Happy Toucan Infused Pumpkin Cake

We love pumpkins – and reckon they shouldn’t just have their one night of fame at Halloween. We’ve got the perfect recipe to celebrate this lovely vegetable, a delicious, and slightly indulgent, cake which is infused with our very own Happy Toucan tea. The whole family will love it, it’s ideal to enjoy whilst sitting down together enjoying a yummy cup of Small & Wild tea - and just a little piece on the side is enough. We totally encourage kids to get involved with making this, they can be chief infusers of the tea for a start…

Ingredients

150g self-raising flour
150g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
90g sultanas
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten, beaten
100g butter, melted
Zest 1 small orange
2 tbsp of Happy Toucan infused water
250g (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated

For drenching and frosting:
Zest of 1 small orange
1 tbsp of Happy Toucan infused water
100g soft cheese
42g butter, softened
50g icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. First of all get your tea infusing! Place your Happy Toucan tea bag in a small cup and fill with 3 tbsps of warm water – little ones can be in charge of swirling and dunking the tea bag to help get a really strong brew

2. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a small rectangular or square baking tin (approx. 20 x 20) with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and 2 tbsp of your tea infusion and mix with the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch.

3. To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and half a tsp of Happy Toucan tea until smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the tea infusion while still warm. Leave to cool completely.

4. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you’re making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Happy baking – and afternoon tea!