If you’ re going to be carving out the flesh of a pumpkin this Halloween then I think I might have a recipe for you. I know the idea of having vegetables for pudding freaks us Brits out a little; The carrot cake took a while to catch on but hey …. It’s available in most good tea shops these days and I can equally vouch for the courgette cake. I have recently experimented with beetroot for brownies which I have to say were surprising delicious and healthy and purple!
I think you should give this pumpkin cake a go…. It is a really smart way of using up the pumpkin flesh. Pumpkins are highly autumnal and colourful and can take a range of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika and sage.
I admit that pumpkin is a little watery and stringy at times, and almost lack depth of flavour. However this makes it excellent for a pudding/dessert or soup.
Look out for the culinary type – often labelled as such. And the trick is the roast the pumpkin in its skin, then when it’s cooked to de-skin it. Dice the flesh and then let it sit and drain in a colander for a couple of hours. Alternatively at this time of year its easy to find the pumpkin puree (libby’s pumpkin puree is available in Waitrose/Tesco’s and other supermarkets).
This Pumpkin cake recipe is donated to us by the very lovely Margaret Knox – Co organiser of the Buckinghamshire Branch of the Clandestine Cake Club – she is an amazing baker and I have enjoyed some very delicious well justified calories.
Pumpkin Cake – By Margaret Knox
This is a great autumnal cake and it sneaks in a bit of your 5 a day. You can use fresh pumpkin but if you are pushed for time then a tin of pumpkin puree is a great option.
You don’t have to have fancy Bundt tin to make this cake a 20cm loose bottom tin will also work
You can serve this cake with cream or top it with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
250ml vegetable oil
3 eggs
400g pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
425g golden caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice
1tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
25g sultanas (optional)
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
- Preheat oven to 160f/180c/gas 4
- Grease and line your tin
- Beat together the oil, eggs, vanilla and the pumpkin this can be done very quickly with an electric whisk.
- Sift the flour, sugar, bicarb, spices and salt. Gently stir this into the pumpkin mix until just combined. Stir in the sultanas if using.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin bake in the oven on the lower shelf for approximately an hour. To check if it’s ready insert a skewer in the middle and if it comes out clean it’s ready.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 mins before turning out and leaving to cool completely
- Place on a plate and sprinkle with icing sugar
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
Comments