Kabocha Squash Cakes

This recipe was inspired by pastry chef Will Goldfarb. I read it in Bon Appetit magazine then altered and adapted it to become gluten and dairy free. I made it last night and WOW WOW WOW. Huge hit amongst the fam. My husband actually woke me up in the middle of the night singing my praises on how amazing the desert was. 

Kabocha Squash Puree

2 cups kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 cup unsweetened eden soy milk

1 vanilla bean, spilt lengthwise

Combine squash and milk in heavy saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean;add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat, partially cover, reduce heat to low and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. note: don't walk too far away from the stove, the liquid could boil over and get messy. Take it from someone who knows ;) Remove vanilla bean. Cool. Place mixture in food processor and blend until smooth. * can be made 1 day ahead. cover and refrigerate.

Cakes

1/3 cup + 2 TB dark maple syrup

1/4 cup agave

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup gluten free beer (i used Greens. got it at whole foods market)

1 large egg

2/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour

1/4 cup amaranth flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven 375. Lightly oil six 1 cup ramekins. Place 1 cup squash puree in large bowl. (reserve remaining for another use). Add maple, agave, oil, beer and egg to the bowl with squash puree. Blend until combine. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into bowl. Blend. Divide batter among prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on baking sheet. And put into oven.

Bake until cakes are firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. (might need to bake longer). I served them right in the ramekins. Make sure you wait a little for the cakes to cool down before serving. Top with a dollop of Cream and you will be in heaven.