Butternut Squash Muffins

Last October, I had a ton of leftover pumpkin that I wanted to put to good use - I love the colour and shape of it, the way you can employ it to make both savoury and sweet dishes. So I found this recipe on the brilliant Italian website Giallozafferano, and, after Halloween, started using butternut squash instead of pumpkin to make the lovely bright muffins you can see below. It's great to eat something so scented and tasty and find out that it contains a lot of fruit!

I let some friends taste these muffins without telling them what the main ingredient was, and they all loved them - it was a shock for them to learn they were eating butternut squash, which they thought of as a bland, tasteless vegetable.

It is easy to make butternut squash puree using the directions below, but remember that you need to plan ahead as it takes about 50 minutes.

This recipe definitely gives you an excuse to bake and enjoy your own creations - so get ready to don your apron and fill your kitchen with the delicious perfume of these healthy(ish) treats!

Requirements:

• a 12-hole muffin tin
• 12 muffin cases
• a food processor

Ingredients:

• 225g butternut squash (pulp)
• a drizzle of olive oil
• 150g unsalted butter (softened)
• 100g cane sugar
• 90g honey or golden syrup
• 1 egg (medium)
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• half a tsp cinnamon
• 1 small pinch of nutmeg

Method:

Firstly, make the puree. Wash and dry the butternut squash. Using a large knife and a cutting board, and being very careful not to hurt yourself (butternut squash is really hard), cut it into four or five parts. Place them on a baking tray with the skin on top, and rub them with some olive oil. Cook them in the oven at 200 °C for 45 minutes, then check whether they have softened. If not, leave them in for another ten minutes. Then take them out of the oven and let them cool a little. When there is no danger that you might burn your fingers, peel them - it will be almost as easy as peeling a banana. Put the flesh into a food processor and whiz into a puree. You will need 225g of this to make the muffins.

Using the paddle attachment of your food processor, beat the softened butter until it gets creamy, then, still mixing, add the sugar and honey (or golden syrup). Add the egg and the puree and mix.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. In a medium bowl sift the flour and baking soda, then add the salt and cinnamon, and mix with a spoon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, and mix well.

Line the holes of the muffin tray with paper muffin cases, then pour the dough into them and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Insert a toothpick or skewer into a couple of muffins: if it comes out clean, they are ready; if it is still wet, cook them for 4-5 more minutes.

Let them cool slightly, then serve and enjoy!

Cheer-up Chocolate Cake

OK, now it's time to be bad! Is it your birthday? Is it Christmas and there's no danger that Santa Claus might take away your presents? Or perhaps it's New Year's Eve and you're starting your resolutions tomorrow ... well, don't wait. This cake is a mouthful of heaven, and, although it takes a while to make, it's definitely worth the effort. Remember that the filling must be made about two hours in advance, so plan ahead. Better if served at room temperature, the Cheer-up Chocolate Cake is proven to dispel clouds and put a smile on the lips of the grumpiest people. Close your eyes and enjoy its rich taste. You deserve it!

Requirements:

• a deep 20cm/8inch springform tin 
• a food processor

Ingredients:

filling

• 250 ml fresh cream
• 225g white chocolate

sponge

• 225g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 175g self-raising flour
• 55g cocoa powder

frosting

• 350g dark chocolate
• 115g unsalted butter
• 85ml double cream

decoration

• chocolate curls
• 2 tsp icing sugar and cocoa powder

Method:

Firstly, make the filling. Pour the fresh cream into a small saucepan and bring it almost to the boil. Break the white chocolate into pieces, put it in a food processor and chop it coarsely. Then, leaving the motor running, pour in the cream. Continue to mix for 10 seconds or until it becomes smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool down, then cover it with some cling film and refrigerate it for 2 hours, or until it feels firm. When it's ready, whisk it (in the food processor or with electric whisks) until it starts holding soft peaks.

Secondly, prepare the sponge. Soften the butter, then put it into the food processor together with the sugar and beat them with the paddle attachment (alternatively, you can use electric whisks) until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs gradually. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Sift the flour and cocoa into a large bowl, then pour in the liquid mixture and fold it in. Grease the tin, dust it with flour and get rid of the excess (or line it with oven parchment), then spoon the mixture into it and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Let it cool down in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer onto a plate or a rack.

Lastly, make the frosting. Melt the chocolate and mix it with the softened butter and double cream. Continue stirring until the mixture cools down. When the cake has also cooled down, slice it carefully into three layers and spread the filling (the white mixture you made at the start) between the each of them. Then cover the cake with the (dark) frosting. Make some chocolate curls by shaving a bar of dark chocolate, better if chilled, with a potato peeler (mind your hands!) and sprinkle them over the frosting. Mix together icing sugar and cocoa powder and sift over the curls.

The scent will be irresistible. Lure in your best friends and give them a present of a delicious, scented chocolate dream. Don't forget to lick your fingers!