with no butter and less sugar, and a combination of cream cheese and Greek yogurt. I made mine vegan because I am dairy intolerant, especially when it comes to cream cheese, and other lactose rich ingredients. You can make yours with regular cream cheese and Greek yogurt.

I will share the exact quantities along with the steps to make the cake, the streusel and the frosting next, and under different sections so it’s easier for you to follow.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

How To Make The Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients:

1 kg fresh pumpkin, without the skin.

How to make it:

1. Do this first step the day before you bake your cake.
2. Take 1 kg fresh pumpkin, rinse it and remove the peel and seeds.
3. Cut into cubes, and layer the latter on a large dish covered with foil or parchment paper.
4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for an hour.
5. Then leave to cool for at least an hour.
6. Once cooked and cooled, the pumpkin will reduce to about 1.5 cups.
7. Then blend without adding any other ingredients.
8. After blending it, the pumpkin puree will reduce to 1 cup.
9. Store in a container in the fridge until you are ready to make your cake.

How To Make This Italian Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

It’s really simple. Let me show you.

We are starting with the cake batter. You should have already prepared your pumpkin puree, or maybe you are using store bought.

Here are the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 250 gr flour (2 cups)
• 1 sachet Paneangeli (or 1 tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp baking soda)
• Pinch of salt
• ⅓ teaspoon Garam Masala (or replace with pumpkin spice)
• 100 gr Chocolate chips (about 70 gr milk and 30 gr dark, or as you prefer)
• 150 gr white sugar (¾ cup)
• 50 gr coconut sugar (¼ cup)
• 80 ml Italian EVOO (5.5 tablespoons)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 small eggs (about 80 ml)
• 75 gr Greek yogurt (⅓ cup)

How to make the cake:

1. Take two large bowls.
2. Add all the cake dry ingredients into one of those bowls, and mix well. Don’t add the chocolate chips for now. The sugars go with the wet ingredients.
3. Then add all the cake wet ingredients into the other bowl, and mix those well. Here’s the order I like to add mine in.
4. Crack the eggs first.
5. Add the sugar and mix.
6. Add the pumpkin puree, and mix again.
7. Now, add the Greek yogurt, and mix.
8. Finally, add the oil and mix everything well one final time.
9. It’s time to combine the dry and wet ingredients.
10. Take ⅓ of the dry ingredients, and add them to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula, or use an electric hand whisk.
11. Repeat another two times, until you’ve used the remaining dry ingredients.
12. Your cake batter is ready. It just needs the chocolate chips added. 
13. Add them and fold them nicely in with the spatula.
14. You can now pour the batter into your cake tin, lined with parchment paper, or greased. 
15. Once you do, take the dish and tap it three times on the counter. That helps get rid of any air bubbles.
16. Set aside, and preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius or 338 Fahrenheit. If you can do that before you finish the cake, that’s even better. I like to pre-heat mine for around 20 minutes.
17. I like to bake mine on the lower level of the oven, to avoid it from getting too brown.
18. Note: this cake because it’s so moist due to the pumpkin puree, will need to bake for longer, and will turn out darker on the outside. It won’t be burnt though, just darker! That’s why it’s extremely important to bake it in the lower level of the oven, so it doesn’t burn. It will have a crispy outside and a moist and fluffy inside.
19. Bake for 95 minutes.
20. While it bakes you can make the streusel and the frosting. Refer to the steps below.
21. Since your oven might be different from mine, I suggest checking the cake after 50 minutes. Poke it with a cake stick, and if it doesn’t come clean leave it for another 15 to 20 minutes. Check again after that time, and if the stick comes clean, you can take it out and leave it to cool.

How to Make the Amaretti Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

• 50 gr flour 00 (¼ cup)
• 100 gr amaretti crumbled coarsely
• 60 gr cold butter (about ¼  cup)
• 50 gr granulated sugar (¼ cup)

How to make the streusel:

1. Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Then, add the butter into chunks and incorporate it with a fork.
3. Finally, add the crumbled amaretti biscuits.
4. Mix well, add to a flat baking dish covered with parchment paper, and spread evenly.
5. Set aside. You will bake this as soon as your cake comes out of the oven.
6. Once you are ready to bake it, do so for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how soft or crunchy you want your streusel to be.
7. This streusel recipe is delicious also to enjoy as an extra indulgent cereal, topped with milk or yogurt. And you can also enjoy it as a topping for your ice cream.

How to Make a Healthier Frosting

Ingredients

• 200 gr cream cheese (I am using vegan but you can use regular)
• 1 tbs Greek Yogurt
• 50 gr Powdered sugar (half cup)
• Pinch of vanilla essence

How to make the frosting:

1. Add the cream cheese and Greek yogurt to a medium bowl.
2. Add a pinch of vanilla essence, or some pumpkin spice if you prefer.
3. Add the powdered sugar, and mix well.
4. I like to do it all by hand, but you could also use an eclectric whisk.
5. Taste, and see if it needs anything else for your liking.
6. Refrigerate until it’s time to frost your cake.

Do you Add Streusel Before or After Baking?

You have three options. Let me share them all, and then tell you which I used and why.

Option 1. 
Add the streusel on top of your cake batter, and bake normally. My fear is that the streusel might sink, especially since we are making an extra moist cake, but you can try it.

Option 2.
Bake the cake without the streusel, then take it out half way through, add the streusel, and finish baking it. I don’t like to open the oven while my cakes are baking, as it messes up with their raising. But if you do it after the 30 minutes mark, it shouldn’t have much of an impact.

Option 3 – My choice

• Bake the cake without the streusel. Take it out and let it cool.
• Next, bake the streusel on a separate flat dish. Take it out and let that cool too.
• Prepare the frosting, and then assemble everything.
• Top the cake with the frosting and then sprinkle the streusel on top.
• This gives you a dessert-like chocolate chip pumpkin bread that’s both creamy and crunchy, incredibly delicious.

How long does pumpkin bread last? + Storage Tips

As with all my bakes, I like to consume them within 3 days maximum. That’s the perfect amount of time to consume a cake, especially if there are two or more people in your household. It also keeps it fresh, and avoids it from building up any moisture, which is known to spoil bakes.

If you are just one person, you could make a smaller cake by only using half of the ingredients. The other option is to refrigerate half of the cake, to make it last an extra 2 days, and then heat up your slice in the microwave when you are about to enjoy it. Of course, in this case you would need to keep the frosting and streusel apart, so you can heat just the cake.

Or you could freeze half the cake.

Because of the pictures for this blog, I had to frost the cake and add the streusel. However, right after, I took them off, and put everything into separate plates and containers in the fridge. When it was time to enjoy a slice, I heated the slice, and then topped it with the frosting and the streusel. I made the cake on Saturday and we finished it by Monday evening.

Can you freeze pumpkin bread though?

Like I always say, I am not used to cooking and freezing food. That’s not how I grew up. My Sicilian grandma and my mum were always cooking from scratch for that day, and then we would enjoy the leftovers the next day or two.

However, when I am making the recipes for my blog, I usually like to test the freezing part, so I can let you know the results. In this case, I didn’t freeze the cake, so I can’t say.

More Italian Recipes

I have just started sharing Italian recipes on my blog, but I will add plenty more in the coming weeks.

For now, I think you will love these three:

Italian Mostaccioli Cookies – traditional chocolate Christmas cookies
Italian Sausage Soup – hearty and perfect for Fall and Winter
Italian Ricotta Cookies – three delicious traditional Italian flavors

Want more recipes?
Subscribe to my newsletter. I’ll send you one email a week, starting very soon, and it will often include a recipe I love, that hasn’t been shared on the blog. To subscribe, just scroll this post and you will find a message box that invites you to join my email list. I’d love to join!

If you are reading this just before Thanksgiving, Christmas is coming soon. I think you will love these festive reads:

11 Festive Italian Christmas Table Decor Ideas You’ll Love
14 Timeless Classic Christmas Tree Ideas Inspired By Italy
Classy Christmas Outfit Ideas Inspired by Italian Women

Happy baking,
Alessia