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Recipes for your pumpkin leftovers

Carving pumpkins has slowly become something of an annual tradition to mark Halloween, with people lighting up their spooky creations on 31st October (or 30th October in Kilmarnock!).

The activity is now so popular that the UK is expected to waste around 18,000 tonnes of perfectly edible pumpkin this Halloween – but the leftovers can be put to good use.

Instead of throwing out your pumpkin innards once you have finished carving, why not turn them into something delicious? Like, these Pumpkin Cupcakes?

PUMPKIN & SULTANA CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 175ml vegetable oil
  • 175g light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 200g grated pumpkin
  • 100g sultanas
  • 1 orange
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 200g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 200g cream cheese
  • 1 orange
  • 100g icing sugar
  • Optional toasted nuts

Method

Cupcakes

  1. Pre heat an oven to 170c and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases, you are allowed to bring out the inner child in you by using Halloween themed ones. Put the oil, sugar and eggs into a bowl and whisk until they are all incorporated evenly.
  2. Now add in your grated pumpkin make sure to squeeze any excess juice out of it before adding it and the sultanas into the bowl.
  3. Zest the orange then into a separate bowl sieve the cinnamon, mixed spice, flour and the bicarbonate of soda before adding everything together and folding it in with a spatula.
  4. Carefully spoon this into your 12 cases and bake for 25 minutes, they should be springy to touch. Once cooked place them on a cooling wire.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Beat the cream cheese until its smooth then zest and juice orange before adding into the mix.
  2. Sieve the icing sugar into it and really beat hard until you get a smooth paste, put into a clean bowl and cling film before refrigerating until it starts to firm up.
  3. Now pipe onto the now cool cakes before topping with a selection of toasted nuts. I like pecans or flaked almonds best.

We hope you enjoy creating this recipe and sharing with your friends.

Happy Halloween!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Strawberry Tarts Recipe

Sweet Pastry

  • 450g Plain Flour
  • 150g Icing Sugar
  • 225g Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Tablespoon Milk

Method

  1. Rub the butter and sugar together
  2. Add the egg, flour and milk, bring all the ingredients together to a smooth paste and roll out into a 15cm round cling film and chill for ½ hour.

To Make the Tart

  • Roll out the pastry and line a 24cm 3.5 cm deep ring
  • Bake blind at 200 c /400 f/ gas 7 until golden and dry.
  • Remove the beans, allow he base to cool slightly brush the inside of the base with the egg yolks.

Crème Patissiere

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 125g sugar
  • 40g flour
  • 500ml milk
  • 1 vanilla pod, split

Method

  1. Place the egg yolks and about one – third of the sugar in a bowl and whisk until they are pale and form a light ribbon. Sift in the flour and mix well.
  2. Combine the milk, the remaining sugar and the split vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as the mixture bubbles, pour about one – third onto the egg mixture, stirring all the time. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over gentle heat, stirring continuously. Boil for 2 minutes, then tip the custard into a bowl. Flake a little butter over the surface or dust lightly with icing sugar to prevent a skin from forming as the custard cools.
  3. Add a little cocoa or coffee powder to the custard instead of the vanilla to give you a chocolate or coffee – flavoured cream. If you use cocoa, use a little less flour and add a touch more sugar.

Napage to Glaze

  • 200ml double cream
  • Vanilla pods
  • Icing sugar to sweeten

Add your creme pattissiere to your pastry tart, top with sliced strawberries and finish with your glaze.