Butternut Squash Blondies

To be honest, it doesn’t matter if you use butternut squash or pumpkins for this unbelievable recipe; their flavour is insignificant. It’s moistness they bring to the table and this has to be my biggest baking revelation for a great many years. I have never had anything so squidgy and moist. I’ve never had a cake that stays moist for so long. I think you could overbake this for several hours and it still wouldn’t get dry. But is it cloying? No, not at all. It’s just phenomenal.

The recipe is fairly straightforward; blondies are just brownies but made with white chocolate. The only steps added here are the boiling then mashing of the squash. The rest is the same as a super-simple brownie recipe. And these will freeze excellently – if you plan to keep them, use a bigger tin and spread them a bit thinner. This means that they’ll defrost far quicker at room temperature (or you can just stick them in the oven on a low heat to speed them up). Store them infreezer bags or in cling film.

Step 1

First, preheat your oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 2. Line an 8-inch square brownie tin with baking paper (non-stick greaseproof paper). 

Step 2

Boil some water in a kettle. Whilst it’s boiling, cut off a chunk of your squash, peel it and weigh it. Top up with more peeled squash until you hit 200g. Put this and your boiling water in a pan and simmer over a medium heat until soft. 

Step 3

Drain your squash and mash into a mush. 

Step 4

In a microwaveable bowl, weigh your chocolate and butter. Pulse these in the microwave until melted together. 

Step 5

Whisk your eggs, yolk and caster sugar in a large bowl until combined. Drizzle in your melted butter and chocolate and then your butternut squash and whisk again. Finally, add your flour, mixed spice and any chunks you fancy and fold together until you’ve got a wet mix. 

Step 6

Pour your mix into your prepared tin, then transfer to the oven. Bake for a good long while – at least 45-50 minutes. Check that it’s done by sticking a knife in it and making sure it comes out clean. When done, leave to cool then dust with icing sugar. 

Top Tip:

If you’re not a fan of cinnamon, this bake is still amazing. Miss out the mixed spice and replace half your caster sugar with any dark brown sugar. It will have a wonderful caramel flavour. 

Enjoy!