You are here: home > recipes > pastry & cake

pastry & cake

butternut squash muffins with a frosty top

servings
12 muffins

method

My kids love these squash muffins. They taste a bit like carrot cake, as the two vegetables are very similar – I’ve simply swapped carrots for squash. Both of them are wonderful carriers of flavors like cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. The skin of a butternut squash goes deliciously chewy and soft when cooked, so there’s no need to peel it off. Give these little cakes a go – they’re a perfect naughty-but-nice treat. And a great way of getting your kids to eat squash!

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line your muffin tins with paper cases.

Whiz the squash in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the sugar, and crack in the eggs. Add a pinch of salt, the flour, baking powder, walnuts, cinnamon and olive oil and whiz together until well beaten. You may need to pause the machine at some point to scrape the mix down the sides with a rubber spatula. Try not to overdo it with the mixing – you want to just combine everything and no more.

Fill the paper cases with the cake mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Check to see whether they are cooked properly by sticking a wooden skewer or a knife right into one of the cakes – if it comes out clean, they’re done. If it’s a bit sticky, pop them back into the oven for a little longer. Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.

As soon as the muffins are in the oven, make your runny frosted topping. Place most of the clementine zest, all the lemon zest and the lemon juice in a bowl. Add the soured cream, icing sugar and vanilla seeds and mix well. Taste and have a think about it – adjust the amount of lemon juice or icing sugar to balance the sweet and sour. Put into the fridge until your cakes have cooled down, then spoon the topping on to the cakes.

Serve on a lovely plate (or on a cake stand if you’re feeling elegant, or on a rustic slab if you’re more of a hunter-gatherer type!), with the rest of the clementine zest sprinkled over. For an interesting flavor and look, a few dried lavender flowers or rose petals are fantastic.

• Jamie at Home

ingredients

• 400g butternut squash, skin on, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 350g light soft brown sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
sea salt
300g plain flour, unsifted
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
• a handful of walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 175ml extra virgin olive oil

for the frosted cream topping
• zest of 1 clementine
• zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ a lemon
• 140ml soured cream
• 2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
optional: lavender flowers or rose petals
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out

share this page

daily recipe rss

new recipe rss

tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Alex on Fri 14 Oct 2011 @ 10:04

Muffins were great - made more than it said. Moist, light and sweet. One problem the icing is terrible - such a shame. There is also no need for the extravagance of a vanilla pod . Next time I make these, I would leave the icing off, or change to another icing, perhaps a cream cheese frosting.

2. by jukeys on Thu 13 Oct 2011 @ 10:51

Made these last night and the sponge turned out beautifully - although it made 20 (not 12)! Also, the icing was far too runny. I had to add about another 400g of icing sugar to get the icing thick enough for it to even stay on top of the muffins! Please change the recipe on here. Thanks!

3. by emma on Mon 10 Oct 2011 @ 13:31

Hi Jamie. I bought some butternut squash last week,and would love to make a soup but have no idea where to start? I also have sweet potatoes that I buy regulary.The kids like me to roast them,or mash them..but is there anything else I can do? And one final thing..I made myself my first ever mushroom risotto yesterday,but was a little unsure as to how long the rice needs to simmer for?It was an o.k texture,but a little hard in places.All in all I ate the lot.I absolutely lurve mushrooms,and the taste of it generally was devine!!!

4. by Valeria padova Italy on Mon 10 Oct 2011 @ 13:30

Hi ! Can you translate your website also in Italian, please? thanks

5. by fona on Sat 08 Oct 2011 @ 10:00

FAB Muffins... and great "dip" icing tip.... for those of you saying put "Cups"... do you not realize that a cup is NOT a consistent measurement around the world??? Grams are more accurate and there is no confusion! Hint : buy some scales!!

6. by IsaRow on Wed 28 Sep 2011 @ 00:26

BRILLIANT!!!!! XD

7. by Stephanie on Tue 26 Jul 2011 @ 22:18

Just made these muffins as a loaf. I used coconut oil instead of olive oil, and only 1/2 the amount. Also used only 1 cup of sugar, and used Kefir instead of sour cream. It's delicious! Very tasty and I think next time we will use even less sugar, as it is pretty sweet.

8. by TRUDY LOWE on Mon 13 Jun 2011 @ 03:12

JAMIE I'M GLAD TO HAVE FOUND YOUR WEBSITE ON FACEBOOK. I WATCHED YOUR SHOW ON TRYING TO GET INTO LA SCHOOLS TO CHANGE LUNCHES. I APPLAUDE YOU!!!! I TOO WISH YOU'D PUT CUPS ETC IN RECEIPES INSTEAD OF GRAMS. ALSO SAW YOU ON NATE BURKUS SHOW. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

9. by Melanie Yoong on Sun 01 May 2011 @ 15:40

Hello, Jamie :) LOVE the recipe , the muffins were really moist and soft !. Tried baking with banana and was lovely too ! Melanie

10. by lee on Sun 03 Apr 2011 @ 20:26

Ridiculous icing! Dont know what is in the picture, but it is not icing made to that recipe! Other than that these muffins are ok

11. by pav89 on Tue 08 Feb 2011 @ 12:55

@ Sue. Yep, I made them with "Doves Farm" - Gluten & Wheat free plain flour blend, and they turned out perfect! ----------- Like everyone else, the iced topping definately needs rethinking. Just keep adding a bit more icing sugar to the mixture until it becomes stiffer next time. I used "Soya dream" - a soya cream alternative and it was top quality :)

12. by Tom on Sat 13 Mar 2010 @ 00:50

Oh wow, these muffins are totally delish! Mine came out lighter in color than the ones pictured. Makes many more than 12, I made 20 with this recipe. Also, I would say do not even bother making the icing- there HAS to be an error with the recipe written as it is here. It comes out far, far, far too runny to even think about staying on the top, it just dribbled straight off and looked like an absolute mess (this was after chilling the icing for 6 hours and the muffins were completely cool by this point)- I wasted an expensive vanilla pod on this part of the recipe :-(
I would suggest instead to make a simple frosting using sifted icing sugar mixed with zest and juice of a lemon- use enough icing sugar to make a fairly stiff paste, and then you could add vanilla if you wanted to as well. Much simpler and less things to buy this way too!

13. by Jo Harley on Sat 30 Jan 2010 @ 10:55

Hi Jamie, these are the best muffins ever. I have made birthday cakes from the same recipe and it works really well. Thank you

14. by sophie on Wed 02 Dec 2009 @ 04:59

i have just made these with grated raw pumkin, the muffins have turned out very nicely (i wasnt brave enough to include the skin though) but as the above people, there is no way the icing is going to thicken to look as in the picture...

15. by natjmoore on Mon 23 Nov 2009 @ 02:56

These are great and have so far become my favorite muffins.

There is definitely a knack to the icing, mine was runny but i discovered 2 things....if it is runny turn the muffin upside down and dip it into the frosting so it gets a fine coating, leave this to set then later go back to it and give it a second coating (put extra onto it using a spoon to drizzle or dip the muffin in again). Doing it this way you get more on top of the muffin as the first coating partly sets so the next time there is more for the frosting to stick to. Secondly, i put the frosting into the fridge for several days and it definitely thickens up so it is worth making the frosting before you want to make the muffins and leaving it in the fridge to set a little. I have started splitting my batches, one lot with frosting and one lot without anything on top as they are perfect without anything on top. Enjoy........

16. by Louise on Thu 29 Oct 2009 @ 09:47

Hi, saw the show last year when these muffins were made, wrote the recipe down & made these DELICIOUS muffins last Halloween with pumpkin instead of butternut squash - had some spare pumpkin around for some reason! Am making them again today with my 2 children as they were a HUGE hit - thank you!!

17. by Hue on Fri 25 Sep 2009 @ 08:57

Jamie,
These are fabulous! I made these today without the topping and all came out quite light. Absolutely yummy to use raw squash! Never think of this till your show last night. My coworkers, my boss & my daughter loved these delicious muffins. Such a great recipe!
Thanks for the inspiration Jamie.

A fan of your recipes and TV shows from VIETNAM!

18. by suzanne daley on Sat 19 Sep 2009 @ 17:59

I am not a cook but want to make these muffins - how many cups is 400 grams of butternut squash? 300 grams of flour = 1 1/4 cups correct? 350grams brown sugar = how many cups?

thank you! it would be great if you put both measurements on your recipes.

19. by Kieran on Tue 23 Jun 2009 @ 10:23

Anyway to replace the soured cream for a lactose free diet?

20. by becki on Mon 01 Jun 2009 @ 11:08

hi i really enjoy your cookin, i have ur book and cooked many things. i have 3 boys under the age of 3 and they really enjoy ur butternut squash muffins. lookin forward to ur next book. becki xx

21. by CLAIRE MOORE on Sat 30 May 2009 @ 16:16

I made these without the topping, I found them easy to make and they came out really light. However, my family didn't like them (they didn't find them sweet enough without a frosting) so I'm hoping they also freeze well!! The mixture made loads more than 12 muffins and I cooked some mini ones, which came out just as well.

22. by Margie on Fri 15 May 2009 @ 07:36

Hi Jamie,
I've been a fan of your recipes and TV shows from the beginning, these muffins are delicious, such a great idea!
The only problem is there seems to be too much liquid in the recipe. The mixture is quite runny and makes more than 12 muffins, however they turn out well! The icing is like liquid even after the fridge as others have said. What can I change to make them even better?

23. by michelle vernon on Sat 09 May 2009 @ 03:34

Absolutely stunning! Husband is of the opinion that these are the best muffins I have ever made, baby group thought they were heaven and ate them quicker than I could bring them out of the fridge, could not keep my toddler's hands off them and if they last that long (unlikely) they stay lovely fresh and moist in the fridge. BAKE THEM!!!!

24. by Anne on Thu 23 Apr 2009 @ 19:48

I just made this in the style of a Victoria Sponge and it's fabulous! And I used 160g of cream cheese with 40g of icing sugar with lemon juice to taste to ice it and it looks lovely and tastes delicious. Enjoy!

25. by Tiby on Tue 14 Apr 2009 @ 17:51

Hello,

I'm from Romania and I appreciate your lovely work.
I have 3 of your books and is a pleasure every time to follow you in TV show.
I want to try this recipe but I dont't understand what means " butternut squash"
Do you think you could give me more explain about it?

Thanks a lot

26. by faye on Sun 12 Apr 2009 @ 13:01

Hi,
Jamie you've done it again lovelt family snack. I would like to know how would i do i low fat version? I know that sounds boring but hay somebody got to watch my weight!!

27. by Dave on Thu 02 Apr 2009 @ 18:31

I'm surprised there aren't more comments about the icing running like liquid; made to instructions, then added more sugar and then some corn starch, but it's still runny. I don't know what's in that picture. Other than that, DELICIOUS!!!!

28. by Emma on Tue 31 Mar 2009 @ 16:54

Fab, totally scrummy.
Also great if you add banana as well.

29. by Needabigafridge on Sat 21 Feb 2009 @ 20:52

Have made these twice now and both times have worked amizingly well xx
Have just used the recipe a third time using a loaf tin instead of a muffin pan, FAB FAB FAB xx nice alternative

30. by Jane on Wed 18 Feb 2009 @ 14:07

Hi, love this muffin recipe - so do my children, however, I would love to know if it is acceptable to freeze the muffin mixture and just cook smaller batches as and when necessary? thanks.

31. by Elise on Wed 18 Feb 2009 @ 12:33

Hi,

I did this recipe for my friends at work and they loved!
But I chopped the raw butternut by hand and it's quite hard... is it possible to make the recipe with cooked and cruched butternut?

Thank you very much
Elise (from Belgium)

32. by Chloe on Fri 06 Feb 2009 @ 10:11

Hi Jamie,
I made this recipe and the muffins worked really well but when it came to the frosting, it just didn't work! I used 140ml of soured cream and 2 tbsps of icing sugar and it turned out like water even after chilling in the fridge.. is there an error in the recipe?

33. by Charlotte on Mon 19 Jan 2009 @ 11:12

I didnt have enough brown sugar so i used some caster sugar to top it up, they still turned out great, thanks :-)

34. by Andrea on Sat 10 Jan 2009 @ 10:50

Totally brilliant to use raw squash! Cooking and pureeing it first is such a PIA and when I saw the show I had to try these. I was really pleased. For a breakfast muffin (we Americans eat cake at breakfast) I cut the sugar to 300 grams and added a little cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove and baked with a simple streusel on top instead of frosting them later. I only had pumpkin, no butternut, but they still came out delicious.

35. by Emma on Fri 09 Jan 2009 @ 21:38

Also-I HATE cinnamon! Would nutmeg or something do instead?

36. by Emma on Fri 09 Jan 2009 @ 21:37

Could you do a lower fat and sugar version of this? The topping could be made with cream cheese I guess or creme fraiche?

But, what could I do about the olive oil?

37. by Marie Therese on Sun 04 Jan 2009 @ 21:04

Hi, just saw Jamie make these on TV and dying to try them out with assistance from my daughter. Thanks for the inspiration Jamie.

38. by Frankie on Mon 08 Dec 2008 @ 14:10

I made 3 batches f these for a christmas fair they went down a treat sold out in about 5 minnutes! absolutely delicious. for those who are asking the squash goes in raw.

Frankie

39. by kristen on Sat 22 Nov 2008 @ 17:13

is the butternut squashed already cooked? or does it go in raw?

40. by VnV on Sat 15 Nov 2008 @ 00:21

I love butternut squash for desserts. Check out my halva recipe with pics!
http://veggiemonologues.blogspot.com/2008/10/deepavali-recipe-butternut-squash-halva.html

41. by Amy on Mon 13 Oct 2008 @ 09:41

they look really nice
i will have to cook them for my friends and family.

42. by Millie on Sun 12 Oct 2008 @ 19:49

Hi - I'm cooking at my daughters school once a week and think these would be great for 40 pre school and reception children BUT I need to check - is the butternut raw when it goes in or cooked before? THANK YOU - your show worked wonders for schools in my opinion - I'm proof.................. Amelia Ainley

43. by Sue on Sat 13 Sep 2008 @ 19:06

Would this recipe work with gluten free flour?

Sue.

44. by yaasmin on Sat 06 Sep 2008 @ 21:39

Howdy from Texas. I wanted to know if I can use vanilla yogurt in place of the 'sour cream' for the frosting? Thank you! :)

45. by coffeeanna on Thu 03 Jul 2008 @ 20:13

I realy love this recipe!!!:)
The muffins are incredibly soft und the icing is simply delicious:)
Thanks a lot Jamie!:)
Anna

46. by laurasewell on Wed 02 Jul 2008 @ 09:35

hey jamie u love all your shows and food , ur recipes really help with my course work for gcse food fxs luv laura

47. by Susie on Thu 12 Jun 2008 @ 02:17

Jamie,
These are amazing. I have fed them to coworkers, family, friends...thanks so much for the recipe! I am looking for your guiness and meat pie recipe tho...

48. by kya harris on Sat 07 Jun 2008 @ 15:56

your food is wack,xx
jokes its great,x

49. by molly on Fri 23 May 2008 @ 18:03

hey jamie im 11 and love your food i try and cook some of your foods but some of them are hard i cook at school they say im really good but your 10 times better can you give me a recipe for a really nice tuna salad im doing it at school next week only we need something different but what
thank you
molly x

leave comments

related recipes

chocolate fridge cake with pecan and meringues
This chocolate cake is wicked! And even better, you don't need to do any baking. Break the biscuits...
Read more

old-fashioned sweet shortcrust pastry
This pastry is perfect for making apple and other sweet pies. Even if you’ve never made pastry before,...
Read more

videos