Project Healthy House : Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Project Healthy House is going full steam ahead this week.

We gave ourselves a New Year grace period last week but now it's time to focus on a healthy lifestyle, which includes making a conscious effort to bake healthy options.

Today I baked a pumpkin loaf cake. Adapted from here.

Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive about the use of pumpkin in a cake, as I have always been a firm believer in cakes being sweet not savoury.. But, the pumpkin is a very subtle flavour and this particular recipe is very similar to a banana bread (and if I was not dedicated to Project Healthy House, this would taste amazing with cream cheese frosting or served warm smeared with melted butter........)

Pumpkin Cake

The original recipe uses white self-raising flour, but I have used wholemeal self raising instead.

Ingredients

650g butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded

100g butter, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease base and sides of a 6cm deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.

Wash and cut pumpkin into 4cm pieces. Place pumpkin in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 3 to 4 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Set aside to cool. Drain and place cooled pumpkin in a food processor. Process until smooth (you should have 1 cup).

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well combined. Stir in pumpkin.

Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over pumpkin mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth surface.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

(Told you I can have my cake and eat it too...!)

And Miss Emmy was always nearby clean up incase anything landed on the floor...

xx