Pumpkin Skillet Cake

The hard squash season is upon us. Rest assured pumpkin pies, butternut squash ravioli, and acorn squash bisque are being prepared across the mid-west in all types of kitchens. Every year I try to come up with something a little different using these obviously seasonal ingrediants. I have been making a butternut squash risotto with apple cider the past few years, and that comes out quite nice. I found a recipie for a sweet pumpkin waffle, but since I don't have a waffle maker I tweeked the recipe till I got a savory pumpkin skillet cake. They might have a bend toward savory, but a little syrup and they jump right back to the sweet side.

Pumpkin Skillet Cake

1 cup flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon corriander

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup bacon fat/duck fat/or more butter

1 large egg

1 large egg white

Combine the wet and the dry ingrediants seperatly, then mix them together and wisk untill just incorperated. A few lumps is ok. Have the oven pre-heated to 350, and a well seasoned cast iron skillet on a burner set to med-high. Melt a little butter into the pan, pour the batter into the hot pan and put it right into the oven. Cook this for about 10 minutes, maybe more if you are using a small skillet. The cake should pull away from the sides of the skillet, brown up nice on the bottom, and firm up nicely.