Pumpkin Ginger Cake with Sage Caramel

what to make with canned pumpkin that isn't pumpkin pie

Hello friends,

We are fully into the season of beige and brown foods and I’m very happy about it. Give me all the comforting, cosy dishes that feel like a proper big hug. Hearty stews, steamed puddings, jugs of hot custard and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in nearly everything. October in particular feels like it’s all about the pumpkin and there’s so much you can do with them for both sweet and savoury cooking and baking.

Around this time of year as I traipse around my favourite big Sainsburys, I can never resist the urge to pick up some canned pumpkin puree. It sits in the American section of the world food aisle, nestled between the root beer and pop tarts and above the jars of jumbo hot dogs. These tins of pumpkin are so convenient for baking - they don’t contain any sweeteners or preservative, it’s just 100% pumpkin, making it a solid addition to my store cupboard for soups, pastas and of course, cakes.

I’m not a huge pumpkin pie fan. Perhaps I’ve just not tried a great one; the pie culture here in the UK doesn’t come close to that of the US. The few times I have tried a slice, I can’t say I was convinced of its deliciousness. So, if like me, you want to use some of that pumpkin to make something other than a pie, I’ve got you covered.

This week, I’m bringing you a simple, one bowl pumpkin & ginger cake. It’s moist and squidgy and not too sweet with lots of that earthy root vegetable vibe coming through confidently. It’s topped with a classic cream cheese frosting and at the last minute whilst I was testing this, I added a few spoonfuls of sage caramel. Pumpkin and sage truly are the best of friends. The woody, peppery, and almost eucalyptus scented flavours of sage sit perfectly well with the sweetness from the pumpkin. The sage caramel recipe is actually from my very first cookbook where I paired it with a squidgy apple cake and five years later, it’s still one of my favourite autumn recipes.

I hope you enjoy all the cosy cooking and baking this season, let me know what sort of dishes you’re most excited to tuck into over the next couple of months!

Benjamina

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Event!

Catch me at Somerset house this Sunday as part of Tatale Provisions installation at 1-54 Art Fair. I’ll be serving up some cakes and sweet treats from my books and chatting through my influences and inspirations as a food writer. Tickets for the whole day can be purchased here and you can find me from 1pm in Embankment Galleries.

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And if you’re looking for some more root vegetable inspired recipes, here are a few I think you might enjoy:

photography by Laura Edwards

• Pumpkin spice mini doughnuts over on The Guardian

• Parsnip & orange loaf in my second book, A Good Day to Bake

• Esther Clarke over at The Good Home Cook newsletter has a pumpkin, cheddar and pancetta tart that looks right up my street.

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PUMPKIN & GINGER CAKE WITH SAGE CARAMEL

The sage caramel is optional but I love what she brings visually and flavour wise without making everything sickly sweet. The recipe will make more caramel than you need for this cake but it will keep in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks. Rewarm it gently if you want a looser consistency for pouring.

RECIPE

40g caster sugar
70g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
90g neutral oil
120g pumpkin puree
130g plain flour
40g ground almonds
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
1 tbsp stem ginger, finely chopped

For the frosting:
100g unsalted butter, softened
100g icing sugar
75g cream cheese, cold (if you’re based in the US, our cream cheese is not the same! make sure yours is at room temp)
pinch of salt

For the sage caramel:
120ml double (heavy) cream
8-10 fresh sage leaves
200g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line an 8 inch cake tin.

2. Add both sugars and eggs to a bowl and mix well to combine. Stir in the oil followed by the pumpkin puree.

3. Add in the flour, ground almonds, spices, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

4. Mix well until smooth.

5. Stir in the chopped stem ginger and pour the batter into tin.

6. Bake for 25-32 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. Set aside to cool completely.

8. To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter and sugar well for a couple of minutes until pale and creamy. Add in the cream cheese and a pinch of salt and beat briefly until well combined. Set aside in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

9. To make the sage caramel, add the cream and sage leaves to a small pan and heat until steaming. Remove from the heat, cover and let it infuse for at least 20 minutes. Strain the cream and set aside.

10. In a separate pan, add the sugar and heat gently until it dissolves and turns a light amber colour. Swirl the pan every now and again to help the sugar caramelize evenly. Slowly pour in the cream and whisk constantly. Be careful as it will bubble up quite rapidly. Let the caramel simmer for 30 seconds before removing from the heat and stirring in the salt.

11. When you’re ready to assemble, top the cake with the cream cheese and a couple of big spoonfuls of the caramel.