Gnome Cakes from the River Cottage website

[Henwoman]

'Veg Patch' Gnome Cakes
River Cottage Cakes Handbook
These fab (and fatless) relatives of the fairy cake are a brilliant way to use up surplus produce from the veg patch. They are also perfect for enticing young reluctant veg eaters. Camouflaged in a sweet cake mix, you’ll find grated pumpkin, parsnips, carrots and courgettes disappear without a murmur of dissent...
Prep time
30 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
12 large cup cakes
Ingredients
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
3 eggs
175g caster sugar
200g uncooked, finely grated pumpkin
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange
For the icing
1 quantity Cream cheese topping
flavoured with orange zest
To decorate
Edible flowers (borage, marigolds, fennel), Marzipan vegetables or other decorations
of your choice
Equipment
12-hole muffin tray, holes about 6.5cm in diameter and 2cm deep, lightly greased or lined with paper muffin cases, or 2 x 12-hole bun tins, lined with small paper cake cases
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and
salt. Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl with a hand-held electric whisk
for 5–6 minutes until the mixture is thick, creamy and pale. Fold in the flour, half
at a time, using a large metal spoon. Finally fold in the pumpkin and orange zest.

Carefully spoon the mixture into the paper cases so they are three-quarters full. Bake
for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden and springy to the touch. Leave in the
trays for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

When cool, top with the cream cheese topping and add decorations of your choice.
These will keep for 2–3 days in an airtight tin.

Variations
Carrot gnome Replace the pumpkin with carrot and the orange zest with lemon.
Parsnip gnome Replace the pumpkin with parsnip and the orange zest with lime.
Courgette gnome Replace the pumpkin with courgette, the orange zest with lemon
and add ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg.

[Green Aura]

Sorry, I'm sure that recipe is delicious, but I'm really disappointed.

I clicked on the thread to see a cake shaped like a gnome!

[Henwoman]

You could always make yourself a gnome shaped mould for the cake. It was named gnome as a companion to a fairy cake I think.

[thesunflowergal]

Thanks for this Hen Woman . I was talking to a friend the other day about lunch box ideas for my six year old who has very wobbly teeth. She mentioned these, but when I had a look around I only found cakes in the shape of gnomes. I will make some tomorrow for her!