Ingredients

Method

For the pumpkin cake:
• 1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 cup vegetable oil (or use peanut oil for a nuttier flavour), plus extra for drizzling
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 t bicarbonate of soda
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
For the prunes:
• 1 3/4 cup desert wine
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 350 g pitted prunes
• 1 x 2 cm piece ginger, cut into slivers (optional)
For the candied pumpkin:
• 500 g caster sugar
• 2 cups water
• 125 g pumpkin, peeled and julienned

Method

Ingredients

To make the pumpkin cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the pumpkin chunks into a roasting dish and drizzle with oil. Roast until tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then blend or purée using a hand-held blender.

Add the sugar, oil and eggs to a mixing bowl and mix well. Sift all the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Fold in the pumpkin purée and pour into a greased Bundt pan. Bake for an hour.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool and remove from the tin.

Serve with the prunes in dessert wine syrup and candied pumpkin, scattered with crushed roast almonds.

To prepare the prunes: In a saucepan over a low heat, combine the dessert wine, water and caster sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Add the prunes and ginger (if you’re using) and leave to cool. Drain through a sieve.
To make the candied pumpkin: In a pan over a low heat, combine the caster sugar and water and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the pumpkin, then cover the pan with greaseproof paper and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from the stove and allow to cool.