Gluten Free Butternut Pumpkin and Honey Drizzle Cake

This cake I remember reading about a number of years ago in the Life and Style section of The Guardian newspaper.  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall had written an interesting article about baking using vegetables as key ingredient, which does intrigue me, as I am always keen to find healthier alternatives to the more traditional forms of baking.  I know that some mothers always make brownies for their children that are filled with beetroot and zucchini.  These I am yet to try - stay tuned....

I have adapted this very English sounding cake into a gluten free recipe.  It is a very moist cake with a fresh citrus taste that keeps well - if it lasts that long!

Gluten Free Butternut Pumpkin and Honey Drizzle Cake

from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall adapted by me!

180g gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp of baking powder
90g white sugar
90g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch of ground cloves
finely grated zest of an orange
180g of unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
300g of butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and grated
70g of walnuts
45g sultanas
2 tbsp honey
5 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 160℃ fan forced.

Grease and line a loaf tin.

In the food processor whizz the flour, baking powder, sugars, spices and orange zest. 

Add the butter and eggs and process until smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pumpkin until combined.

Add the sultanas and nuts and pulse two to three times until mixed through but not pulverized. 

Pour into the greased tin and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when the cake is tested.

Whilst the cake is cooking, heat the honey, orange and lemon juices in a small pan, simmering for a few minutes.  According to the recipe it is supposed to thicken slightly, but it didn’t for me, despite my patience.

Remove the tin from the oven when cooked and place on rack.  Pour the honey and citrus mixture over the cake.  I did this in two stages as it seemed to be so much liquid, but the cake did absorb it all.  Leave the cake to cool completely in its tin.

When completely cool, turn out of the tin.

Enjoy on a lovely spring afternoon with a warming cup of tea.

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

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Gluten Free Leek and Fennel Gratin

It may well appear that I have been on a bit of a fennel spree of late and I guess it is true.  But to defend myself, fennel has been in season, beautifully fresh and really cheap to boot!

Fennel is a rather surprising vegetable.  It is wonderfully crunchy and the burst of aniseed flavour in a salad is delicious - which is the way that I am most familiar with it. 

I had never had it cooked until I was at the River Cottage Canteen last year and tasted it in the Beef and Fennel Curry that we devoured for lunch that day.  It was great in the curry and the mellow aniseed flavour really added to the complexity of the dish.  This was something that I wanted to explore further and this fennel season I have been.

This gratin I thought would be a delicious combination of fennel, leek and cream.  But mostly I had a bit of a glut of these two veg after visiting my local fruit and veg grocer and needed to find different ways of preparing them. 

Leek and Fennel Gratin

1 leek cleaned and cut into half a centimetre pieces
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
1/2 cup of cream
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
a good pinch of quatre epice spice mix or a little nutmeg, ginger, white pepper and cloves

Preheat the oven to 150℃ fan-forced.

Place in a greased oven-proof dish the finely sliced fennel, then the chopped up leek.

Sprinkle a decent pinch of the Quatre Epice mix over the vegetables.

Pour the cream over everything and top with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This dish is lovely as an accompaniment to roast or grilled chicken.

Enjoy!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia