this creation is my entry to qurator hive top chef pumpkin challenge.
making everything from scratch takes time but i enjoy cooking when i get a chance and i hope it shows in this recipe. it is not exactly a pie and not exactly a cake or cheesecake, but something in between.
there are three layers, the bottom is much too thick to be a crust but hardly a cake.
pumpkin seed base😋
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup quick cooking oats
100 g butter- no substitutes
3 dried figs
2.5 Tbsp barley malt syrup
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt
chop the figs and finely grate the ginger
in a grinder quickly grind the oats and pumpkin seeds. add the figs and ginger and finish grinding to a coarse meal.
melt the butter and stir in the malt syrup. if you don't have any malt i don't think anybody will complain if you use molasses, just don't tell them i said it's ok, unless of course you require a gluten free result- substitute the malt with molasses and use gluten free oats.
stir well and mix into the pumpkin seed/oats.
it is going to be so thick and sticky you may start to wonder what you have gotten yourself into. no worries. put some baking paper on the bottom of your pan and spoon the batter over it.
don't bother trying to spread it evenly. instead put another piece of baking paper on top and smooth out the batter with your hand. remove the top paper and bake in the oven, 180C/350F for maybe 30 minutes. it will turn dark as a dark chocolate cake but still no worries, better to overbake a little than underbake. just be sure it is completely baked.
remove from the oven and let it cool completely, take it out of the pan and remove the paper from underneath and replace it in the pan
no photo of the cake cuz if i put one you would think i burned it but i promise i did not
now for the
pumpkin🎃
choose a nice organic pie pumpkin. it doesn't have to be big, this recipe requires 1.5 cups puree so think about what you are going to do with all the remains. after halloween you might not want to eat pumpkin more than 3 times a week all through november.
cut the pumpkin in half, and then one of the halves into 4 pieces. scrape away the seeds and fiber. sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on each piece and bake in the oven 200C /400F until soft. if you want put a little water in the pan. anybody who tells you exactly how long it will take has not baked pumpkin before. each variety is different, just bake until reasonably soft when sticking with a knife.
while it is baking you'll have time to contemplate all the wonderful dishes you can make with the other half of the pumpkin- either that or wish you had chosen a smaller one...
anyway when the pumpkin is baked, let it cool a bit before spooning the flesh off the rind. discard the rind and make a puree with the flesh. i use an immersion blender. it doesn't have to be completely smooth yet but if it is watery then remove any liquid.
now for the
pumpkin marscapone fill😋😋
1.5 cups pumpkin puree
250g/ 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temp
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon stick
nutmeg
5 whole cloves
5 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp salt
peel the cardamom and save the peels for some tea or something. grind the cinnamon cloves and cardamom. some folks like a lot of cinnamon and nutmeg and some don't, so judge how much to use. i like to grind with a mortar and pestle. grate the ginger and nutmeg, juice the lemon
in a bowl beat the pumpkin and sugar until smooth. add the spices, salt, lemon and vanilla and beat some more.
then beat in the eggs all you want. when you are getting tired of all this beating then it is time for
the mascarpone. here we don't want to beat this any more than just enough to get it smooth. it helps if the cheese is not cold or you could stir it a little first if you want.
warm the oven to 180C/ 350F pour the filling over the cake. it may seem quite liquid but no worries, the cake will absorb some of the moisture. just be sure you took away the paper underneath.
bake 55-60 minutes until set. a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. don't overbake this time.
remove from oven and let it cool completely. when taking the piecake out of the pan i realized my biggest plate was not big enough for the square shape so i put a bowl upside down on it and cut carefully around the bowl. now being round, it fit nicely on a plate. in cases like this, in my house the scraps go to the cook. that problem solved, it's time to make the...
mascarpone cream topping😋😋😋
250 g/ 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temp
2/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
grind the sugar to a powder. i don't like to use powdered sugar, i like to grind it. it doesn't get so powdery.
beat the cream until it starts to stiffen, add the sugar and beat until it forms peaks but not any longer.
in a separate bowl beat the mascarpone and vanilla until soft and fluffy. add half the whipped cream and beat just until smooth. by hand gently stir in the rest of the whipped cream.
smooth out about 2/3 of this cream on the top and sides. no need for precision. strain a little leftover pumpkin puree and add it to the remaining cream. swirl this around to get a subtle marble effect. again no need for delicate perfectionism here because
it's going to get covered over by a dusting of cocoa powder. i use a tea strainer and tap it lightly with my finger. actually i hold it up much higher than in the photo to get an even dusting.
to finish it i just dragged the edge of the spatula lightly over the surface.
now i know you are all excited about tasting this enticing creation but better to just chill a few hours and come back later.
worth waiting for!
i hope you had a nice halloween