Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

• 300 g self raising flour
• 300 g light sugar
• 3 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp soda bicarbonate
• 175 g sultanas
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs , beaten
• 200 g butter , melted
• 1 orange zest
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 500 g small pumpkin or butternut squash grated
• For drenching and frosting
• 200 g pack soft cheese
• 85 g butter , softened
• 100 g icing sugar , sifted
• Zest 1 orange and juice of half

Steps

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of 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.
2. To make the frosting, 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.
3. If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette 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.
4. Pumpkins can vary dramatically in water content, so keep an eye on the cake towards the end of cooking – yours may take less or more time to cook through. If you’re not carving out a pumpkin this year butternut squash works brilliantly, too.