3 ways to use up your Halloween pumpkin
Use up your Halloween pumpkin in one of these delicious recipes.
- 450g pumpkin fleshÂ
- 125g light brown sugarÂ
- ½ tsp of ground gingerÂ
- ½ tsp of mixed spiceÂ
- ½ tsp of cinnamonÂ
- 3 eggsÂ
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 240g plain flourÂ
- Pinch of salt
- 180g chilled butterÂ
- 2 tsp of caster sugar
- 1 egg yolkÂ
- 1-2 tbsp of water
In a large bowl, sift the flour in and add the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Cut the cold butter into cubes and rub into the flour to form âbreadcrumbsâ. Add just enough egg and water to bring the mixture together into a ball. I like it as âshortâ as possible, so donât worry if it is a little crumbly and hard to handle.
Pat down into a thick disk, cover in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 30 to 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Bring a large pan of boiling water to boil and add the pumpkin, cooking until tender enough to easily stick a knife or fork through the flesh.
Drain and place in a liquidiser or use a stick blender to smoothly blend the flesh, adding the sugar and spices and finally the eggs one by one until you get a smooth slightly frothy, thick cake batter.
Leave this to the side.
Take the pastry out of the fridge. You will need around 250g of the pastry for this. Roll the pastry out and line a deep 8-inch flan dish. Prick the base with a fork, cover loosely with baking paper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take the pastry out of the oven and leave rest for around 15 minutes before pouring the cake batter in. Place in the oven for around 45 - 50 minutes until well set.
Serve with softly whipped cream.
Prep time: 10 minutesÂ
Cook time: 45 minutesÂ
Serves: 6-8Â
- 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly choppedÂ
- 750g butternut squash or pumpkin of your choice, peeled and cut into cubesÂ
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly choppedÂ
- 1 stick celery, roughly choppedÂ
- 3 cloves garlic, crushedÂ
- 2 tbsp olive oilÂ
- 1 tsp ground gingerÂ
- 700 ml chicken or vegetable stockÂ
Preheat the oven to 180°Celsius.
Place the onion, butternut squash, carrot, celery, and garlic in a large ovenproof dish. Drizzle 1 tbsp. of the olive oil over them, mix well, and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a saucepan together with the remaining olive oil and the ginger. Fry for 1-2 minutes, then pour over the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender until you reach your desired consistency. Ladle into warm bowls and serve with some buttered brown bread on the side.
- 260ml of sunflower oilÂ
- 260g of light muscovado sugarÂ
- 5 eggs, lightly beatenÂ
- 150g of golden sultanasÂ
- The zest of 3 orangesÂ
- 210g of grated pumpkin fleshÂ
- 1.5 tsp of baking powderÂ
- 3 tsp of mixed cake spiceÂ
- 260g of self-raising flourÂ
- 150g of soft butterÂ
- 450g of cream cheeseÂ
- 120g of icing sugarÂ
- The zest of 2 lemonsÂ
- 1 tsp of vanilla essenceÂ
- A few pumpkin seeds, blueberries and pecan nutsÂ
Heat the oven to 180C and line a 10in-round cake tin with parchment.
Stir the oil, sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until combined. Stir in the sultanas, zest and pumpkin and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Sieve the baking powder and spices into flour and stir them through. Stir them into the other ingredients and combine.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing whisk the butter until light and fluffy, whisk in the cream cheese, icing sugar, zest and vanilla until smooth. Use a pallet knife to spread it onto the cake. Decorate with a line of blueberries, pecans and pumpkin seeds.
