A beautifully moist cake with gentle sweetness, warmth from cinnamon and freshness from orange. The butternut squash almost disappears into the crumb, leaving softness rather than an obvious vegetable flavour.
Ingredients
For the cake
300 g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
100 g dark brown sugar
120g light brown sugar
160 ml light extra virgin olive oil (or sunflower oil)
120 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350 g grated butternut squash
80 g walnuts, roughly chopped
For the frosting
250 g full-fat cream cheese
80 g soft unsalted butter
180 g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Walnuts to decorate
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional). Grease and line a 23 cm round cake tin or loaf tin.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until slightly fluffy. Add the oil, orange juice and vanilla extract and whisk again briefly.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until combined. Fold in the grated butternut squash.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 45–55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.
For the frosting
Beat the butter until soft. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and mix briefly until smooth. Gradually beat in the icing sugar. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with walnuts.
This cake keeps exceptionally well and becomes even softer the following day.