Sluttishly Easy: Pumpkin & Ginger Cake

Now, I know some of you brave souls are still braving the outdoors without your woollen tights or winter coats. And hats off to you for it, too. As for me, I turn the heating to top notch and wander around the house in crocheted shawls shivering like a little old lady from September 1st until at least mid-March. I love autumn and winter, but I’m far too soft about even the idea of cold, so I like to hibernate as much as I can. And of course cake is a perfect accompaniment to bedding down in blankets with a cup of tea when its thundery outside. This pumpkin and ginger concoction is especially useful as it’s a strange sort of cake-bread hybrid, meaning that depending on the occasion, it can either be served sliced and buttered, or as cake with ice-cream, cream or custard.

You’ll need:

• 250g raw peeled pumpkin, grated (if you’re feeling adventurous you could also use butternut squash. Like the courgette and carrot cake we featured a while back, it tastes delicious, but you’ll probably get some puzzled reactions from those folk who think even having carrots in a cake is some kind of insane travesty.)
• 140g clear honey
• 1 large egg
• 175g butter
• 350g self-raising flour
• 100g sugar, plus an extra tablespoon or two for dusting
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• A 1.5kg loaf tin
• Large mixing bowl

And then what you’ll need to do is:

Pre-heat your oven to 180C, and grease your loaf tin. Melt your butter, using either a microwave and mug, or a pan. Crack your egg into the bowl and whisk, then add your melted butter and honey. Add your pumpkin (or squash), and stir. Then stir in your sugar, flour and ginger. Spoon the mixture into your tin, and sprinkle the top with an extra couple of spoons of sugar. Bake for 45mins to an hour, until golden brown. Leave to cool (or you’ll burn your fingers, and we’re not being held responsible for your blisters!), and then turn out onto a wire rack. Then change into your cosiest pyjamas, burrow into your blankets and enjoy.

(Image from lukeandphoto's Flickr photostream)