Pumpkin Flop

The promised pumpkin cake post didn't appear yesterday because the recipe was a fiasco. I tried to be clever and make the cake with no white sugar using apple syrup instead, plus I substituted  olive oil for butter. Despite draining the pumpkin puree in a sieve for over an hour, which produced a large cup of juice, my puree was still too wet, so my finished product resembled a bread pudding rather than a cake.  Luckily I like bread pudding, even pumpkin flavoured ones and I had a slice toasted for breakfast this morning - which is a first. 

Jake was very happy with his pumpkin enriched mince and rice and he has cleaned his plate at both breakfast and supper, which is quite a rare occurrence with this fussy dog. 

I still had a cup of puree left over so I allowed it to drain overnight in the fridge and resorted to the trusted cake ingredients to produce a light and tasty pumpkin cake the next day. 

Pumpkin Cake Mark 2

2 medium eggs 

Weigh the eggs and measure out the same amount of sugar (white, brown or mixed), self raising flour and butter, 

1 tsp cinnamon, half tsp allspice and half a nutmeg - grated

Half a cup of well drained pumpkin puree

Handful of dried fruit - anything you have in your cupboard, small pieces

Heat the oven to 190 C (180 fan) 

Cream the sugar and butter, add two beaten eggs and pumpkin then gently stir in the flour, fruit  and spices. 

Grease a 7 inch cake tin and line with baking parchment, I never bother to line it if the cake tin has a removable base. 

Cook for about 40 minutes and check  that a knife in the centre comes out clean, if not bake for 5 minute intervals until it does. 

I iced mine with half a tub of Phily type cream cheese mixed with two tablespoons of icing sugar but next time I will leave it plain.