Buttercup Squash Spice Cakes

These richly-spiced mini cakes are so incredibly lovely! The buttercup squash mixture used to be incorporated throughout the entire batter, but it really shines as the filling because you can taste the allspice and ginger in the cake separately from the creamy squash. A delicious and unique addition to your autumn dessert repertoire!

Buttercup Squash Spice Cakes [Vegan]

Ingredients

Mini Cakes:

• 1 1/2 cup whole spelt flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I added a touch more, but I like salt)
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice
• 4 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cup almond milk (or rice milk)
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Buttercup Squash Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups roasted buttercup squash
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8-1/4 cup almond milk or rice milk

Preparation

To Make the Buttercup Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Slice your buttercup squash in half carefully.
4. Scoop out all of the seeds and sprinkle the inside with a bit of salt. Place each half, cut side down on the baking sheet; rub some olive oil on the rind.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or up to an hour (or more), depending on the size of your squash. It is done when the flesh yields easily to an inserted fork.
6. Using a handheld mixer, blend the filling ingredients together until creamy and smooth. Some squashes will be creamy and soft without adding much almond milk. Add only as much almond milk as you need to achieve a nice creamy, scoopable texture.

To Make the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray your pan and set aside. This recipe will work in a regular muffin pan as well.
3. Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix your wet ingredients (except for the apple cider vinegar).
4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, whisking continuously.
5. Whisk in the apple cider vinegar.
6. Pour your batter into your prepared pan, filling only half-way.
7. Using a cookie dough scoop or a spoon, place your buttercup filling in the center of each cake. Roughly 2 tablespoons of filling per cake.
8. Pour your remaining batter over the top of the cakes. If you are using a regular muffin pan, there will be a bit of extra batter that you can use to make a mini loaf.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes (or 25-30 minutes for a muffin pan) or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/buttercup-squash-spice-cakes/