Pumpkin celebration cake
Need a colourful cake for a party? Nadiya has got it covered with this simple pumpkin cake.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 525ml/18fl oz vegetable oil
- 525g/1lb 3oz soft light brown sugar
- 9 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 420g/15oz pumpkin (or butternut squash), grated
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú raisins
- 3 oranges, finely grated zest only
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda or 3 tsp baking powder
- 4 tsp mixed ground spices (such as cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and nutmeg)
- 525g/1lb 3oz self-raising flour
For the icing
- 450g/1lb butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 900g/2lb icing sugar, sifted
- orange and yellow edible marigolds (or other bright edible flowers), to decorate
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line three loose-bottomed round tins, 20cm/8in, 18cm/7in and 15cm/6in in diameter.
Mix together the oil and sugar until combined. Slowly mix in the eggs. Add the pumpkin, raisins and orange zest and mix well.
Sieve together the bicarbonate of soda, spices and flour. Gradually add this mixture to the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated. Pour into the prepared tins until they are a little over halfway up.
Bake in the centre of the oven. The 15cm/6in cake should take 25 minutes, the 18cm/7in cake should take 35 minutes and 20cm/8in should take 45 minutes. Test if each cake is cooked by checking if a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
For the icing, whisk together the butter and icing sugar until combined.
Once the cakes have cooled, cover the cakes with the icing. Stack the cakes and decorate with flowers.
Recipe Tips
To make one 21cm/8.5in cake, halve all of the ingredients and use 5 medium eggs. You may need to increase the cooking time to 50 minutes.
