Spiced Butternut Squash Mini Bundt Cakes

Butternut squash is a staple food in our home, it has a starring role in curries, tagines, pasta dishes, you name it and I can probably find a way to incorporate butternut squash into it. It's infinitely cheaper than tinned pumpkin (great but daylight robbery - never again), I find it to be much sweeter and it's widely available all the time in the UK. Bonus. Why would I not make a cake out of it? It makes a much tastier cake than pumpkin but shhh I didn't say that no seriously it does.

Theoretically you could cut some of the sugar since the sweet potatoes add sweetness (what a stupid sentence) but if you have a sweet tooth I'd definitely leave it be not to blow my own trumpet or anything but I was pretty satisfied with the way they turned out!!

I haven't included the toppings in the recipe but in case you're interested I'll give you a brief run down here. To make the maple toasted nuts, chop about two handfuls of nuts coarsely and toast in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant. Add enough maple syrup to coat all the nuts, stirring the mixture in the pan until the maple syrup has reduced and become even stickier - this whole process should take 5 minutes from when the hob heats up.

Hannah made the beautiful apple caramels I melted down for the sauce so this recipe never existed she just chucks things in a pan, hopes for the best and usually succeeds is top secret.

The spices give these little bundt cakes a wonderful autumnal taste, and the nuts - squirrels, hibernation, autumn apparently we're playing word association etc - tenuous link i know but this is the real deal autumn cake I promise ya. Serve it up quick because winter is coming... and it's a great way to get veggies into your anti-veggie friends and family members (ha! Just kidding I am in no way trying to claim that this is in any way a healthy recipe, come on guys you know I only post them when succumbing to pressure from my better half) just before the holiday season where everyone eats their body weight in unhealthy treats. Or am I just speaking for myself there?

Ingredients

1 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup pureed butternut squash (I obtained this by steaming 1 heaped cup of 1" cubed butternut squash then blending to a smooth consistency)
2 medium free-range eggs
1.5 cups self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp baking powder
optional toppings

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy then stir the butternut squash into that. Beat in the two eggs, mix well and then add the flour. Mix again until you have a smooth mixture then stir in the spices and baking powder. Pour the mixture into 4 mini bundt tins and bake for approx. 25 minutes. I served my mini bundt cakes with toasted, maple-doused chopped nuts and some melted down apple caramels Hannah had made a few days before but feel free to cover it in lashings of whatever takes your fancy!!

P.S. in case you read my last post MS MR were sick sick sick sick sick waaaaaaaaaah. SERIOUSLY CHECK THEM OUT.