Pumpkin Orange and Ginger Cake with Creamy Maple Icing

Brrrr ... It was the first day of winter yesterday, and boy am I feeling it.  By the standards of other continents, we don't get that cold, but I am not used to the cold so for me, the weather here at present is bitter. I often meet people who do not mind the cold, but I am strictly a sunshine and warmth girl.

On of the few good things about winter is that it is the time for awesome comfort food - soups, stews, casseroles, roasts and puddings.  An ingredient in many of these dishes is the humble pumpkin.  There are so many great pumpkin recipes out there, both sweet and savoury, and now is the time to  try them out.

I recently came across a  great recipe for Pumpkin Orange and Ginger Cake with Creamy Maple Icing.  As well as pumpkin, it features that winter staple, orange.  The ginger is in the form of ground ginger. 

This is one delicious cake.  I love the unusual flavours, and it is the perfect cake to cosy up with together with a piping cup of coffee under a blanket on a cold afternoon.

To make it, you will need:

200g mashed roast pumpkin, cooled
200g softened butter
1 cup sugar
Grated zest of ½ an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 ½ cups almond meal
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Icing

75g softened butter
200g softened cream cheese, at room temperature
4 teaspoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Finely grated zest of ½ an orange(I also added half a cup of icing sugar)

Preheat your oven to 180C and grease and line a 23cm round cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar together  in the bowl of a stand mixer until very light and fluffy. Add the orange zest and vanilla and beat well, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined.

Using a rubber spatula, fold through the almond meal, ginger, baking powder and salt. Fold in the mashed pumpkin until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out cleanly. (Mine took quite a bit longer.) Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out to a wire rack to cool.

For the icing, put all the ingredients except the orange zest in a bowl and beat until smooth. Spread over the cake, sprinkle over the orange zest.

Slice and enjoy with a cup of joe!