Although often thought of as a vegetable, butternut squash is actually a fruit.
It's sweet and creamy texture when cooked, meaning it lends itself beautifully to puddings.
The idea of using squash in puddings can seem a little strange to some, so it might be wise not to let them know what they're eating until after they've enjoyed it!
This recipe is really easy. Simply steam the squash, add it to the other ingredients and bake.
It's a great way of using up left-over squash, too.
Peel the squash with a potato peeler. Chop off the stalk and flower end. Chop in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Chop into 1/2 inch cubes.
Steam in a steamer (or in a large sieve above a pan of boiling water) until soft - about 10-15 minutes. Make sure it's dry before you use it in the cake.
Mash the squash until pureed. Let it cool until warm, if using freshly-cooked squash. If using leftovers, cold is fine.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream the butter and the sugar together, until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand with a wooden spoon or with a mixer.
Add the eggs to the butter and sugar, with 2 tablespoons of the ground almonds and the baking powder. Beat well.
Add the squash and beat well to combine.
Mix in the rest of the almonds. The mixture should be thick, but if it's too thick to stir, add some of the liquid from steaming the squash (cooled), a couple of tablespoons at a time. (Use milk if you don't have any steaming water left).
Grease a 7-8 inch cake tin. Put the mixture in the tin and spread it out evenly. Bake at 180 degrees C for about 45 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Note: if the bake starts to brown too soon, lightly cover it with foil. You might need a longer cooking time, depending on how much squash went in and how your cooker "does" cakes!
Delicious as it is, or serve with cream or custard.
Time From Cupboard-To-Table
1 hour
Notes & Variations
We didn't have any butternut squash in to test this recipe, so we used gem squash instead. And it worked really well!
It was delicious on its own, but serving it with apple and blackberry syrup turned it into something really special...
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big surprise when you bite into it cos you still think you're eating a squash. Nicest warm with custard
9/10
I happened to have a vanilla bean lying around, so I added half of its pulp in with the cake batter, then I made a sweetened whipped cream with the other half of the vanilla bean and some cinnamon. It made a fantastic frosting for the cake. My husband and I both loved it.
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