Squash Cake

Photo by squash cake partner in crime Maraia B.

This cake, I reckon, is worthy of diverting from (or adding to) your list of traditional Thanksgiving desserts. Of course, you might be unwilling to make room amongst the apple, pumpkin, and pecan delicacies your family has come to love and expect (and I quite understand: the year without apple crisp was tough to get through). In this case, the cake serves equally well as a pre- or post- Thanksgiving snack. The cake absorbs the squash, using it less for flavor than for developing a light, moist crumb that permits consumption of several slices. And so it offers a nice bite to nibble during the cooking process (sturdy slices are easy to pop into one's mouth between stirs of the gravy's roux), or as a Black Friday morning treat—either to munch on while you wait in line, or as an unexpected option amidst the counter's spread of Thanksgiving leftovers. It really fits into any category you might need a baked good for—the squash adds a deep yellow-orange color, making for a festive, comforting dessert.

Photo by Maraia B.

Photo by Maraia B.

All in all, the recipe is straightforward, but you'll want to have the squash roasted and mashed before beginning the rest of the cake, so I suggest planning for a longer afternoon baking binge, roasting the squash and storing extra portions in the freezer. In a pinch, canned pumpkin should work just fine. On this last note, any type of squash will give you a good cake. I used kabocha the first time and acorn the second (see photo below), and both were delicious.

Squash Cake
Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs 

1 6-oz. container greek yogurt
1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed squash (whatever squash is on hand, or canned pumpkin)

Directions:
--In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla together
--Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
--Add the flour and yogurt mixtures to the creamed butter, alternating between the two and mixing after each addition. Once incorporated, stir in squash. Pour batter into the pan. 
--Bake 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the cake's center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife between the outside of the cake and the pan and invert onto a plate, carefully removing the pan. Let cool completely before serving.