PumpkinPine Nut Cake

Directions

1. 1
   Cut the prunes in half and put them in a bowl.
2. 2
   Cover with boiling water and leave them to plump for 10 minutes.
3. 3
   Drain well and place in a clean bowl.
4. 4
   Mix the simple syrup and Armagnac together and pour over the prunes.
5. 5
   Let macerate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
6. 6
   Store the prunes in the maceration liquid.
7. 7
   Heat the oven to 375F or 350F on convection.
8. 8
   Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and fibers.
9. 9
   Use a small sharp knife to score the flesh in a checkerboard pattern, cutting in about 1/2 inch.
10. 10
    Rub each half with the butter, sprinkle with the brown sugar, and season with salt.
11. 11
    Put the pumpkin on a baking sheet, cut-side up, and bake until very tender and browned, about 45 minutes.
12. 12
    When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel it and put the flesh through a food mill.
13. 13
    Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth.
14. 14
    Scrape the pumpkin puree into the strainer, set it over a bowl, cover with cheesecloth, and weight it.
15. 15
    Let the puree drain for at least 2 hours to remove the excess liquid.
16. 16
    Put the pine nuts, the sugars, and a pinch of salt in a food processor.
17. 17
    Pulse to chop the nuts.
18. 18
    Slowly add the butter, pulsing until you have pea-sized pieces.
19. 19
    Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.
20. 20
    Heat the oven to 350F or 325F on convection.
21. 21
    Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment.
22. 22
    Spray twelve 2 x 2-inch ring molds or 1 1/2-inch square molds with cooking spray and set on the pan.
23. 23
    Put the pine nuts, all-purpose flour, semolina, salt, baking powder, and sugars in a food processor.
24. 24
    Pulse and process until the pine nuts are ground.
25. 25
    Add the butter and pulse until well mixed; the texture should be coarse.
26. 26
    Combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, olive oil, zest, and vanilla seeds (rinse, dry, and save the pod for another use) in a mixing bowl.
27. 27
    Whisk until smooth.
28. 28
    Add to the processor and process for 30 seconds.
29. 29
    Coarsely chop half of the drained prunes and fold into the batter.
30. 30
    Fill the molds two-thirds full.
31. 31
    Top with the streusel, filling the molds.
32. 32
    Bake until a tester comes out clean and the streusel is browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
33. 33
    Let cool briefly, then remove the molds.
34. 34
    Put the warm cakes on dessert plates and garnish with the remaining prunes and the maceration liquid.
35. 35
    You could use canned pumpkin puree.