Spiced Pumpkin and Raisin Tea Cake

This is a proper cake.  Like the your best date, it can be dressed up or down to suit the occasion - bake it in a pretty bundt tin and pop a mini pumpkin in the centre, drizzle with orange flower icing, and bedeck it with leaves and flowers for a full-on autumnal centrepiece.  Or, bake it in your trusty loaf tin and enjoy a generous chunk with a pot of real tea to get you through the afternoon slump.  Slice it and wrap in little foil parcels to unwrap on chilly woodland weekend walks...

When you make your last cup of tea of the evening, pour an extra one for your raisins, and make yourself a promise to spend an hour in the kitchen making this cake. Is there anything better than warm, spicy fruitcake gently baking in the oven while the rain pours down outside?

Ingredients: (makes one medium sized cake/1lb loaf)

125g cooked, mashed pumpkin
125g soft light brown sugar
125g raisins soaked overnight in black tea
1 egg
75g soft butter or margarine
200g self raising flour
50g plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

Pre-heat the oven to 190c.

Grease (and line if you can) your baking tin.

Cook and mash the pumpkin as described in my pumpkin and scone recipe. Set aside to cool.

Cream the butter, sugar and spices together.  Whisk in the egg until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the cooled pumpkin.

Mix in the flour and when fully combined, strain your raisins and stir in.

Pour into your baking tin and cook for between 50mins-1 hour.  Insert a skewer into the centre to check it's cooked through.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or make up some icing with orange colouring and orange blossom water.

So which pumpkin recipe wins your vote - the sweet or the savoury?