Jamie Oliver's butternut muffins

'Tis the season for squash and other autumnal vegetables. I personally am a huge fan of butternut. It is far tastier than pumpkin in general. Still, at the moment we have a bit of a glut at home. So I made these. They were very nice.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

200 g butternut (no need to peel), cut into chunks
175 g sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
150 g flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
handful of nuts (walnuts or pecans for preference)
5 tbsp olive oil
Icing:
70 g sour cream (or more)
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 vanilla pod OR 1 tsp vanilla
lemon zest
seasonal berries or something from the shop

Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Throw the butternut into a food processor and cut it up into very little bits. Once it's done, add the sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, nuts, and olive oil to the food processor with the butternut and switch it on again. Line a muffin tray with paper baking cups, then pour the mixture into the cups (each about 2/3 to 3/4 full). Shove in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. When they're done, take them out and leave them to cool for a bit. Mix the sour cream, icing sugar, vanilla and lemon zest together. When cool enough, ice the muffins (adding berries on top of some if you so wish) and leave the icing to set. Enjoy.

Quick Raspberry and Blueberry Cake

This one comes from my wife's relative. Simply excellent cake. Some minor changes to the original recipe but generally this works wonders.

Should be enough for about 8

Ingredients:
Base:
150-250 g digestive biscuits, crushed
100 g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
Cake: 
150 g butter
250 ml sugar
3 eggs
300 ml wheat flour (regular, non-self-raising)
1.5 tsp baking powder
75 ml milk
Topping:
350-400 g raspberries and blueberries (or more. As they say in Estonian, topelt ei kärise)
Icing sugar
To serve:
Ice cream, whipped cream

Mix together the digestives and butter. Grease a 25x35 cm baking tray, then pack the base on the bottom. Put in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat the oven to 200 C. Whisk the sugar together with room-temperature butter. Beat in the eggs one by one, sieve together flour and baking powder and beat into the mixture together with the milk. Pour the dough into the baking tray, smooth it out, and put in the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Take the cake out of the oven, add the berries on top, then put back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven, leave to cool, then top with icing sugar. Serve with ice cream or cream.

Coffee Porter Beer Chocolate Cake

Courtesy of LP: Eesti Päevaleht

This is delicious, rich, and should be enjoyed in moderation. You have been warned.

Ingredients:

Cake:
200 ml dark beer (coffee porter, if available)
50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
110 g butter, room temperature
250 g brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
175 g flour
0,5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Icing:
200 g dark chocolate
180 g icing sugar
90 g butter, room temperature
4 tbsp dark beer

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Mix beer and cocoa for cake into paste. Chop up butter and beat together with sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add beer/cocoa mixture. In a separate bowl, sieve flour together with baking powder and soda, then add bit by bit to sugar and beer mixture. Pour into 24/25/26 cm baking pan covered with baking paper at bottom. Bake for 30-35 min. When ready, take out and leave to cool.

While it is baking, melt dark chocolate. Beat together sugar and butter, and then add beer. Mix in dark chocolate. Cover cake with icing mixture, then leave to cool/set for about an hour.

Eat with ice cream or whipped cream.