Quick & Easy Spelt Butternut Squash Cake Recipe

This Quick & Easy Spelt Butternut Squash Cake Recipe is perfect for using up leftover squash! Moist and delicious, it’s similar to carrot cake. 

The warming flavours of allspice and crystallised ginger mingle with sultanas and orange. Then a zesty orange-flavoured cream cheese icing with orange zest curls finishes off this utterly delicious cake.

Spelt Butternut Squash Cake Back Story

I often make Butternut Squash Soup (eg Spinach & Butternut Squash Soup), which doesn’t require a whole butternut squash, so I found myself with leftover squash yet again. 

My husband suggested I make a cake with it, and it was an idea I’d already been toying with. Butternut Squash are so sweet and therefore perfectly suited to cake making.

After a quick check of the fridge and the cupboards, I realised I had the ingredients for something similar to a carrot cake.

I researched carrot cakes and then developed this Quick & Easy Spelt Butternut Squash Cake recipe. 

The consensus was to use whole wheat flour over all-purpose flour, so I decided to use Wholemeal (wholegrain) Spelt Flour.  

I love the nutty depth of flavour that this ancient grain provides, along with its health benefits (eg high in fibre).

I went with the classic cream cheese frosting to which I added orange juice (which is also in the cake).

For added finesse, I topped with orange zest shavings.

I am over the moon with the result of this easy cake, as is my family. 

How to Make Quick & Easy Butternut Squash Cake

For the full recipe, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Wooden chopping board
• Set of measuring spoons
• Digital scales
• Fine zester/grater
• Juicer
• Large bowl
• Large balloon whisk
• Rubber spatula
• 20 cm Shallow cake tin
• Parchment paper
• Wire rack
• Metal spatula
• Citrus zester

Ingredients

Spelt Butternut Squash Cake:

• Wholegrain spelt flour – organic is best.
• Baking powder
• Ground allspice
• Butternut squash – grated.
• Light Brown Muscovado Sugar – for depth of flavour.
• Salted butter – the salt balances the sweetness.
• Eggs – medium size, free range or organic.
• Sultanas – I plump in boiling water & pat dry.
• Crystallised ginger, finely chopped.
• Orange juice and zest – unwaxed organic oranges are best; otherwise, check the internet for ways to wash and reduce pesticide residue.

Cream Cheese Icing:

• Icing sugar
• Cream cheese (soft cheese) – check the ingredients and avoid packs with added ingredients (supermarket own brands seem best).
• Orange juice

Decoration:

• Orange zest peelings

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 190°C, 170°C fan, 340F or gas mark
• Line a 20cm round shallow tin with baking paper and grease with butter.
• Sieve flour, baking powder and allspice into a bowl.
• Add the butternut squash, light Muscovado sugar, butter, eggs, sultanas, crystallised ginger, orange juice and zest, then whisk together until blended.
• Pour the batter into the tin and level.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack.
• Beat together the icing sugar, cream cheese and orange juice to form the frosting.
• Spread over the cake when cool and decorate with orange zest strands

Substitutions

Sometimes we don’t have all the ingredients in a recipe or fancy a change. Try replacing:

• Spelt wholegrain flour with wholemeal flour.
• Butternut squash with pumpkin or carrot.
• Ground Allspice with a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin spice.
• Crystallised ginger with preserved stem ginger (in syrup).
• Light Brown Muscovado Sugar with a mix of dark brown Muscovado and white caster sugar.

Serving Suggestions for Butternut Squash Cake

Butternut Squash Cake is great for any occasion, including afternoon tea, Thanksgiving dessert, Halloween, Guy Fawkes, aka Bonfire Night or even Christmas! 

For stress-free entertaining, make it the day before you need it!​

Frequently Asked Questions

More Autumnal Bakes

Here are some more autumnal-themed bakes you should also try:

• Pumpkin Fruit Cake 
• Easy Pumpkin Pie Pudding 
• Lillian’s Apple Cake 
• Blackberry & Apple Cake 
• Apple & Marzipan Dumplings 
• Apple & Blueberry Tarte Tatin 
• Honey Pear Cake

Conclusion

This Quick & Easy Spelt Butternut Squash Cake recipe is perfect for afternoon tea with family and friends, and equally good served as a dessert. 

The air is just filled with a perfume of butternut squash and orange, and the taste is even better! 

For something so beautiful and delicious, you wouldn’t know how easy it is to make (which is my favourite kind of recipe)! 

This is one of those cake recipes that you’ll want to make again and again, so I highly recommend it!

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Quick Spelt Butternut Squash Cake

Mildly spiced, this quick & easy spelt butternut squash cake is studded with sultanas, orange zest/juice and crystallised ginger. The refreshing orange cream cheese icing complements these flavours perfectly!

Course Dessert, teatime

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Camilla Hawkins

Equipment

• 1 Wooden chopping board
• 1 Set of measuring spoons
• 1 Digital scales
• 1 Fine grater/zester
• 1 Juicer
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 Large balloon whisk
• 1 rubber spatula
• 1 20 cm shallow cake tin
• 1 Sheet of baking paper
• 1 wire rack
• 1 Metal spatula
• 1 Citrus Zester

Ingredients

• 75 g Wholemeal (wholegrain) spelt flour
• 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Ground allspice
• 160 g Butternut squash grated
• 75 g Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
• 75 g Softened butter
• 2 Eggs medium
• 50 g Sultanas I plump mine in boiling water & pat dry
• 5 – 10 g Crystallised ginger finely chopped
• 1 Organic orange, finely zested
• 1 tbsp Orange Juice freshly squeezed

Cream Cheese Icing

• 50 g Icing sugar
• 135 g Cream cheese (soft cheese) full fat
• 2 tbsp Orange juice, freshly squeezed

Decoration

• Orange zest shavings (use a citrus zester to make)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C, 170°C fan, 340°F or gas mark 4.
• Line a 20cm round shallow tin with baking paper and grease with butter.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and allspice into a mixing bowl.
• Add the butternut squash, Muscovado sugar, butter, eggs, sultanas, crystallised ginger, orange juice and zest then whisk (by hand) together until blended.
• Pour the batter into the tin and level with a rubber spatula.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown and an inserted skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for 10 mins in tin before transferring to a cooling rack.
• Beat together the icing sugar, cream cheese and orange juice to form the icing.
• Once the cake is cool, use a metal spatula to spread the icing over it and decorate with orange zest shavings.

This Quick & Easy Butternut Squash Cake recipe was previously published over on Great British Chefs!