Cake challenge 3 - Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie is for Autumn (Fall) not just Halloween!

It can be fiddly so I have divided up the recipe into easy stages so it can be made over a couple of days.

Stage 1

Prepare the pumpkin.

• Wash the whole pumpkin and scrape the seeds and stringy bits out the center. Cut into chunks and cook in boiling water - about 10-15 minutes.

• Next, I removed the individual piece and let them cool on the work surface. I had forgotten how much it retains heat and it wasn't cooling very fast in the drained pan!

• Once the pumpkin has cooled use a sharp knife and remove the peel and also any stringy parts you couldn't remove before.

• I sieved the pieces but only because my blender decided to leak everywhere. Time for a new blender!

• Now you have the basic filling mad you can judge how much you need for one pie. About 750grms / 1 Ib 10 ozs should be enough. Freeze the rest or serve as a vegetable or invent a salad!

Stage 2

Ingredients

Pumpkin flesh as above

Sweetened shortcrust pastry approximately 350 grms / 12 ozs

Caster sugar 100grms / 3.5 ozs - I tend to cut the sugar in recipes so this is already reduced from 140grms

2 Beaten eggs

Butter 25grms / 1 ozs

Milk 175 mls / 6 fluid ozs

Freshly grated Nutmeg 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon 1 teaspoon

All spice 1 teaspoon

• Line and blind-bake the pastry in a 22cms / 8inch flan tin. 15 minutes at 180 c / Gas mark 4.

• Allow cooling.

Stage 3

Making the filling.

• Combine all the ingredients then add the pumpkin last. The mixture should be sloppy because the egg is going to cook and firm everything up so don't panic if you think it is too runny!

• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center bounces slightly when pressed with a finger.

• Remove and cool before removing from the tin. I used a loose-bottomed tin to make removal easier.

Slice and enjoy with a little single, double or ice-cream!

Verdict. Very tasty and nice spice flavor filling. Quite filing though!

Sir's verdict.

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Mister Smith comments.

I did wonder how this was going to turn out. I have never had pumpkin pie before but I am aware that it's not straight forward as it first seems. I also did not expect it to taste great as I have only ever tried raw pumpkin during Halloween carvings.

Ok, so first impressions, how the heck is this pumpkin so flat, smooth, and smelling so good. I can understand why the Americans are particularly partial to pumpkin pie. A thin crunchy pastry with a sweet moist deep filling. I could smell the Cinnamon and pleasantly surprised at the added nutmeg.

He considered it a must-have to pour cream on the pie as it was tradition. Obviously a tradition by a dairy farmer however I did go well against the large quantity of pumpkin which the pie/tart mostly consists of.

The pastry did not look overcooked and the base was not soggy and held up well with being cut and a slice transported to a plate. First bite melted in my mouth with an instant more bites needed.

Couple bites in and I am a converted pumpkin pie eater kind of person. I'm torn as to whether this is a healthy item to eat or if it's actually pretty hard on the system. It was a soft velvet texture with a slight soft biscuit texture base with a more crisp back crust. The nutmeg added an extra kick which complimented the pumpkin itself and the cinnamon. It felt light and not overbearing even though it's fairly dense. The cream made the pumpkin a bit less overpowering. If I was not to have cream id consider a more narrow slice.

Overall this is certainly a mood booster as the stats below will explain. I give this a 10/10 with effort and taste. The preparing of the pumpkin was certainly more of a task that first thought and It taste great.

Some generic nutrition about pumpkin pie.

One slice of pumpkin pie contains more than the recommended daily value of vitamin A,

which benefits eyesight and the immune system.

Pumpkin filling also has potassium, vitamin C and iron, which will all boost your mood.

Amount Per 100 grams / daily %

Calories 243

Fat 10 g15%

Saturated fat 2 g 10%

Polyunsaturated fat 1.8 g

Monounsaturated fat 4.6 g

Cholesterol 26 mg 8%

Sodium 239 mg 9%

Potassium 167 mg 4%

Total Carbohydrate 35 g11

Dietary fiber 1.8 g 7% Sugar 19 g

Protein 3.9 g 7%

Vitamin A 68%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 6%

Iron 4%

Vitamin B-65%

Cobalamin 6%

Magnesium 3%