Spooky spiced pumpkin cake (V)

Halloween is a great time for family fun, but when carving pumpkins it’s tricky to know what do with all the scooped-out innards.

There's no need to fear though - this spiced pumpkin cake recipe magics spare pumpkin into a treat that’s guaranteed to please.

Ingredients:

250g Co-op unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

375g Co-op plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

300g Co-op Fairtrade light brown soft sugar

3 large Fairburn's eggs, from the Love Local range

Zest and juice of 1 orange

400g pumpkin, grated

30g Co-op walnut halves, roughly chopped

5 tbsp maple syrup

100g Co-op soft cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4, and grease and line a 30cm by 20cm baking tin.

2. Sift 300g of the flour, the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, and then stir in the sugar.

3. Melt 225g of the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the eggs, adding half the orange juice and zest too.

4. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined, then stir in the grated pumpkin.

5. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 mins, until it’s springy to the touch.

6. Set aside to cool completely.

7. To make the crumble, rub the remaining butter and flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

8. Add the walnuts and 3 tbsp of the maple syrup, then bake on a non-stick tray for 15-20 mins until golden.

9. For the icing, beat the soft cheese with the remaining orange zest and juice. Stir in the rest of the maple syrup, then drizzle onto the cake.

11. Scatter the crumble over to top the cake, cut into squares to serve and enjoy!