Pumpkin bulgur wheat cake with saffron mahleb icing

Name: Pumpkin bulgur wheat cake with saffron mahleb icing
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: whole cake
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 50g bulgur wheat; 80g melted butter; 80g dark honey, like red gum; 80g castor sugar; 2 eggs, 60g each; finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 20g lemon juice; 100g peeled pumpkin, coarsely grated; 125g chopped walnuts; 200g plain flour; ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda; ½ tsp ground cardamom

Dan Lepard

May 23, 2017

Time:1-2 hoursMakes:whole cake

The combination of pumpkin and bulgur wheat is a classic; there's a gourd and grain harmony that kicks in. In this simple honey butter cake loaded with grated pumpkin, the burlgur adds a curious chewiness reminiscent of ground almonds. If you want to go nut-free, just leave out the walnuts and extract, but you'll need to whack a little texture back in so replace it with chopped dried apricots or figs. The icing is a must, especially if you can find the ground mahleb

Ingredients

50g bulgur wheat
80g melted butter
80g dark honey, like red gum
80g castor sugar
2 eggs, 60g each
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
20g lemon juice
100g peeled pumpkin, coarsely grated
125g chopped walnuts
200g plain flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp ground cardamom

For the icing

30g boiling water
225g icing sugar
¾ tsp ground mahleb (spice made from cherry seeds), or 1 drop almond extract
pinch saffron

Method

1. Take a saucepan and add the bulgur wheat. Pour on twice its volume in water, bring to the boil then put the lid on and leave off the heat to cool. It should absorb all the water and have a slightly chewy texture.
2. Line the base of a round, 18cm spring-form cake tin with non-stick paper and heat the oven to 160C (fan-forced). Put the cooked burghul wheat in a mixing bowl with the melted butter, honey, sugar and eggs, then whisk everything together well.
3. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, grated pumpkin and walnuts. Finally combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cardamom, sift and mix evenly. Spoon into the tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin before removing and icing.
4. For the icing, weigh in the water (easier than using a measuring spoon) straight into a small bowl. Stir in the saffron and leave for 10 minutes. Then stir in the icing sugar and mahleb (or almond extract) until smooth and spread over the cake.