Butternut-scotch Pudding & Ginger Cake

I love the autumn; its colors, warm & spicy flavors, apples, wood fires, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and cool crisp air. It's a time when I like to experiment with new recipes before I get started on the holiday baking. Always looking for something new and special to share with family, friends and neighbors. This past weekend I tried out two new items: a pudding and a cake that looked so special I could hardly wait for them to cool before digging in.

Pudding is not something I would go out of my way for until I saw this one. Butternut squash is one of my favorites, it is sweet on its own and can be used as a side dish in many forms, or as a soup. This is the first time I've come across a dessert recipe with butternut squash as the main attraction. It truly conveys "comfort" to me and is perfect for a crisp autumn day.

Adapted from Bron Marshall

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbs corn starch

1 cup roasted butternut squash; pureed

2 cups half & half

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs butter

In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and corn starch. In a medium bowl combine the squash, half & half, brown sugar mixture, pinch of salt, and egg yolk. Blend with an immersion blender (or do this in a blender) until smooth. Pass through a strainer into a medium saucepan.

Cook the mixture over medium heat whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Lower heat and continue cooking a minute or two until thick but pourable. Pass through a strainer and add the vanilla and butter. Stir until the butter has melted. Cover the top with plastic directly on the surface to avoid a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold. Easy!!

Gingerbread Cake, well doesn't that say spicy all on its own. Moist, tender crumb, warm or at room temperature it was calling me. And wouldn't this go well with the pudding?!!

Adapted from Tish Boyle

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

10 tbs butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 yolk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbs vanilla

1 tbs grated fresh ginger root

3/4 cup mild molasses

1 1/4 cup very hot water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom & sides of a 9" square baking pan, dust with flour.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Whisk to combine well.

In the bowl of a mixer, using the paddle attachemnt, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and yolk one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and grated ginger. Add the molasses and beat for another minute. Add the dry ingredients at low speed, mixing just until blended. Carefully add the hot water and beat until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream if desired.

These two recipes we a good find. They are a perfect ending to a perfect autumn day. Hope you give them both a try!