Roasted Squash, Fig and Toffee Pound Cakes
Three loaf pound cakes
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced, roasted and mashed (you will need one cup mashed squash for this recipe – save the rest for muffins or ravioli)
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
12 ounces unsalted butter (three sticks), room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla paste
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 cup diced fresh figs (or plumped raisins, roasted nuts, or even mini chocolate chips)
½ cup chopped toffee pieces (I use Heath Bar bits)
Syrup:
¾ cup water
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel and seed a large butternut squash. Cut it into 1” pieces, toss with olive oil and salt/pepper and roast on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 40 minutes until browned and soft. Cool for ten minutes and then mash with a potato masher. Set aside one cup for the pound cakes.
2) Butter and parchment-line three loaf pans
3) Cut the figs into a small dice and set aside.
4) Whisk together the buttermilk and yoghurt and set aside
5) Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside
6) In a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about five minutes). On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Mix in the vanilla paste. Add the one cup squash and mix to combine.
7) On low speed, add 1/3 of the dry mix, then half of the buttermilk mixture, another 1/3 of the dry and then the remaining buttermilk mixture.
8) Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the remaining dry mix and the figs and fold the mixture together with a spatula.
9) Divide the batter between the three loaf pans. Sprinkle the toffee pieces over the batter.
10) Place the loaf pans in the oven and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for one hour until the top is just firm and the sides are starting to pull away from the pan. Remove the loaves to cool (in their pans) on a wire rack
11) While the loaves are baking, add all the syrup ingredients together in a small pan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. After the loaves cool fifteen minutes, brush the syrup onto the loaves.
