I really rather like Halloween, the costumes, the tongue-in-cheek spookiness. I even have a soft spot for the often completely naff consumer goods, I feel it’s all done in good humour and we host some kind of celebratory something or other in the O’Shea household every year.
Next Friday Mabel and I are off out with the NCT crowd for a party at Vilija’s, the babies AND Mamas are required to wear fancy dress….I have some rather fetching cat ears, that’s about it. But absolutely nothing for Mabel, any suggestions would be muchos appreciated!
I plan on making this absolutely delicious loaf and taking it with me, I ruddy love pumpkin in anything but don’t “think” of it nearly often enough as an ingredient. I didn’t make this one by the way, that was the other Charlotte, who also made these amazing mini pumpkin decorations from icing. If you would like to have a bash at those for yourself I’ll ask Charlotte to leave the instructions in the comments box below.
Enjoy!
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{Ingredients}
- 175g butter, melted
- 140g clear honey
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 250g raw peeled pumpkin coarsely grated (about 500g/1lb 2oz before peeling and seeding)
- 100g light muscovado sugar
- 350g self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
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{Method}
- Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4/ fan 160C. Butter and line the base and two long sides of a 1.5kg
loaf tin with a strip of baking paper. - Mix the butter, honey and egg together and then stir in the pumpkin.
- Mix in the sugar, flour and ginger.
- Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle the top with the demerara sugar.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Serve thickly sliced and buttered.
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Mmmmmmmm pumpkin… Looks like a half term baking activity is sorted for me and the kiddies next week and means they can carve some sort of monstrosity for the window too. Ooh we don’t normally do dress up for Halloween but I would probably create a spider by dying 2 sleepsuits black, cutting off the limb bits from one, stuffing them and sewing them onto the other… Or a ladybug with a black sleepsuit and a big cardboard back piece with a hair band made from ping pong balls on pipe cleaners and covered in black fur. Or a bat cape is quite easy with a pointy headband- I made one from a cereal box and gaffa tape for a reception show once. I realise all those suggestions are best suited to mummies who are quite happy to still be up at 3am gluing and sewing though! There are probably some good things in actual shops too. Looking forward to some yummy baking!!
Amanda what great ideas! Unfortunately I am useless with anything like that, I’ll definitely be getting on line though 🙂
Definitely think a pumpkin for mabel! It is a super yummy recipe and really nice with a cup of tea! To make the little pumpkins you’ll need some sugar paste/regal ice which is in every supermarket. You can cheat and buy the ready coloured stuff if you prefer. Roll a little ball of orange to whatever size you want and then squidge a bit so it seems more pumpkin like. Using a cocktail stick or similar press little indents at intervals from top to bottom. Then add a little green stalk. To draw the faces wait until the pumpkins have firmed up a bit (normally overnight) and then use an edible pen which you can get in supermarkets or cake shops to draw a whole host of spookiness. You can cheat and use a sharpie pen if you aren’t planning on eating them obviously! x
I am told there is a Pumpkin outfit in Sainsburys!!!
This looks great! – if you can’t find an outfit for Mabel when my son was about the same age I left it too late to find an outfit so put him in a white onsie and stuck bandages to it and added one round his head – he was the cutest Mummy ever.
Vicky, that is absolute genius!
If you are going as a cat Charlotte surely Mabel needs to be your kitten?!
Yummers – Might make this during the week. Currently have a massive pumpkin in my fridge. I have been making lots of pumpkin and date scones, but this loaf will make a lovely alternative (and a sneaky way to to get Tilly to eat pumpkin!)