These fab (and fatless) relatives of the fairy cake are a brilliant way to use up surplus produce from the veg patch. They are also perfect for enticing young, reluctant veggie eaters. Camouflaged in a sweet cake mix, grated pumpkin, parsnips, carrots, and courgettes disappear without a murmur of dissent.
20 mins
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4).
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with a hand-held electric whisk for 5–6 minutes until the mixture is thick, creamy, and pale.
Fold in the flour, half at a time, using a large metal spoon.
Finally, fold in the grated pumpkin and orange zest.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the paper cases, filling them three-quarters full.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
Leave the cakes in the trays for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Once cooled, top with the cream cheese icing and add decorations of your choice. These cakes will keep for 2–3 days in an airtight tin.
Variations:
Carrot Gnome: Replace the pumpkin with carrot and the orange zest with lemon.
Parsnip Gnome: Replace the pumpkin with parsnip and the orange zest with lime.
Courgette Gnome: Replace the pumpkin with courgette, use lemon zest instead of orange, and add ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg.
Ingredients
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
3 eggs
175g caster sugar
200g uncooked, finely grated pumpkin
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange
For the Icing:
1 quantity of cream cheese topping flavored with orange zest
To Decorate:
Edible flowers (borage, marigolds, fennel)
Marzipan vegetables or other decorations of your choice
Equipment:
12-hole muffin tray (holes about 6.5 cm in diameter and 2 cm deep), lightly greased or lined with paper muffin cases, or 2 x 12-hole bun tins lined with small paper cake cases
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