Spiced Pumpkin Cake Recipe

I generally think of pumpkin as a savoury vegetable but of course it is versatile enough to be used in cakes and desserts as well. This Spiced Pumpkin Cake recipe is flavoured with orange and spices and topped with cream cheese icing – delicious!

300g flour
300g brown sugar
3 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
175g sultanas
½ tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
200g butter, melted
zest 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
500g (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated

For topping
200g cream cheese
85g butter, softened
100g icing sugar, sifted
zest 1 orange and juice of half

Heat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 30 x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Put the flour, sugar, spice, baking powder, baking soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch.

To make the icing, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.

If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the icing a quick beat to loosen, then, using a knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you’re making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.