An easy, nutritious, seasonal, gluten free family cake recipe

The mellowness of autumn has descended upon Naish Farm, home of Honeybuns bakery, Dorset like a soft sigh. As I type, there is a dappled golden light outside, filtered by an old, lopsided apple tree. All feels gentle and replete. I’m trying not to feel guilty as I walk by the fallen fruit in the orchard. Life is so busy in the bakery, making it all too easy to pass up the opportunity to step outside and sit awhile.

I’m guessing we all feel a bit like this from time to time? The seasons whiz on by and when we do pop our heads up we’ve missed the opportunity to make jam, press flowers, take photographs… all those things we promised ourselves we would get round to!

Such is the hurly burly of life. I have therefore earmarked some time this weekend to make the most of a seasonal glut of butternut squash by baking a gloriously decadent cake. The added bonus is that it just so happens to be gluten free to boot. The original recipe (which I’ve simplified a bit) appears in our Honeybuns All Day Cook Book and goes by the name of New England Loaf. The cake can in fact be baked as a tray bake, loaf or round cake – as you wish. All in all this is your perfect autumn weekend baking project. This cake is a rare beast – tasting deliciously indulgent as well being stuffed to the rafters with vitamins and other nutritious goodies.

Can I substitute other vegetables instead of butternut squash?

For simplicity’s sake I suggest you prepare a whole butternut squash – you will have spare left over which can then be frozen for your next baking project. Thus avoiding the classic “I’ve got half a butternut squash left over – what the heck do I do with it?” dilemma.

If you don’t happen to grow these vegetables, or don’t have neighbours who do, then the following veggies will work just as well:

– pumpkin (which are the same family as squash anyways)

– courgette

– carrot

– sweet potato

Or use cooking apples or eaters for a fruity twist.

So let’s crack on with this easy peasy and super nutritious recipe.

You will need the following minimal equipment:

1 x traybake tin, approx the size of A4 and at least 5cm deep or 1 x 900g loaf tin
electric mixer
mixing bowl

Free from: gluten. Suitable for vegetarians.

Gluten free Cake Ingredients

Oil for brushing. We love UK rapeseed oil
1 x whole butternut squash, peeled and chopped. Or alternative vegetables of choice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 free range eggs
125g light muscovado sugar. Or your preferred sugar
160g gluten free flour. Please see gluten free flour tips below
1 ½ tsp gluten free baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g crunchy peanut butter
150g milk chocolate buttons or chopped

Gluten free Topping Ingredients

25g milk chocolate buttons or chopped
25g dark chocolate buttons or chopped
25g white chocolate buttons or chopped
40g peanuts (use salted or unsalted as you wish), chopped and toasted
Sea salt flakes for sprinkling

Step by step guide to making your loaf cake or traybake

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Brush your baking tin with oil.
Pop your chopped vegetables in a roasting tin and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring the vegetables half way through to prevent them welding themselves onto the bottom of the tin.
Reset your oven temperature. 170°C for a traybake or 150°C if you are making a loaf cake.
Place the eggs, sugar, gluten free flour(s), baking powder and bicarbonate of soda plus the peanut butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until everything is combined.
Stir in the milk chocolate and the roasted vegetables using a spoon.
Transfer this mixture into your oiled tin.
Bake your tray bake for 25 minutes, or 1 hour and 15 minutes for the loaf.
Your cake is ready when it feels springy to the touch and a cake skewer comes out cleanly. Leave the cake to cool before turning out of its tin.

To make the ridiculously easy topping

Simply melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15 second bursts.
Melt each chocolate (milk/white/dark) separately. Stir your chocolate bowls to encourage melting before popping back in the microwave for each 15 second burst.
Using a spoon, drizzle the three different chocolates over the now cool loaf. Sprinkle with peanuts and sea salt flakes.
Allow the chocolate to set before slicing…. if you can wait that long….

Gluten free flour (and other) tips

Doves plain gluten free flour will work well in this recipe or use their self raising version and just omit the added bicarb. And baking powder.
Our preferred DIY gluten free mixture would be 80g polenta and 80g ground almonds. Sorghum flour also works really well.
For further help with gluten free alternatives to wheat based flour check out our previous blogs.
When baking gluten free, always remember to check on the packs if an ingredient is safely free of gluten. By law, here in the UK there are 14 officially recognised food allergens. Each of these allergens has to be highlighted in bold on the pack. Look out for “cereal containing gluten”.
To go dairy free for this recipe, simply use dairy free chocolate instead.
This cake can be stored in the fridge or an airtight container for 3 days. It also freezes really well.

For other really straightforward seasonal gluten free baking recipes take a look at our two cook books here.

Too busy to bake your own? We’ve got stacks of choice in our Cake Slices & Traybakes, from delicious classic brownies to sumptuous celebration cake stacks – to tickle the most discerning of taste buds.

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You might also be interested in reading this gorgeous gluten free gooseberry fool cake recipe.