Halloween pumpkin cake

So another recipe with pumpkin, this time it’s a cake! Again it was another recipe I was a bit dubious about, simply because my mind couldn’t compute a vegetable in a cake! I didn’t think it was going to be that nice, but I'm not afraid to say I was wrong! So with your remaining pumpkin, try the following!

Ingredients - serves 15 portions – ready in 50 minutes

For the cake

• 300g self-raising flour
  
• 300g light muscovado sugar
  
• 3 tsp mixed spice
  
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  
• 175g sultanas
  
• ½ tsp salt
  
• 4 eggs , beaten
  
• 200g butter , melted
  
• zest 1 orange
  
• 1 tbsp orange juice
  
• 500g (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated

FOR DRENCHING AND FROSTING

• 200g pack soft cheese
  
• 85g butter , softened
  
• 100g icing sugar , sifted
  
• zest 1 orange and juice of half

Now for the How To:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
  
• Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment.
  
• Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine.
  
• Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined.
  
• Stir in the pumpkin.
  
• Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.
  
• To make the frosting:
  
• Beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge.
  
• When the cake is done, cool for 5 minutes then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
  
• Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls.
  
• If you're making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 minutes or so before serving.
  
• Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

I was told that this reminded people of carrot cake, but seeing as I’ve never tried carrot cake I can’t really comment on that! My grandparents thought it was brought (I didn’t tell them I made it until after they ate it) the grandparents couldn’t figure out that pumpkin was used in the cake; also the women at work loved it! It was a hit all around!
Next up is something really special, and possibly the best thing I tried so far... goat curry! It is to die for!
Bye for Now! X