Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

With Halloween and Firework night almost upon us once more, I had to share this pumpkin recipe with you. Warmly spiced with a sweet filling, they taste like a hug on a cold day - and they give you a chance to use up all that excess pumpkin flesh from those carved pumpkins...although to be honest, canned pumpkin puree works perfectly when time is short and makes these a breeze to whiz up.

I find canned pumpkin puree in my local Waitrose supermarket in the canned fruit aisle this time of year without any problem at all, and a single can will be more than enough for two batches of these - or you could simply freeze what you don't use in a suitable freezer-safe food bag, or in ice cubes to use at a later date.

Pumpkin Whoopies (makes about 16 whoopie pies)

120ml (4 fl oz) sunflower oil
200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) tinned pumpkin puree
250g (9oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Preheat your oven to 170*C/325*F/Gas Mark 3. Line your baking trays with baking parchment if baking a single large batch (or line one and do several batches).

Mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla until combined and lighter in colour. Tip in the egg and pumpkin puree, mixing together until incorporated.

Sift all remaining ingredients together and add these to the liquid mix in two batches, mixing thoroughly on medium speed until you have a smooth batter.

Spoon the batter onto your baking tray(s) in heaped teaspoonfuls, 2-3cm apart, to give room for them to spread. Place in the oven for about 10 mins, until they're golden - they should spring back when touched lightly. Remove to a rack and allow to cool completely before filling...



Marshmallow Filling

Firstly, please don't be put off as it involves making a sugar syrup! It is the work of moments, and besides, this is delicious and so much better than a plain buttercream or cream cheese icing could ever be when paired with pumpkin whoopies (or cupcakes for that matter). It is simply a homemade version of the popular American "Marshmallow Fluff" marshmallow spread which can be hard to find here in the UK.

120g granulated sugar
80g golden syrup
1 1/2 tbsp water
2 large egg whites*
1/2 tsp good quality vanilla extract (optional)

*If you're feeding children, the elderly or any expectant mums, then simply replace the egg whites with an egg white substitute - which you can find easily in your local supermarket baking aisle. You'll need to follow the instructions on the brand of substitute you have to equal the 2 egg whites required.

Place the sugar, golden syrup and water into a saucepan or shallow fry pan and cook over a high heat until the mix reaches the "soft ball stage" (or use a sugar thermometer if you have one). If you're going my eye, this is when the bubbles in the mix look like they're starting to stick together, or when the sugar syrup begins to thicken but is still pourable and smooth. This can take about 2 mins, but keep a careful eye on it and whatever you do DON'T STIR!!!! Remove from heat.

In a bowl with either a food or hand mixer, whisk your egg whites (or egg white substitute and required water, depending on the product you're using) until soft peaks form. With your mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the bowl, continuing to mix on low speed until all the sugar is in the bowl. Now increase the speed to med-high, and continue to mix until it becomes thick, glossy and cools. Add your vanilla at the end, if you're using, mixing it in well.

This is best to work with while still a little warm as it will become more and more sticky and marshmallow-like as it cools. Any leftover can be stored in the fridge - and if you've used actual egg whites, then do use and eat within 24 hours. If you're using after chilling, then you may need to give it a gentle stir with a spatula. This recipe makes enough marshmallow filling to fill two batches of the above whoopie pies, or a batch of regular (muffin sized) cupcakes, with leftovers.

Cappuccino Cupcakes

Okay, so these aren't exactly a health food, but they're not bad for you either (in moderation of course) as they are made up of a third grated sweet potato, third ground almonds and a third rice flour. This gives a really moist springy cake that tastes every bit as naughty as it looks, but will all those extra vitamins from the hidden veggie content. YUM.

This recipe comes from my favourite book of the moment Harry Eastwood's Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache and I promise you, if you love a good coffee-flavoured cake then these are little bites of heaven! I should add that they look far more like a traditional coffee and walnut sponge (only without the walnuts!) rather than the blond crumbed cake with a pale coffee hint I'd imagined just reading the title; but as I love Coffee and Walnut cake, I wasn't disappointed with the result. Anyway, they're a doddle to make and sadly very easy to eat too so here they are...

Cappuccino Cupcakes - Harry Eastwood (Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache)

Makes 12

2 medium free-range eggs

160g caster sugar

200g peeled and finely grated sweet potato

100g rice flour

100g ground almonds

2tsp baking powder

1/4tsp salt

3 tbsp coffee essence (such as Camp)

Icing:

50g unsalted butter, cold and in cubes

200g icing sugar, sieved

50g marscapone

2 tsp coffee essence (such as Camp)

• Preheat the oven to 180.C/350.F/gas mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cases.

• Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes, until pale and quadrupled in volume. Add the grated sweet potato and whisk again. Whisk in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt, as well as the coffee essence, until they are well introduced.

• Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, aiming for it to come four fifths of the way up each case. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until the cakes are risen and cooked. Don't be alarmed that they are flat on top rather than dome shaped.

• Whilst the cupcakes are cooking, make the icing. Whisk the butter with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Next, add 100g icing sugar and whisk together to create a paste. Beat for an extra 10 seconds at this stage to stabilize and appease the butter.

• Add the marscapone and coffee essence, along with the rest of the icing sugar, and mix by hand with a wooden spoon until all are combined in a happy and unified mixture. Refrigerate until the cupcakes are ready.

• Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and cool them in the tin for 15 minutes. I (the author, that is) usually put them into the fridge to finish cooling right down so that they are cold by the time you want to ice them. Ice the cakes, using about 1 tablespoon of icing for each one. Decorate with chocolate coffee beans before serving.

*MY MAKE AHEAD TIP: I found that putting these cakes in a tin overnight before icing the following day (popping the icing in the fridge overnight too) made for a sticky top that made the job of icing almost impossible! On my second batch though, leaving the cakes out overnight (icing still in the fridge) left them dry enough to ice the next day whilst not drying the cake out at all.

If you love baking, do check out Harry's book. It's a divinely beautiful looking book if (like me) you love to devour recipe books like novels, but it also contains some stunning cakes, scones and so on, all containing vegetables like courgette, potato or sweet potato (there's even a parsnip fudge) instead of the usual butter. All in all, gorgeous little sweet nothings for any occasion (or everyday) when you hanker for a slice of something sweet to soothe the soul.