December 12, 2015
Christmas is just around the corner and I’m looking forward so much to seeing my boys’s face when they open the present from Santa! Even if this year was not the best to me, to be honest it has been one of the worst, I’m pretty excited about the next one. So I couldn’t be happier that this year is coming to the end, and keen on sitting at the table on Christmas Eve, being together with my parents, sister and beautiful nieces then enjoy the dinner cooked by Mum. So I will be only a sous-chef looking after the cakes and pastries than making the main dish. This cake definitely will be part of the menu this year as well. It’s loaded with raisins, has a lovely Christmassy flavour due to the mixed spice and pretty moist thanks to the butternut squash even a couple of days later. So if you prefer a cake without icing and frosting, it’s a great choice! And the sugar frosted cranberries on the top are awesome reminding us a nice, white Christmas! Will we have? Hope so!
Ingredients:
150 g raisins
100 ml dark rum
1 small butternut squash
113 g soft butter
150 g brown sugar
200 g plain flour (I used wholemeal spelt flour)
1-2 tbsp pumpkin spice (or mixed spice)
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
half teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
120 ml natural yoghurt
for the topping:
150 g fresh cranberries
1 egg white
5-8 tbps caster sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 C. Wash the butternut squash, halve and discard the seeds. Line a baking tray with kitchen foil, pour some oil on that, then put the squash halves flesh side up. Bake until tender or at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile soak the raisins in the rum. Line a 20 cm diameter sandwich tin with baking paper then set aside.
- When the squash is soft, spoon out the flesh and put into a bowl. Mash with a fork roughly then set aside.
- Meanwhile mix the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla, then the eggs each by each. Then stir in the squash puree and the drained raisins.
- In an other bowl mix the flour, spice, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda with a spoon.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter one, stir carefully and don’t overmix! Finally add the yoghurt and give a final stir with a rubber spatula.
- Spread the batter into the tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then place on a cake stand.
- To make the cranberries: put the sugar into a bowl. Beat the egg white in a bowl with a fork to be fluffy. Don’t need to beat until stiff peaks. Then carefully fold the cranberries in then roll in the sugar. Put on a piece of kitchen towel and leave to set.
- When the cake has been cooled put the cranberries on the top of the cake.
Please check out the recipe with more photos on Steller site, please!
