Tag: autumn

Sweet Potato Pound Cake with salted butter caramel sauce

” Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
George Eliot

Sweet Potato Pound Cake with salted butter caramel sauce.  Autumns here. There’s a nip in the early morning air, and the nights are getting cooler each passing day. The weather’s changing and suddenly earthy, warm, spicy feels good. I love the way one season gives way to another, inspiring you to move from one ingredient to ingredient, light spices to moorish ones. Fall is in the air. With it cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace all dance in the air with heady aromas.The tin of pumpkin pie spice calls my name come October. It’s a strange connect and a warm one too. Felt like a Pumpkin Pie Spice and Walnut Loaf Cake with Buttermilk Frosting was to be baked again. I did shift gears suddenly. All thanks to a rather late discovery over the past couple of years, the sweet potato. This very humble root vegetable, earthy, flavourful, unassuming, surprisingly sweet and quite delicious, offers immense possibilities.Sweet potatoes are also a quintessential part of Old Delhi, especially in winter. Street carts piled high with sweet potatoes roasted in coal, that taste is quite unparalleled, best enjoyed then and there. Chopped up and tossed in lime juice and a typical chaat masala, or spice mix, I don’t bother recreating that at home. It’s the ambiance of the old city that adds to the flavour! So at home it is often a salad, tikkis, oven roasted fries {absolutely delicious}. Then 2 days ago, this cake happened. I tried to keep it a whole food cake – sweet potato puree + brown sugar + whole wheat flour + homemade sweet butter. An experiment with fingers crossed. An experiment off an earlier wholegrain pound cake recipe. You will notice optional walnuts in the ingredients listed. I was never really sure how edible the cake would turn out to be, so I skipped them. It turned out unexpectedly delicious. Moist, full of flavour and even better the next day. Was even good cold out of the fridge. An earthy rustic treat!The deep dark salted butter caramel sauce made a good experiment better! That I am addicted to it is all the fault of the Cookaroo. She swears by this sauce from Smitten Kitchen and is never far from deliciousness. It’s  fabulous to store in the fridge. Drizzle over just about anything to add to the oomph. Reminds me  of the chewy taffy that the nuns used to sell at the tuck shop at school in Bangalore. Also of the gooey insides of the 5 Star bars that fascinated and tempted the sweet tooth when young.  The salted edge is what makes this sauce a winner. Must warn you that it is very addictive, and can burn the greedy tasters tongue. Pairs beautifully with cakes and especially fall flavours – pears, apple, pumpkins,walnuts …

Did I forget figs? With fall here, the produce is changing. Exciting times ahead as far as food goes. I am having a field day literally! With the camera my trusted companion, this cannot be a better time of the year for moody shooters like me. From buying up sweet potatoes like there’s no tomorrow, to foraging wild figs {goolar}, autumn is keeping me busy.

[print_this]Recipe:  Sweet Potato Pound Cake with salted butter caramel sauce

Summary: Sweet Potato Pound Cake with salted butter caramel sauce. A whole food cake – sweet potato puree + brown sugar + whole wheat flour + homemade sweet butter. The cake turned out unexpectedly delicious. Moist, full of flavour and even better the next day. Even good cold out of the fridge. An earthy rustic treat!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • Sweet Potato Pound Cake
  • 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 200g brown sugar
  • 250g sweet potato puree {I boiled and mashed 2 small ones}
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4tsp baking soda
  • 150g whole wheat flour
  • 50g walnuts, chopped {optional}
  • Deep dark salted butter caramel sauce
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 70g salted butter
  • 60g low fat cream

Method:

  1. Sweet Potato Pound Cake
  2. Grease well 1 X 6″ and 2 mini heavy duty bundt tins {or a 7″ spring form tin}
  3. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  4. Place butter, sugar and sweet potato puree in  a big bowl and beat well at high speed until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
  5. Beat in vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda.
  6. Beat in eggs one by one.
  7. Fold in the walnuts if using, and whole wheat flour in 4-5 lots.
  8. Turn into prepared tins.
  9. Bake at 180C for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
  10. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out gently onto a rack to cool.
  11. Pour over about 1/2 cup of salted butter caramel sauce, and top with walnuts if desired.
  12. Deep dark salted butter caramel sauce
  13. Place the sugar in a deep heavy bottom saucepan and melt over medium low heat until dark amber. Swirl around if needed.
  14. Add the cream and butter together. Be careful as it will splutter at first before it comes together. Stir to combine. Pour into a jug once warm else store in a jar. You might need to heat it gently before serving as it tends to harden in the fridge. {Can be made ahead}

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Light Pumpkin Pie … pie that thinks it’s a cheesecake

“Cut my pie into four pieces, I don’t think I could eat eight.”
Yogi Berra

Light Pumpkin Pie. It’s difficult to not think pumpkin and get deluged by orange thoughts once fall is in the air. Come autumn, and pumpkin pie spice is the on the top of my head. It breaks my heart to say goodbye to stone fruit when summer draws to a close, and somewhere in the hot summer months I always forget the charm of fall. These days there’s loads of pumpkin on the table.

Oh the orange hues. persimmons, pumpkin {which is there pretty much all the year around here though}, and the little bitter kumquats. Such bright colours and so much fun! It’s around this time that the boy will gently come and request for a pumpkin cake on Halloween. For him it’s customary to ask. For me, it’s another opportunity to experiment. With a steady source of good quality pumpkin pie spice from the sister in the US, I am happy to take the pumpkin route.

The pumpkin pie came along in a hurry as usual. The ingredients were very basic with fresh pumpkin puree and some left over condensed milk thrown in. There was an orange sitting on the counter so in went some zest as a last minute thought, then a dash of Grand Marnier to compliment it. You can always skip the liqueur, but try and add the orange zest. The flavour  orange zest added was amazing.

Whenever I experiment with pies or cakes, there is a sense of panic on the other side. Will it set, won’t it set. Will it slice cleanly, or maybe not??? Then again, hope it tastes OK! Heaved a mighty sigh of relief when it left the pan easily and didn’t flow like lava. YES! It had set. A few pictures, then a slice later, a sense of jubilation. It set beautifully AND was firm enough to be sliced, staying light and moussey!

The boy wolfed down a couple of slices in the evening. Is it dessert Mama he asked, before eyeing another slice. It was his after all, made on personal request. I would have done him a pumpkin pie latte on the side but I got a little lazy.

The husband gave it a thumbs up too. Is it pie, is it cake I asked? Cheescakey he said. It’s a pie that thinks it’s a cheesecake I guess.

  • [print_this]Recipe: Light Pumpkin Pie

    Summary: Bursting with orange and fall flavours, this Light Pumpkin Pie is simple to make and quite addictive to eat. It’s a pie that thinks it’s a cheesecake. Serves 8

    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Ingredients:

    • Biscuit Almond Crust
    • 115g digestive biscuits
    • 35g whole almonds
    • 40g brown sugar
    • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
    • 70g unsalted butter, chilled, grated
    • Pumpkin pie filling
    • 250g fresh pumpkin puree
    • 100g condensed milk
    • 150g brown sugar
    • 25g cornstarch
    • 1tsp pumpkin pie spice
    • Zest of 1 orange
    • 3 egg yolks
    • 3 egg whites
    • 1tsp Grand Marnier or pure vanilla extract
    • Single or whipped cream to serve, optional

    Method:

    1. Biscuit Almond Crust
    2. Preheat oven to 180C
    3. Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse briefly on high speed until breadcrumb like mix
    4. Turn into 8″ loose bottomed baking tin or 9″ pie dish, press down and up firmly to make a base and about 1/2″ high side.
    5. Bake for 15 minutes until light brown. Leave to cool slightly while you make the pumpkin pie filling.
    6. Pumpkin pie filling
    7. Place egg whites in clean large bowl and whip to stiff peaks.
    8. Place remaining ingredients in bowl of food processor and blend until smooth.
    9. Fold beaten egg whites gently into the pumpkin mixture.
    10. Turn over baked pie crust and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until firm when touched in the centre.
    11. Allow to cool completely in the tin, and chill overnight.
    12. Serve with unsweetened single or whipped cream.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India


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