Savoury Squash Cake
For Butternut, Pumpkin or any hard-working autumnal squash
Not a frittata, and not a cake to have with a cup of coffee, this is a recipe I’ve been cooking on repeat (just look at it!). This cake is incredibly forgiving if you’re someone who doesn’t really like baking. I've made it with one too few eggs; rough approximations of the cheese and yoghurt amounts and different vegetables (swede; celeriac; carrots) - it's all good with this cake, you might just need to adjust the initial roasting time to check the vegetables are tender, as root vegetables tend to be denser, so will need more time in the oven.
Savoury Squash Cake
Serves 6
1 x small squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into 2cm cubes (about 600g prepared weight)
1 red onion, cut into 10 wedges
3 sprigs rosemary, divided
½ tsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
Butter, for greasing.
225g plain white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
1 small bunch parsley
6 eggs
175g Greek yoghurt
175g extra mature cheddar cheese
1 heaped tsp nigella seeds
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Toss the squash in a large baking tray with 1 tsp of salt, the red onion, 1 sprig of rosemary and the chilli flakes. Drizzle half the olive oil over the vegetables and stir to combine. Transfer the vegetables to the oven to roast for 25 minutes, shaking the tray twice during this time. Meanwhile, line the base of a 25cm round springform tin with baking parchment and grease the sides liberally with butter.
Once the squash has had its time, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Pick the remaining rosemary leaves (discard the stalk), roughly chop and add to the flour. Pick out three attractive parsley stems, set aside and roughly chop the rest, stalk and all. Stir the herbs through the flour along with the spring onions. In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, yoghurt and cheese together until combined. Pour into the flour and herb mixture and fold until no dry patches are visible. Tip in the roasted squash along with the nigella seeds and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Fold through with a spatula until combined, then pour into the prepared tin. Cook the squash cake in the oven for 5 minutes before removing and decorating the top with the parsley stems, pressing in gently to make sure they stick. Return the cake to the oven and cook for a further 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Once the cake has been removed from the oven, allow it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before releasing. Allow the cake to cool for a total of 30 minutes before slicing. It will still be warm. Serve with roasted potatoes and greens, or with salad for lunch.
