2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1  teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups butternut squash squash pureé*

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Butter and flour two springform pans (or a muffin tin for cupcakes).

In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices together.

In another bowl, mix the eggs, oil and vanilla.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until just combined, then add the pumpkin and any extras (such as dried cranberries or raisins). Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans, then, when cakes are completely cooled......use cream cheese frosting....no other!

* Making your own pumpkin/squash is really easy: just cut your gourd in half, pierce the flesh with a fork and bake, skin-side down, in a medium-hot (350F/180C) oven for about an hour or until you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork. Cool the squash then scoop it out into a soup pot. Add some water and cook down, mashing with a spoon as you go, adding water if it gets too dry, cooking if it’s too wet, until it’s pureéd! One butternut squash will give you tons of flesh…way too much for one (or two) cakes.