Hallowe'en Pumpkin Cake

The lovely English Mum is running an Autumn Bake-off competition and I thought I would have another go. I don't do pretty cakes but I thought I'd enter anyway.

When I thought about what to do with a vaguely autumnal theme, I was a bit stumped. I made parkin once and it wasn't all that successful. I thought of something appley but again, apple cakes don't seem to do it for me. I like them with blackberries but they are past their best by early September and I refuse to pay supermarket prices for blackberries.

At this time of the year, I normally end up making a cake for Hallowe'en as we do a fundraiser/family event in our NCT branch. So, I set about thinking of a cake to make that would fit both briefs. Of course, pumpkins are a big feature of Hallowe'en so I set about wondering if you could make a pumpkin cake. After all, pumpkin pie is a big thing in the US, right? So pumpkin cake can't be that different. I tweeted this thought out loud and some lovely ladies furnished me with links to recipes. I was sold on this recipe when I realised that it doesn't require the pumpkin to be pre-cooked, thus making the whole process easier and quicker. It's very similar to carrot cake, right down to the cream cheese frosting, which I'll admit now is not my forte.

I actually made this with butternut squash because I had one on I wanted to use. The timings are slightly variable as the pumpkin or squash can vary wildly in water content so it might take a lot longer to cook.

Here's how I made it

Hallowe'en Pumpkin Cake
(makes around 15 pieces)

Ingredients


for the cake
300g self-raising flour
300g light brown muscovado sugar
3 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g dried fruit (I used raisins, you could use sultanas)
1/2 tsp salt
200g butter
4 eggs, beaten
zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
500g (peeled and deseeded) pumpkin or butternut squash, grated

to finish the cake
85g butter, softened
200g full fat soft cheese (low fat doesn't work, don't do it!)
100g icing sugar
zest of 1 orange and juice of half

First, prepare your tin. Take a roasting or baking tin around 20x30cm (8x12 in), butter it well and line with baking parchment. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Mix all the dry ingredients for the cake together (not the pumpkin) in a large bowl until combined. Melt the butter (best done in a jug), then beat in the eggs and add the zest and juice. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until well combined, then stir in the grated pumpkin. Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and firm, springing back when touched. I found mine needed much longer as the middle was not cooked so I turned it down to 160C to avoid burning and cooked for about another 15 mins.

Whilst the cake is baking, make the frosting by beating together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, most of the orange zest and 1tsp of the juice until smooth and place in the fridge until needed.

Take the cake when done out of the oven and leave it to cool for 5 mins before removing it from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool. Whilst the cake is still warm, prick all over with a skewer and drizzle over the rest of the orange juice. Leave to cool thoroughly.

Once cool, you can trim the edges of the cake (the sides of my tin weren't straight so I did, but you really don't have to.). Swirl the frosting over the top of the cake using a flat knife or spatula. Decorate with the rest of the orange zest.

And so, finally, let me unveil my entry to English Mum's Autumn Bake Off. It's shocking photography but I made the cake, went out for a curry, came home and finished off the cake and I remembered late on that I hadn't taken a pic, so it's as bad as, if not worse than my usual standard. Still, it's all I got so this will have to do.

(Late edit, but here is some of the cake cut up and ready to be eaten at the Hallowe'en Party.)

And if you want to have a go yourself, please do. The winner will get a cook book by Diana Henry and there is a kid's prize of a Chef Curly Bear. You've still got until midnight on 12th November to enter the competition so get baking!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Desert Island Discs

It's been a while since I last did a music meme so I was both pleased and slightly horrified when the lovely Cass, who writes at Surfacing, tagged me to write about my Desert Island Discs. In other words, the 8 pieces of music or tracks I would take with me to a desert island. I knew immediately it was going to be hard but it's taken me well over 2 weeks to get this far. I keep thinking of songs or pieces and then I think of something else. I suspect, if you tagged me again in 3 months, the answer may well be substantially different. So what have I chosen? Here, in no particular order, is my selection.

The first is Heartbeat by The Psychedelic Furs. This is a song from my student days. I loved everything this band did, but this single really stood out for me. However, it was not a well known single - everyone knows Pretty in Pink or Love My Way - and didn't do all that well in the charts. But I loved it, and I used to play the 12" single repeatedly. The beat and the saxophone is hypnotic. I love how the sax and the guitars clash - it shouldn't work but it does. It's a brilliant dance tune. In this video, of them performing in Spain in the year of its release (1984), you'll also see how Bowie-esque Richard Butler was or was trying to be!




(and thanks to Chris at Thinly Spread for mentioning them on Twitter. Sorry you missed them last weekend)

Next is another student tune. In my opinion, it is the ultimate dance track. It has been released three times. It is one of the longest tracks ever to chart in the UK. I'm fairly sure that most of you have danced to it at some point in your life, however old you are - it just makes you want to dance to it. I'm sat here typing listening to it and my foot is tapping. I don't care it's 7 minutes long. It could be 7 hours long and I'd still want to dance to it.

I give you Blue Monday by New Order. Peter Hook's bass is just genius.



And as I seem to be on an 80s tip, let me move on Tainted Love by Soft Cell, which is only a year or two older than the others. Again, I can't fail to get up for this track. I loved it from the second I first heard it. On the strength of it, I went out and bought Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. I was 16 years old. I'm sure if it was released today, it would have "Parental Advisory" stickers all over it with some fairly explicit language/concepts in some of the tracks. I wonder if my parents actually realised what the album was like, but they never stopped me listening to it.

It was only about 10 years ago that I realised that it is actually a cover version. The song was originally a B-side of a Gloria Jones single called "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home" in 1964 but became a Northern Soul classic in 1970s where Soft Cell originally heard it. I heard the original at a wedding reception we went to - the happy couple were and are big Northern Soul fans. I still prefer the Soft Cell version - a rare example of the cover being better than the original.



So, enough 80s. At least for now..

I've chosen something quite recent for my next choice, and one of which Nickie at Typecast will approve, because I've seen her tweet links to this song at least twice. It's one of those songs that sticks in your head when you hear it and the band concerned have been a bit of a one hit wonder in the UK, although they are actually Finnish. (And no, it's not Lordi). It is In The Shadows by The Rasmus.



OK, I am back at the 80s again now. Sorry. Something a lot more laid back than the other tracks. In the 80s, I absolutely adored Black. I think I know his Wonderful Life album off by heart, I played it that much. If I hear the tracks in isolation, I can actually hear the opening bars of the next track in my head when they finish! A lot of it is quite sad as it was inspired by his break up of a relationship but the song I have chosen is not sad at all. In fact, it has a great line that I love:

"Just like a forming rainbow, just like the stars in the sky, life should never feel small"


For that reason alone, I'm choosing Paradise from that album as my next selection.



(I'll just mention Tara at Sticky Fingers at this point, as I tweeted that line one night and she immediately recognised it, which makes her a big fan too.)

Right, back to something more recent again but no less beautiful. I discovered Colbie Caillat through the medium of Twitter, as I follow the music tweets of Garry from Blog Up North and occasionally click on things that look interesting. That is how I discovered Coco, which was her first album, and in particular this track, which is called Realize. I love it so thanks go to Garry (aka himupnorth) for introducing me to this.




The next two tracks I've chosen are ones that I came to love through doing exercise classes. Sounds weird but hey, it works for me. The first is Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. It always gives me goosebumps when I hear it.



And the final one is probably one that quite a few people who went to classes at the same time as me associate with me. We used to have an instructor who would occasionally ask people for favourite tracks as we went through. This track was to a chest routine and I would always ask for it. I think she liked it because I would often get my way. It's a feelgood track so a good way to end on a high for my selection. It is Starlight by The Supermen Lovers. (And I can probably do the routine to this in my sleep!)



Now, I've still got a list of those that nearly made it that I still love (Like Love Shack, Ride on Time, Somewhere Only We Know, Show Me Love, some choral pieces, Tears for Fears, Paul Weller to name but a few) so perhaps ask me again in a few months, eh?! Hope you like my choices that have made a final cut. They all elicit a physical reaction in me when I hear then whether it be goosebumps or the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I love them for what they are and I return to them again and again. That makes them all great songs.

I'm supposed to tag some lovely people to take this forward so I'm going to choose

Nickie at Typecast
Paula at Battling On
Rachael at InceyWinceyMummy
Metajugglamum at In search of the perfect triangle

I can't wait to see what they come up with. And if you want to do your own, link to it in the comments. Trust me, it's so hard to narrow it down but it's fun trying.

Show me the Funny

This is the prompt for this week's Gallery at Sticky Fingers.

I don't seem to have many truly funny photos, certainly not digitally, that you've not already seen. I scoured my archives for a while, looking back through the children's lives so far. And then, I found this one of Monkey, aged around 15 months old.

I'm not sure if he was trying to help or whether he thought it was a toy. He wasn't even cruising them but he was pulling himself up. And looking at that pic, he looked too big to climb in, which is probably a good thing. And if to prove that he had an obsession with household appliances, I also give you this:

Here he is, a year later, trying to "help" empty the dishwasher. 

Shame he's not as enthused by household appliances now. He could have made someone a lovely wife. 

(And yes, I do know this is a week early. I just have plans for next week!)

Competition Winners!

Thanks to all the people that entered my competition over the last week. I had over 200 entries which was a fantastic response. I wish you could all win, but I only have two prizes sadly.

I drew the winners this morning using random.org and I'm pleased to announce that the winners are:

Liz (GeekyMummy) who wins the Meccano Construction Starter Set

and

Alli Marshall who wins the Snazaroo Girls Facepaints set

Both winners have been notified by email and I've already heard back from Alli so Jesse, please check your emails and send me your address.

Thanks again for entering and don't forget to enter the last few remaining competitions in the Toys R Us Competition Carnival. They are:

Tuesday 26th October     More Than Just a Mother
Thursday 28th October    Flower Fairies and Fairy Cakes
Saturday 30th October     The Babbling Mummy
Sunday 31st October        A Mother's Ramblings
Tuesday 2nd November    Are we nearly there yet, Mummy?


Good luck and congratulations to Liz and Alli! 


Edit - the original winner of the Meccano set failed to contact me, despite me emailing them via the address they left and also via private message on the Money Saving Expert forums. I have therefore redrawn the first prize on 4th November 2010.

A gift for Victoria

One week today, a lovely Twitter friend of mine is setting off with her husband and her three children on an amazing adventure. Victoria Wallop is off on a round the world trip for nine whole months. She's been blogging about their preparations, about why they are doing this trip with three quite young children and will continue to blog during their trip at It's a Small World After All, where you can also read about the route they will be taking. 

In honour of her departure, another Twitter friend, Julia from What Will Julia Do Next? came up with the idea that we all give Victoria a virtual present before she goes. It has to be virtual because they have no space in their backpacks for anything other than absolute essentials. No space for fripperies and trinkets. 

So, what do I choose for this lovely lady that hasn't already been done? She's been given music, a taste and smell of home, friendship (two lots actually), sleep, and a rousing send off by the Smalls already. I could give her cake but that would take up space, make a mess and go off. I could sing a song but I wouldn't inflict that on you. So, instead, I have two things to offer you, Victoria. 

The first is a wish. Actually it's a blessing. An Irish one, for they frequently manage to have the best lines. It's a wish that I hope will set the tone of your trip.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand

The second is this: 

It's your guardian angel, Victoria. One to watch over you and yours during your fantastic adventure. To keep you safe, and help you get things back on track when things do go wrong, as they inevitably will. To remind you that your friends back home are thinking of you and wishing you the best of times, and looking forward to your return. 

Bon voyage, Victoria. Have a bloody great one, and keep in touch.

Tapas Tea

We love tapas in this house. If we go to Spain, we virtually live on it - either hopping from bar to bar, or sitting down and trying all manner of stuff in one place. Over time, we have found particular favourite dishes but have also had some fabulously different ones - like the spinach, bacon and chickpeas we ate sat in Plaça del Pi in Barcelona one sunny day, a dish that sticks in my mind to this day. And there is the awful, like the Russian salad we had in Poble Espanyol, also in Barcelona, which was so bad, it was funny. Never believe anyone that tells you that you can be served bad food is the UK. You can get it anywhere.

At home, we go to the usual chains if we want a tapas fix but occasionally, we like to have tapas for tea on a Saturday. This is a special treat for all of us and is usually timed to coincide with some Spanish football on the telly as we are big fans and have been to matches in 5 different grounds in Spain. Tonight has been one such time. There was a triple header of matches on and as it's holiday time, the children stayed up a little late. So, we had tapas for tea in the living room, watching the Barcelona game.

Tapas is great to cook as the dishes are small, so simple to cook and quick to prepare. Some don't require "cooking" at all - it's a case of putting some lovely ingredients on a plate. This morning, Monkey and Missy Woo came out with me to Booths to buy some of them. We bought Manchego cheese, some jamòn (ham), and some chorizo sausage (see below). The cheese is just cut into thin slices and put on a plate with some slices of tomato. Same with the jamòn. I drizzle some nice olive oil on top if I'm feeling fancy. (I wasn't today, in case you're wondering).

The rest of the menu was all fairly simple. We had:

Ensalada rusa - Russian salad. This requires bit of cooking in advance but not much. I peel and dice a medium size potato and place in boiling water in a pan with about 400g frozen mixed veg (the sort where the veg are quite small) and cook according to the packet instructions. At the same time, I hard-boil a couple of eggs, cool and shell them. Once the veg is cooked, I pour into a bowl and allow to cool. I add a tin of tuna which I've flaked to the bowl, with chopped hard-boiled egg. Then, I add in enough mayonnaise (I use low fat) to cover everything and stir together. Then I place in the fridge as it's best nicely cold. In Spain, they always put mini breadsticks in the top. I only do that if I have some in. I actually made double today as it keeps well in the fridge.

Gambas al ajillo - garlic prawns. Just some prawns fried in olive oil until they turn pink with some garlic added to the oil. Careful not to burn the garlic or it tastes bitter.

Chorizo al vino - chorizo in red wine. I slice the chorizo sausage and cook in a hot pan to render the fat, and let them sizzle for a while, turning occasionally. Once they are looking "cooked", I add some red wine to the pan and let it reduce a bit.

Meatballs - I cheat for this! I always have catering packs of Ikea style Swedish meatballs in the freezer, so I just use those and microwave them at the last minute. Proper albondigas are a mixture of minced meat and spices, and they can either be simply fried or cooked in a tomatoey sauce. I prefer my way just to keep it quick and simple.

Spanish omelette - tortilla española. This is the most involved dish of all but worth it as it is fantastic hot and cold. I have tried many recipes but this seems most successful. I peel, halve and slice 2-3 medium onions and peel and thinly slice about 300g potatoes, then heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium deep frying pan until it's smoking. I add the potatoes and onions then immediately turn the heat down, stirring to coat everything in the oil. These are then cooked, covered for about 25 - 30 mins - the idea is to cook them slowly without browning but I rarely manage that - shaking the pan occasionally and turning everything over at least once. Whilst they are cooking, I crack 5-6 eggs in a bowl and beat together, then season with pepper. Once the potatoes and onions are cooked, I add them and mix with the eggs. The pan gets wiped out, put back on a medium heat and more oil added. Once the oil is heated, everything is tipped back into the pan and the heat turned back down. I leave it to cook for about 20 mins on the lowest of heats, occasionally running around the edge with a fish slice, until most of the egg on top has set. At this stage, I put the grill on high and put the whole pan under it. (If you're clever, you can slide the tortilla out of the pan onto a plate and then flip it back into the pan.) It only needs a couple of mins under a grill before it's browned and ready. The Spanish love it in sandwiches - if you go a La Liga match of an evening, the sound of foil being unwrapped from sandwiches at half time is deafening, particularly if you go to places like the San Mamés in Bilbao or the Anoeta in San Sebastián.

And that's it! None of it terribly complicated, most of it pretty quick to make, but a bit heavy on the washing up - thank goodness for dishwashers! I do a lot of wiping out and reusing of pans, plus there is a last minute scramble with the hot things, not unlike finishing off a roast dinner and trying to get everything ready at the same time. There are more complicated recipes but we don't find we need anything fancy. The only other thing I often make is patatas bravas - for which I make jacket wedges in the oven and a spicy sauce on top. I accidentally discovered that mixing barbeque sauce with mayonnaise gives the closest result to what you can get in most parts of Spain.



Before I go, handy hint for you if you do tapas at home. Write a list of what you're making, because it's really easy to forget something in the last few minutes. Many's the time I've found something in the fridge uneaten afterwards. Doh!

One down, five to go - stumbling over the finish line

Twitter this week has been awash with parents tearing their hair out. Home life can best be described as "tears and tantrums" with a bit of hyperactive giddiness thrown in. Their children have been veering wildly between joy and sorrow, one minute laughing manically, the next in floods of tears over the slightest thing. The dawdlers of the world are dawdling more than ever, and even the placid even-tempered types are awkward and difficult to the point of driving their parents to near insanity. Sibling rivalry has descended into all-out war.

Parents in Scotland will recognise this episode in their lives from a week or two ago. Because the reason for all this is tiredness - half term starts tomorrow for most of the country and the children have had enough. They've been back in school for around 7 weeks now, with maybe some time off for good behaviour for the reception class newbies. Brains are overloaded with lots of new information, experiences and routines. We're all there, stumbling over the finish line, even though it's only the first leg of six.

Butter wouldn't melt, would it?

To top it all in our house, this week has been a busy one. Monday has so far been the only day where nothing was going on after school. On Tuesday, Monkey had golf after school - something he asked to do. On Wednesday, they both had swimming lessons and then went back to school. The school ran a workshop for parents about supporting your children with their reading. It was run by the county adviser on literacy and it was excellent, but it was on from 6.30 to 8.30. Both of us wanted to go so Monkey and Missy Woo went to the creche they put on, meaning they went to bed nearer to 9pm. And Thursday? Well, that was the Halloween Disco (you can tell it's not a church school) which they have been looking forward to for weeks. When I say "disco", I actually mean about an hour of them manically running around a darkened school hall with flashing lights and maybe a few games. Dancing has little to do with it, judging by the reports from the parents overseeing the event. After school tonight, I swear we are going nowhere. I may even suggest pyjamas are put on when they come home. I might join them.

They are shattered. Missy Woo is one of life's dawdlers and has perfected her dawdling skills this week. We're up to 5 mins per sock. Monkey is more highly strung and everything is a drama for him. He blows up at the smallest imagined slight - like asking him to eat his food. We've eased off on thins like reading this week, after we could see that Missy Woo just hadn't got the concentration for her new book. We've been letting them off if they say they don't want to.

And what is it with tired children that makes them wake up so early? They have often been awake an hour earlier than normal, sneaking in and out of each other's rooms, sometimes waking each other up and causing mischief. Don't they know that more sleep is good?!

Of course, coming to an end of the first half term where they are both in school is a time for reflection too.  We're enormously proud of both of them. Missy Woo has taken to school like the proverbial duck to water and has come on in leaps and bounds. She loves it all and has made some good friends already.

Monkey has also progressed really fast this term. In fact, it's been amazing. This has been because he's been part of a group working daily with the deputy headteacher on reading and writing for the last few weeks. If ever there was someone who you would want to teach your children to write, it is him - he has the most beautiful handwriting. Monkey has gained so much from this; his writing in particular has been transformed, but his reading has progressed quickly too. He worships the deputy head and it's a shame that this time is coming to an end, as he'll be working with another group after the holiday.

In addition, they have both been recognised for their efforts at school. Missy Woo came out of celebration assembly after a couple of weeks clutching a class award certificate for "super letter sounds and word building." Then, last week, Monkey ran out of school with the "Star Pupil" trophy in his hands, which was given for "good manners at all times, and for tackling tasks and challenges with enthusiasm". Perhaps not the child we know out of school sometimes but we were so pleased that he behaves so well at school. He was very proud and put the trophy in his bedroom. He earned himself a new kit for that - but unfortunately, it's a Blackpool one. I fear I have definitely lost him to the PNE cause for good now.

But for now, they need to have a well-earned break. Maybe they will get that sleep they need, to process all that extra stuff crammed into their brains these last few weeks. Maybe just having a different routine is going to be enough of a break. I hope so, because it is just going to be a family week at home. Missy Woo has some extra swimming lessons arranged and Monkey a couple of football sessions. We have some friends coming round to test some toys. And that's it.

We're almost there, mums and dads. We've survived the first half term. Hope your little devils turn back into little angels soon and don't drive you all to distraction over the next week.