Though I love autumn, I’m not usually one of those people that gets massively excited about falling leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. Until this year, that is.

The UK has had a very long, hot summer, and while that sounds like heaven to some people, I have the skin tone of a milk bottle and am on medication which makes me more susceptible to both heat and sunburn. So I find myself quite relieved that the nights are drawing in and the sun is taking a breather from trying to set me on fire.

Plus it means that pumpkins are in the shops so my natural inclination is to make this delicious ginger cake. The flavours pair so well together and this cake screams ‘autumn’ to me, evoking memories of bonfire night gingerbread and halloween pumpkins. As with most ginger cakes, this is best eaten after a day or so of being wrapped, to let the texture get nice and squidgy.

Recipe from Good Food

Serves 10 – 12

250g chunk of pumpkin or squash flesh
50g black treacle
140g golden syrup
140g light soft brown sugar
100ml semi-skimmed milk
100g cold butter , diced, plus extra for greasing
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp mixed spice
2 medium eggs , beaten
8-10 chunks crystallised ginger , thinly sliced

Put the pumpkin or squash in a microwave- proof bowl with a dribble of water. Cover with cling film, pierce with a couple of holes and cook in a microwave on High for 5-10 mins, or until the pumpkin is soft and mashable. Drain off the water and mash until smooth. Put the treacle, syrup, sugar and milk in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with a strip of baking parchment. Sift the flour, bicarb, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl together. Tip in the diced butter and rub with your fingertips until no big lumps remain.

Whisk the mash and the egg into the lukewarm syrupy mixture, then stir everything into the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, scatter with most of the crystallised ginger and bake for 45 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out with just moist crumbs attached. Scatter over the remaining sliced ginger to stick, then cool in the tin. This cake tastes delicious once thoroughly cooled and sliced, but even better if wrapped in parchment and foil, and left for a couple of days to mature. Perfect with a cuppa, smeared with some butter.