Spiced butternut squash loaf cake with cream cheese frosting

Name: Spiced butternut squash loaf cake with cream cheese frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 100 ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra for greasing; 175 g self raising flour; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 1 tsp ground ginger; 150 g light brown soft sugar; 125 g butternut squash, grated; 50 g dried apricots, chopped (or whatever dried fruit you have); 50 g walnuts, roughly chopped; 2 Essential Free Range White Eggs; 100 g Essential Low Fat Natural Yogurt; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Elly Curshen's autumnal cake is made super-moist by the addition of yogurt and oil, made even better with a cream cheese frosting.

4.5 out of 5 stars(7) Rate this recipe

Vegetarian

Serves10
CourseCake
Prepare15 mins
Cook55 mins
Total time1 hr 10 mins
Pluscooling

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Ingredients

100ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra for greasing
175g self raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
150g light brown soft sugar
125g butternut squash, grated
50g dried apricots, chopped (or whatever dried fruit you have)
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
2 Essential Free Range White Eggs
100g Essential Low Fat Natural Yogurt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the icing

75g soft cheese, at room temperature
125g icing sugar, sifted
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin with a little oil. Place a long strip of baking parchment along the tin lengthways, overhanging each end a little to make it easier to lift out the finished cake.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl. Add the sugar, squash, apricots and walnuts and stir to combine. Make sure the squash and apricots are well coated in flour to help stop them sinking in the cake.
In a separate jug, whisk the oil, eggs, yogurt and vanilla until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into the tin, smooth the top, then bake for 50-55 minutes, or until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool for 20 minutes, then lift out using the paper and cool completely on a rack. Meanwhile, make the icing by blending all the ingredients in a food processor (or by hand) until fully combined and smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
The cake keeps well wrapped in baking parchment and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Only frost it when ready to serve. There’ll be plenty to cover the top of the loaf in swirls.

Cook’s tip

Pumpkin stock
When carving, pop the pumpkin seeds, pulp, flesh and skin into a pan of cold water. Add onion, carrot and 2 cloves garlic and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool, strain, then store in the fridge for a week, or freeze for 3 months.

Partner with pasta
Mix roasted pumpkin or squash with ricotta to fill cannelloni. Roasted squash goes brilliantly with brown butter and crispy sage, served with spinach ravioli or tortellini.

Skin & seeds
There’s no need to peel a squash, just scrub clean. You can clean and roast pumpkin seeds for a delicious crunchy snack.