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Canalside pumpkin or squash is delicious in cake. The moist and tasty result is similar to banana bread, but (surprisingly…) without the banana flavour.
Brown Butter Spice Bread
130g puréed roasted pumpkin or squash (see below for instructions)
115g unsalted butter
170g wholewheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
140g caster or muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
60ml milk
30g sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1.5 tablespoons sugar (for the topping)
To make puréed pumpkin or squash:
Preheat the oven to 190C. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges and remove the seeds. Place it on a baking sheet and roast until it’s cooked and tender throughout. Depending on the size of the wedges this should take between 15-30 minutes. Peel the squash and mash or purée with a hand blender until smooth. You can freeze any extra.
To make the cake:
Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until it’s brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma. This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. You want the butter solids nicely toasted, but not scorched. Set aside and allow to cool but don’t let it solidify. Get on with making the rest of the cake while it’s cooling.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and flour a rectangular loaf pan.
Sift the flour, baking soda, spices and sea salt into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the squash or pumpkin, sugar, eggs and milk. Whisk in the cooled but still-melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Fold in most of the almonds.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the top with the extra 1.5 tablespoons of sugar and the remaining almonds.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the edges have browned and the centre of the cake is well set and a cake tester comes out dry. Do your best to avoid over-baking; part of the charm of this cake is its moistness.
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks.)