Butternut, Apple and Hazelnut Patty Cakes

These lovely little mouthfuls are good from breakfast to high tea or to include in a lunchbox.

You will need: 170g butternut squash, a cooking apple (preferably not Bramley as they can fall apart too easily), 50g melted salted butter, 1 vanilla pod, 100g demarera sugar, 2 eggs, 50ml of freshly pressed orange juice, 100g flour, 50g ground hazelnuts, 1/2 sachet baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teasponn ground ginger, Butter and flour for the tin (patty tin), icing sugar.

Peel the butternut squash and remove the core and seeds, cut into chunks. Cook with the butter and a splash of water, covered, until the flesh is soft. Drain and mix to a purée. Peel the apple, remove core and cut into small cubes.

Heat the oven to 180C. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the the vanilla with a sharp knife. Mix the sugar and the eggs in a bowl, add the melted butter and the orange juice. Incorporate the flour and baking powder, the butternut purée, the ground hazelnuts, vanilla and spices. Mix well to obtain a homogenous dough. Add the apples.

Butter and flour a tin for patty cakes and pour the mixture into each individual tin. Put in the oven for 35 minutes until the cakes are nicely browned. (By now the smells coming from your kitchen should be divine). Dust with icing sugar before serving.