indian spiced pumpkin tea cake

if you're like me or any other self-respecting locavore,
gardener, farmers marketeer or seasonal eater

then right about now you've probably gotta lotta these rollin' around

staring at you, wondering what you're gonna do with their life.

and even though what i'm gonna share with you next doesn't have jam in it, on it, or over it
it is a fine way to preserve even further all of your lovely winter squash & pumpkins.

they won't be disappointed.

some of you may not have been hanging around here long enough to know that i have a sweet spot for spices and flavors of the indian persuasion. and i think up until this point i haven't been straight up with any of you about my love of spice blends (remind me to show you my spice drawer one of these days).

i keep quite a few home-brewed spice powders at the ready, and cannot stress enough the difference between making your own and store-bought (but you probably knew that already - pilgrim is my game).

a few weeks ago, in perusing through recipes to begin to use a season's worth of winter squash and pumpkins i noticed that nearly every recipe included the holy holiday trinity of ground cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg. quite similar in fact, to the indian spice blend of garam masala.

that got me thinking:

why not a tea cake that resembles those luscious indian sweets? i was aiming for rich, moist, slightly nutty with layers of warming spice.

bulls eye.

indian spiced pumpkin tea cake

1 rounded teaspoon garam masala (recipe below)
1 & 1/2 sticks butter, turned to ghee*
1 & 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 packed cup roasted, pureed pumpkin
3/4 - 1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
8x3" loaf pan (approximate) greased & floured lightly

yield: 1 loaf

note on roasting squash: you can use any kind of pumpkin or winter squash for this recipe. to roast, cut in half or quarters, remove stringy pulp and seeds, brush with oil. i use walnut oil for this as it adds a nice layer of flavor, but you can use any oil you choose. bake at 350 until soft - about an hour. let cool, peel off skin and mash in a bowl. you may want to do this a day before you bake the tea cake - because if it is a very watery squash you will want to drain it in a strainer for a few hours.

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease and lightly flour an 8x3" loaf pan.

2. turn butter into ghee and let cool. you may be thinking that this is an awful lot to do for a tea cake. i can tell you: a) it's easy b) it's worth it and c) it is the elixir of the gods, so why wouldn't you?

*here we go:
put butter into pan and heat on low, once it is melted it will start to get a million little bubbles on top and make a crackling noise.



keep it going on low, this could last 20 or more minutes, until all or most of the bubbles are bubbled away, the butter will be a deep golden color and you will begin to see small dark flecks on the bottom. you will smell a delicious nutty aroma. ghee that's it!



let cool and pour into a mixing bowl, leaving most of the little dark bits behind in the pan.

3. in another bowl whisk together flour, salt, garam masala & baking powder.

4. add whisked eggs, mashed pumpkin & sugar to ghee, whisk to combine. slowly add flour mixture and wisk or mix with spoon just until combined and all flour is hydrated.

note on sugar: if you put in a full cup of sugar this cake will really resemble an indian sweet and can best be enjoyed as a dessert, if you go with 3/4 cup it still has a nice sweet bite but won't leave you feeling guilty if you eat it for breakfast. both ways are divine - your choice!

5. fill loaf pan and gently spread to smooth top.



6. bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean. let stand for 15 minutes then release from pan and cool on wire rack.

it can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for a day or 2, or stored in fridge for up to 5. the recipe is easily doubled and loaves can be frozen for 1 month.


oh, and this too! it's a party up in here today - there's so much going on!

garam masala

as i mentioned above there is nothing like roasting and grinding your own spice mixtures. another thing to take note of is dried seeds store pretty much indefinitely so it is ok to order in bulk. once ground they are best for 3 months before the flavor & aroma begin to fade, you can stretch it to 6 months but i wouldn't recommend any longer. so small batch is the way to go.

1/8 cup cumin seeds
1/8 cup coriander seeds
3/4 tablespoon cardamom seeds (smash the green pods and take out the little seeds)
1 cinnamon stick (approximately 3 inches long - broken up)
3/4 tablespoon cloves
1 & 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1. heat a frying pan, iron if you have it, over medium heat.

2. add everything except the ground nutmeg, spread evenly over pan.

3. roast for approximately 5 to 8 minutes, shaking pan back and forth a few times. you will know it's done when you smell a heavenly aroma and you see the cumin and coriander get a shade darker - golden, not brown. note: watch carefully, do not let them get too dark, burnt spices are bitter. err on the side of less if you are unsure. your nose knows.

4. take pan off heat and stir in ground nutmeg. pour mixture into plate to cool.

5. when cool place in spice or coffee grinder and grind to a powder. store in a sealed jar out of light for best keeping quality.

who dunnit??


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