Tag: Traybake

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Traybake

Treat yourself this Halloween! There’s nothing tricky in the making of this traybake – a delicious, sweet and spicy sponge, laced with freshly roasted pumpkin puree and topped with crunchy, honey-coated pumpkin seeds.

These guys were just dying to try it. They’ll tell you – it’s a monster hit 🙂

Servings

Makes 16 slices.

Timings

40 mins to peel, chunk and roast the pumpkin. 15 mins to prepare the traybake and then 30 mins to bake at 180C in a fan oven.

You Will Need

  • 1 medium-sized pumpkin or other squash
  • oil to drizzle for roasting
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200g vegetable oil
  • 140g light muscovado sugar
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp bicarb of soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1tsp ground ginger
  • 1tsp grated nutmeg
  • runny honey to drizzle
  • a handful of pumpkin seeds

Method

  1. Turn a fan oven on to 180C. Cut and peel the pumpkin into chunks – you will need around 200g. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Put in the oven for 30 mins until softened and a little caramelised at the edges.
  2. Grease and line a traybake tin – mine used is 22cm square.
  3. Crack the eggs into a bowl, and add in the oil and sugar. Mix with an electric whisk until thickened.
  4. Sieve in the flour, bicarb and spices, and fold in with a spatula to incorporate.
  5. Once the pumpkin chunks are roasted, tip them into a food processor with blade fitted, and blitz to a puree. This will also help the pumpkin to cool. Add the puree to the bowl and stir to mix in.
  6. Tip the mixture into the lined traybake tin and level with a spoon. Place in the oven for 30 mins or until nicely browned, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  7. For the last 5 mins of baking, sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over and drizzle with honey.
  8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray. Transfer to a board and cut into slices.

Customise It!

Don’t just save the pumpkin seeds for the topping – chuck another handful into the mixture along with some chopped nuts.

Have fun this Halloween, eat well and don’t let the boogeyman get you! Here’s Echo & the Bunnymen with People Are Strange.

Categories
Bakes

Cherry Almond Traybake

A biscuity pastry crust, spread with a layer of rich cherry fruit jam, topped with eggy, almondy sponge and toasted flaked almonds. Sound good? It certainly tastes good! This indulgence can be yours – read on.

Servings

This will make 16 slices.

Timings

15 mins to make and chill the pastry. Another 10 mins to make the sponge filling while the pastry is baking blind, then 50 mins to bake the full cake.

You Will Need

  • 225g plain flour
  • 100g butter or margarine spread
  • pinch of salt
  • a few drops of cold water
  • 300g cherry jam
  • 150g veg oil
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 25g flaked almonds

Method

  1. Grease a traybake tin and line with baking paper. Mine is approx 22cm square.
  2. Sieve the plain flour into a food processor with blade fitted. Add in the butter or spread and blitz till it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add as much water as necessary to make a dough.
  3. Roll out on a floured surface and press in to cover the bottom and sides of the tin. Put in the fridge to chill, and turn on the oven to 180C.
  4. When the oven has reached temperature, take the pastry dish from the fridge, and fill with ceramic baking beans over a piece of crumpled baking paper. This will help stop the pastry rising and burning in this first stage of cooking, where the pastry base is ‘baked blind’. Put in the oven for 10 mins.
  5. While the pastry is baking blind, combine the rest of the ingredients (except the jam and flaked almonds) in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
  6. When the pastry base has had its 10 mins, take it from the oven and remove the beans/paper. Spread the cherry jam all over. Then pour on the egg and almond mix, even it out with a spatula and sprinkle the flaked almonds all over. Place back in the oven for 50 mins, or until nicely golden, and when a skewer put into the centre of the cake comes out with no wet mixture sticking to it.
  7. Leave to cool, then turn out of the tin and cut into squares.

Customise It!

Cherry and almond is a classic taste combination, but raspberry jam will also work well.

Posting this traybake gives me a word association-style opening to add this next track to the ADK Playlist. No, not The Jam. Nor Marc Almond. Here’s a beautiful duet between Neneh Cherry and Youssou N’Dour – Seven Seconds.