Halloween pumpkin cake

Halloween pumpkin cake

Like carrot cake? Then try using up your leftover pumpkin in this clever traybake for Halloween

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Cuts into 15 generous portions

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Freezable

(without frosting)

Method

  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.
Try

Try this

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.

Per serving (15 slices)

408 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 52g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 1g, sugar 37g, salt 1.33 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2007.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 101-120

  • Binder photo Benny

    15 November 2010

    Benny commented on this recipe

    Lovely moist and dense cake. I had to use a slightly smaller tin which made the cake taller but nevertheless it was delicious! It was easy to make and the icing was yummy too, although I might use less icing next time as the cake had a smaller surface area due to smaller tin. I also had to cook it for nearly an hour. You'd never know it had pumpkin in it!!

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  • Binder photo francesca338

    20 November 2010

    francesca338 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    really nice cake, tasted even better next day but didnt ice straight away, moist and everyone loved it , have made it twice already and will definately make it again

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  • Binder photo BuzyLizzy

    21 November 2010

    BuzyLizzy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Wow!! Even better than a carrot cake!! This one will be an all time favourite with all the family!!

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  • Binder photo Linda

    22 November 2010

    Linda commented on this recipe

    this cake is amazing! Simple to make, very rich but with a fresh taste, I had to cook mine much longer because the pumkin was defrosted and much more watery, but the result was great. I also added chopped roasted hazelnuts as a topping, they went very well, a great success!

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  • Binder photo Linda

    22 November 2010

    Linda rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Eatthebreed

    20 February 2011

    Eatthebreed rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Excellent! The orange butter icing is delicious! I live abroad so had to substitute the mixed spice for 2 garam masala and 1 cinnamon, sounds weird but tasted great. Also the recipe works with a mix of white and cane sugar if you dont have muscavado.

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  • Binder photo Ruby

    30 May 2011

    Ruby rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely amazing! When making it, I thought that 500g of butternut squash was way too much, but once it was made, it was delicious, my sister who usually despises any cakes with something 'healthy' in was totally won over by the creation. Of course I didn't tell her it had butternut squash in until she had complemented me on it!

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  • Binder photo Pdavah

    10 October 2011

    Pdavah rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    An excellent cake, but is better, much better, for spending at least 7 days in a freezer.

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  • Binder photo Pdavah

    10 October 2011

    Pdavah commented on this recipe

    Much better when it has been in the freezer for at least seven days.

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  • Binder photo jinjerine

    23 October 2011

    jinjerine rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo CecileB

    27 October 2011

    CecileB rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Lovely light, moist cake. My 4 year old helper added the juice of the whole orange to the batter instead of 1 tablespoon, maybe this added to the moistness. Will definitely make again, but probably without the frosting as we found it a bit rich.

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  • Binder photo David

    27 October 2011

    David commented on this recipe

    Just Brill!!

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  • Binder photo tilly

    28 October 2011

    tilly commented on this recipe

    This cake turned out lovely and moist but only after 55 minutes in the oven! the frosting went very runny too even with extra icing sugar and time in the fridge... was more of a cream than frosting.

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  • Binder photo Curly Girly

    29 October 2011

    Curly Girly rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this cake for work colleagues and it was very popular! As others have said, it needed longer than 30 minutes in the oven - I gave it 45 and it was just right. The cake is lovely and moist, the pumpkin adds to the moisture but you really can't taste the flavour. It made a lovely big tray bake - I cut it into 18 portions and they were still on the generous side! The frosting ended up more like a sauce, even after doubling the amount of icing sugar and putting it in the fridge for an hour! If I were making it again, I'd leave out the orange juice and zest and try it with orange or vanilla essence instead.

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  • Binder photo Rachel

    29 October 2011

    Rachel rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Totally gorgeous and so simple to make.......Lush!

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  • Binder photo Milla_moo

    30 October 2011

    Milla_moo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe is fab! I made fairy/cupcakes instead of one large cake but it still worked brilliantly and didnt take as long to bake. Instead of the frosting I used orange glacé icing - only because I didn't have the correct ingredients for frosting, but went down a treat. Lovely moist and tasty recipe i will definitely be making them again

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  • Binder photo jo62

    30 October 2011

    jo62 rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made muffins and iced with a thick orange and lemon glace icing. Moist and spicy and made a nice change from carrot cakes.

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  • Binder photo Fran Bray

    31 October 2011

    Fran Bray commented on this recipe

    This is really yummy, but takes alot longer than 30 min in the oven. i had to cover mine in foil and bake for nearly an hour. Really tasty and moist.

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  • Binder photo kitchen devil

    31 October 2011

    kitchen devil commented on this recipe

    Yummy! Can't wait to share with tonight's trick or treaters! Used half the recipe and made 18 buns. In oven for 25 mins. Perfect!

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  • Binder photo kitchen devil

    31 October 2011

    kitchen devil rated this recipe

    5 stars

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Cuts into 15 generous portions

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Freezable

(without frosting)

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 300g self-raising flour
  • 300g light muscovado sugar
  • 3 tsp mixed spice
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of 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 DRENCHING AND FROSTING

  • 200g pack soft cheese
  • 85g butter , softened
  • 100g icing sugar , sifted
  • zest 1 orange and juice of half
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Per serving (15 slices)

408 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 52g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 1g, sugar 37g, salt 1.33 g

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