Make the Most of Your Halloween Leftovers with this Delicious Pumpkin Cake Recipe
October 26, 2020
by Hattie
How to cook
The scary truth about Halloween is that the festivities bring about an abundance of food waste. Did you know that roughly 13 million carving pumpkins go to waste in the UK alone?!
At HelloFresh, we’re passionate about reducing food waste, but we certainly don’t believe in putting a stop to the fun Halloween activities! We want to show you how to use your pumpkin for more than scaring ghouls this Halloween.
Pumpkins are cheap, tasty and nutritious and can be cooked in a thousand different ways. Take, for example, this delicious pumpkin cake! But not just any pumpkin cake, oh no. This cake is the most perfectly spiced, rich and moist pumpkin cake you’ll ever try, topped with luxurious cream cheese topping. Just what we’re craving with a cosy cup of tea.
If you like this recipe, you should also try our Ultimate Pumpkin Soup.
First, make sure you’re picking the right pumpkin. Classic carving pumpkins don’t taste all that great, since they are bred to be large, thin fleshed and robust. We’d suggest choosing one that’s smaller – between 1-3kg, smoother and labelled sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin.
Next, you’ll need to make pumpkin puree from your spooky carved creation. Making pumpkin puree is easy, simply roast the pumpkin with the skin for 45 – 50 minutes at 180°. Once finished, place the softened flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth.
And there you have it, delicious cake pending… Below is everything you need for the most delicious autumnal cake.
Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 250g flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
- 240ml vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 200g dark brown sugar
- 100g sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Cream cheese frosting:
- 224g full-fat block cream cheese
- 115g unsalted butter
- 360g sugar
- 1tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 177°C and grease a baking pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl.
- Set aside.
- Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, sugar, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined.
- 3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-36 minutes. The cake is done when a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
- To make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
- Enjoy!
Hungry for more Halloween recipes? Then feast your eyes on these!
The Ultimate Pumpkin Soup Recipe
