Iced pumpkin cake. Perfect for sharing.
300g prepared pumpkin or butternut squash
50g chai seeds
225g plain flour
160ml maple syrup
180ml Solesta light in colour olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bi carb of soda
50g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
150g icing sugar
25g of either almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
25g dried sweet cranberries or apricots
A little yellow and red food colouring
Warm water
1 x 23 cm ring mould, with indents to look pumpkin like – lightly greased with some oil
Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas 4
Chop the pumpkin into small chunks and boil in a little salted water for 10 mins until soft – drain well and mash
Put the warm pumpkin mash into a bowl, sprinkle over the chai seeds and pour over the maple syrup – mix well and allow to soak
Put the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, bi carb and salt in another bowl Wisk well with a whisk
Pour the olive oil into the pumpkin mix and stir together
Add this to the dry mix and beat to mix
Put the cake mix into the mould and bake for 25 mins
Test with a wooden cocktail stick – the stick should come out clean, then you know it’s cooked
Allow to cool in the tin before turning out
Sieve the icing sugar and mix a little warm water and food colourings into the sugar until you have a thick but pourable icing and the right colour
Drizzle over the turned out cake
Chop the nuts and the dried fruit over the top. Build this up to make it look more impressive!