Spiced Squash Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe reminds us of the seasons changing, as the leaves turn from green to gold and a new chill is found in the air. The smell of roasting squash and pumpkin spice in this cake will rise from the oven and fill your kitchen as you bake, in a glorious celebration of harvest time. Topped with fluffy cream cheese icing and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, it’s hard to imagine a better way to celebrate autumn!
SERVES 10–12
1 medium butternut squash (about 750g pre-peeled buying weight)
unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
450g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
300g soft light brown sugar
120g black treacle
50g natural yoghurt
240ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 medium eggs
½ tsp fine salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
For the icing
200g unsalted butter, softened
100g cream cheese, at room temperature
300g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
To decorate (optional)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
5–6 physalis (also known as cape gooseberries)
sprigs of fresh rosemary
pumpkin seeds
unsalted pistachios, shelled
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and score the flesh, going as deep as the skin. Place the halves upside-down on the prepared tray, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour until soft to the tip of a knife. Leave to cool, uncovered.
Meanwhile, grease and line the base of three 20cm cake tins with baking paper. Dust the greased inside edges of the tins with a little flour, tapping out any excess.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, treacle, yoghurt, oil, vanilla and eggs until well combined.
Peel the skin off the cooled squash and weigh out 450g of the flesh. Mash until smooth with a potato masher or whiz in a blender to a purée. Scrape the squash purée into the egg mixture and whisk in. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and ground spices over the mixture and fold in until no lumps remain.
Evenly pour the batter into the prepared tins, then bake for 20–25 minutes until the sponges spring back to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Leave the sponges to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the icing. In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and glossy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, a spoonful at a time, followed by the vanilla.
When the sponges are completely cool, trim the domed tops off with a bread knife to make them flat. Reserve the cake you trimmed off and crumble it onto a baking tray. Bake the cake crumbs in the oven at 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4 for 5–10 minutes until crisp.
Place a cake board or serving plate on a turntable or work surface (see tip here) and smear a little icing on the top. This icing will act as ‘glue’ and stop the cake from sliding around. Peel off the baking paper from the sponge layers and place the first sponge layer, cut-side up, on the cake board or plate. Spread a quarter of the icing on the top of the sponge, pushing it just over the edge.
Place a second sponge layer on top of the icing, cut-side down. Spread another quarter of the icing on the top of this second layer, pushing it just over the edge.
Place the third sponge layer on top, cut-side down. Spread another quarter of the icing on the top of this layer, pushing it just over the edge.
Spread the final quarter of the icing around the sides of the cake, until the whole cake is covered in an even layer of icing and any gaps are filled. Place a bench scraper at a go-degree angle against the side of the cake (see tip here) and turn the turntable (or your plate) to smooth the sides flat and create a patchy or ‘naked’ look to the icing on the sides of the cake. (Don’t worry if you push some buttercream onto the top of the cake).
To finish the cake with a smooth, 90-degree angle on the top, use a palette knife to neatly drag the top edge of icing into the middle of the cake.
To decorate, mark out a Luminary crescent moon shape on the top of the cake using ground cinnamon, tapering off the ends – this will be your guide for the rest of the toppings. Place chunks of the baked cake crumble at intervals around the crescent shape, with the largest pieces at the widest section of the moon and smaller pieces towards the ends. Repeat with the physalis (with their papery cases torn open like flower petals to reveal the jewel-like fruit inside) and the rosemary sprigs, spacing them evenly and keeping the ends of the moon shape tapered. Finally, sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and pistachios to fill any gaps.
