Divine Gluten Free Pumpkin Apple Cake, and my week of loving squash

The squash reduces the sugar and fat! 

Squash inspired me to bake for a week! The moist, delicate sweetness that squash adds to my gluten free baking is truly divine. Here's what I made...

Did you know that canned pumpkin is squash? Yep, it's true. The manufacturers cook up different types of winter squash, often butternut and pumpkin combined, and "squash" it in a can. Sorry, I couldn't resist! There's nothing wrong with canned pumpkin, but I try not to buy canned goods anymore with the whole BPA can issue ..

So, for my week of "pumpkin" gluten free goodies,  I bought ONE $1.79 large organic butternut squash and roasted it. I didn't even skin it. Just washed, chopped in big chunks, and baked at 350 degrees F. until tender. I pull the skins off and snack on them while I mash the flesh. They are so good. Then I store the mashed squash in a tupperware in the fridge. I've frozen it too and it works great.

Out of that one squash, I was able to make my new Paleo Gingerbread Squash muffins and donuts, this amazing Pumpkin Apple Cake, a chef salad with chunks of warm squash, (that was a serious yum)

And two batches of my new Gluten Free & Grain Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies that I will be posting soon! Here's the link for the gorgeous caramel sauce that you see on the cake.

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Servings 10

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup gluten free sweet rice flour, Mochiko  (I buy it for $1.00 at the Asian grocery)
• 1/2 cup organic cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill potato starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup coconut palm or organic cane sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup roasted squash, mashed *see notes
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 10 drops stevia, opt
• 2 1/2 cups apples, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 C  Grease, flour or line springform pan with parchment

1. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients, whisk well. Set aside
2. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream the sugar and oil, add eggs one at a time, add vanilla, apple cider vinegar and squash and beat until smooth.
3. Add flour mixture and mix to combine. Add stevia if using, or increase sugar to desired sweetness if necessary. 
4. Stir in apples and nuts.
5. Pour into a prepared pan and smooth top.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F.  for 45-50 minutes or until a stick comes out clean.

notes- I used roasted butternut squash. If you use canned pumpkin- put your cup of canned pumpkin on a pile of paper towels to drain an hour before using.