Lidl Ireland has partnered with well-known food and wine writer and mum of three Lilly Higgins, who has created two devilishly delicious recipes for an Easy Pumpkin Cake and a Pumpkin Fondooooo using a selection of quintessential autumnal ingredients available at Lidl stores nationwide. Lilly, a strong advocate for minimising food waste suggests using your left-over pumpkin flesh and seeds when carving your spooktacular creation this Halloween to create these easy-to-follow recipes – minimising food waste.
With a passion for affordable, easy to follow recipes, Lilly Higgins adds her top tips to consider this Halloween as households around the country prepare to carve their annual pumpkin:
“Pumpkins are a huge part of Halloween celebrations in our house. It’s always better to pick up a locally sourced pumpkin where possible. It’s fantastic that Lidl stores nationwide will have a great range of affordable Irish grown pumpkins in a variety of shapes and sizes this October. It’s always so helpful to plan ahead when carving your pumpkin, so you don’t waste the seeds or flesh. My easy to bake pumpkin cake and fondooo below include roasting the seeds and using left over pieces from carving when cooking these delicious nutritious recipes, minimising food waste. Another important tip after Halloween is to place your carved pumpkin in the compost and not the regular rubbish bin! “
Whether you're throwing a deadly dinner party, a Halloween house party, or maybe just having some friends over for frightful fun these recipes will impress your guests. Here is what you will need to recreate these recipes.
EASY PUMPKIN CAKE
“This cake couldn't be simpler. Just tip all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix. The beauty of this is you don’t need pumpkin puree, just grate the pumpkin that’s left over from carving. You can also make this as a traybake. It is so tasty and easy for kids to help with too!” – Lilly Higgins
Ingredients:
- 200g brown sugar
- 185ml sunflower oil
- 3 eggs
- 350g raw pumpkin, roughly grated
- 1 apple, roughly grated
- 200g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp bread soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- For the cream cheese icing:
- 250g cream cheese
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Toasted pecans, to decorate
Method:
Grease and flour two round sandwich tins.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Whisk the sugar and eggs together till light. Gradually add the oil, whisking all the time until combined. Add the grated pumpkin and apple, mix well.
Sieve the flour, bread soda, baking powder and spices into a bowl. Add the flour mix to the wet batter and fold in gently until combined. Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 20-25 mins till set and golden.
Meanwhile whip the icing ingredients together till light and airy. Once the cakes are cooled, sandwich them together with the cream cheese icing. Spread a layer on top and scatter with pecans and lemon zest.
PUMPKIN FONDOOOOO
Makes 1
“This fondue is great fun. I would always recommend using smaller pumpkins as decorations around the house and the best part is you can eat them after! Pumpkins are so sweet and tasty once roasted, and make a perfect cauldron filled with melted cheese sauce. Keep the pumpkin seeds and roast them to add crunch and flavour. All you need is a freshly baked Lidl baguette for dipping into the creamy cheese. It is so good!” – Lilly Higgins
Ingredients:
- 1 medium pumpkin
- 100g gouda cheese slices
- 100g emmental slices
- 250ml cream
- Pinch nutmeg
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Thyme
- 1 tsp honey
- 100g pumpkin seeds, reserve them from inside the pumpkin
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp paprika
To serve:
1 baguette, sliced
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Wash the pumpkin. Remove the top and keep as a lid. Scrape out any seeds and loose fibres from inside the pumpkin using a spoon. Set some seeds aside for roasting.
Sit the pumpkin onto a high sided roasting tray. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper. Finely chop the cheese slices and place them inside the pumpkin along with the cream. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the pinch of nutmeg and a few sprigs of thyme. Mix together gently then place the pumpkin top back on like a lid. Brush the entire pumpkin with a little olive oil.
Bake for one hour then remove the top. Return it to the oven for 15 minutes so the cheese sauce begins to brown and bubble. Serve drizzled with honey and scatter the seeds inside, serve with the baguette slices for dipping.
Optional:
While the pumpkin is in the oven, wash and dry the pumpkin seeds. Mix them on a tray with oil, salt and paprika. Bake for 20-25 mins alongside the fondue, turning regularly till crispy.
The Go Full Lidl this Halloween range is available in Lidl’s 175 stores nationwide now, while stocks last. Customers can expect to pick up pumpkins, decorations, costumes, sweets and treats making the market leading discounter your one stop shop for everything you need this Halloween. For more information and to stay up to date on the latest instore promotions, please visit www.lidl.ie.