Butternut birthday

Yesterday was my sister's birthday and she requested a butternut squash cake. She said she had read that sometimes when you buy canned pumpkin, it is often either butternut squash or a mixture of butternut squash and pumpkin. I can see why because butternut squash is very good in pies.

I used my carrot cake recipe (as she suggested) and swapped butternut squash. It was very moist and very good. I had tried a fresh pumpkin cake in the past and I thought this one had a superior flavor.

The best thing -- the butternut squash was from our garden! It was organic and very tasty.

I had some leftover decorator's frosting from an earlier cake in my refrigerator. so I used it to write the name and draw little butternut squashes on the cake. Everyone really enjoyed it.

You can substitute carrots or pumpkin for the squash. I always prepare my vegetable in the blender. Of course there are no trans fats in this cake.

Butternut Squash Cake

To prepare butternut squash, wash, peel with a vegetable peeler, chop into small pieces and place in a blender. Cover squash with water and blend on high until it is well-chopped (it won't be a fine as carrots), then drain in a colander. When following the recipe, scoop squash into a measuring cup and mash squash down to extract water before adding to cake batter.

2 cups plain flour
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and blended until chopped in blender and drained (see above)
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Cooking spray

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Prepare three nine inch cake pans. Spray with cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment paper. Combine vegetable oil, sugar and mix well. Add eggs and mix. Add drained squash, flour, soda, salt, flavoring and cinnamon. Blend until well mixed. The batter will be pretty runny. Divide batter between three pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting -- the recipe is below.

I always double the frosting recipe below because my family loves for me to spread it on heavy. It would be fine for me to use one or 1-1/2 recipes, but I do what my family loves.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 eight ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 lb. box of Confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped

Mix cream cheese, butter and flavoring until creamy. Add Confectioners' sugar and mix on high until creamy. Add chopped walnuts. Frost cake. This creamy frosting will not harden.

Our family birthdays are done for awhile. We don't have another until the day after Christmas. I don't think I will cook another cake until Thanksgiving!