Butternut Squash Cake...practicing for Christmas (eek I know)

I had a crazy dream the other night involving a pumpkin trifle...clearly I've got pumpkin everything on the brain.  This year "fall" has really hit me, I've happily tossed aside the salads and berries and have fully embraced squashes, apples and spices.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is my favourite time of year.  

So back to the pumpkin dream...it was a gorgeous trifle (not one of my favourite desserts) made with pumpkin cake and piled high with custard and cream...it was a vision.  Since that moment I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I did a few searches on line and have only seen pumpkin trifles made with pumpkin flavoured custard (actually jell-o pudding) so I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with a few ideas.  

I've been inspired by these jam jar trifles over on Frances Quinn (the winner of Great British Bake Off)'s website.  Individual portion trifles topped with crunchy biscuits and crushed nuts...they sound (and look) heavenly.  These are destined to be my Christmas Dessert.  They have to be...they easily replace the pumpkin pie with the pumpkin cake element and they have cream and custard and biscuits and I am pretty sure they are going to be awesome...

So over the past week I have been experimenting.  

I've adapted my banana bread recipe to make a spicy butternut squash cake.  I figured roasted mashed squash was about the same consistency as mashed banana...right? So out went the banana, in went some mashed roasted squash (squished in a sieve first to get rid of the extra moisture) and then I added ginger, cinnamon and all spice to the flour mix.  It baked really nicely, is slightly denser than the banana bread usually is, but it TASTES ammmmaaazing.  

Cake Layer...CHECK 

Custard Layer....will be using Ambrosia Devon Custard (I'm not making it when all I want it thick creamy custard) 

Cream Layer...easy peasy 

Jam Layer...in progress...I'm thinking stewed apples with spices 

Topping... I've changed up my gingerbread biscuit recipe using light brown sugar and some added spices.  

My tummy is grumbling just thinking about it...sigh.  I spend enough time daydreaming about it.  

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