Squash bar cake
This is a refined sugar free, moist, velvety cake made from butternut squash! It’s amazing, and I really can’t believe it has squash in it. I have been wanting to try and use my seasonal choice in a sweet and it’s taken me a while to develop this, but so pleased I persevered. I often think of how to use fruit and veg for both sweet and savoury, as it makes food a little more interesting – plus it’s a great learning tool for children – not to associate any particular food group as being sweet or savoury. I have put this recipe in my snack section, as it’s refined sugar free, I think it’s fine as a snack, but equally it’s cake so could be treated as a treat! The bar keeps around 4-5 days in an air tight container. As it contains honey it is not suitable for under 1s.
Makes a bar with around 12-14 slices
Ingredients
180g of fresh squash, peeled and cut into smallish chunks
175g self raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate soda
1 ½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp nutmeg
120ml honey - not suitable for under 1s
3 tbsp double cream (or single cream or whole milk)
50g butter – cut into small cubes
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)
Method
1. Grease a 20cm loaf tin and preheat oven to 150C fan.
2. Cover squash with water and put on high heat on hob to boil cook in around 10-15 minutes. Strain and let it cool down in strainer.
3. In a blender, blend self raising flour, honey, butter, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, spices until it is at coarse breadcrumb consistency – place in bowl.
4. Then blend together the butternut squash to form a thickish paste, remove and mix with egg, cream and lemon zest.
5. Carefully mix in flour mixture into the squash mixture until combined. Spoon into loaf tin and scatter with flaked almonds, gently using your fingers press these into the cake, so they stick.
6. Cook for around 45-50 minutes until top is golden and when spiked with skewer it comes out clean. Leave it to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before turning out on to a wire cooling rack. Best served cold.