CookEat Recipe
Pale Pumpkin and Almond Cake Diamonds
Grated pumpkin squeezed dry and cooked in milk, combined with almonds and eggs and baked gently over a thin plain pastry base.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 kg pumpkin before peeling and preparation; the squeezed grated pulp is roughly 300 g, depending on the pumpkin; 100 g blanched sweet almonds; 100 g caster sugar; 35 g butter: 30 g for the filling and 5 g for the covering paper; 30 g fine breadcrumbs for the filling; 500 ml whole milk; 3 eggs; A pinch of salt for the filling; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 150 g plain flour for the pastry, plus about 10 g for rolling; About 75 ml water for the pastry, adjusted as needed; A pinch of salt for the pastry; 15 g plain rendered lard for greasing the tin.
Step 2
Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy fibres. Grate the flesh onto a clean food-safe cloth, gather the corners and squeeze firmly to remove much of its water. The original kilogram gives roughly 300 g squeezed pulp, but the amount varies with the pumpkin. Put the squeezed pulp in a saucepan with the milk and simmer gently for about 25–40 minutes, stirring often, until tender and thick rather than watery.
Step 3
Meanwhile, grind the almonds very finely with the caster sugar. Once the pumpkin has cooked, stir in the ground almond mixture, 30 g butter, breadcrumbs, the filling salt and cinnamon. Transfer to a shallow dish and cool promptly. Once cool, lightly beat the three eggs and stir them in; do not add eggs while the mixture is hot or whip whites separately.
Step 4
Make the pastry by mixing 150 g flour with a pinch of salt and about 75 ml water, adding water gradually to form a smooth rollable dough. Knead briefly, cover and rest for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 150°C. Grease a roughly 25 × 20 cm tin generously with the lard, roll the pastry about 1–2 mm thick using a little extra flour, and line the base and low sides, trimming excess.
Step 5
Pour the pumpkin filling into the lined tin to about 2–3 cm deep. Butter a sheet of baking paper with the reserved 5 g butter and place loosely over the surface, buttered side down. Bake gently for about 45–60 minutes, keeping the top pale, until set and at least 74°C in the centre.
Step 6
Cool promptly in the shallow tin, refrigerating at 4°C or colder within 2 hours. When thoroughly cold and firm, cut into diamond-shaped pieces, retaining the thin pastry underneath each piece. Serve without icing or a garnish, keep refrigerated and eat within 2–3 days.
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