Butternut Squash Streusel

We recently found butternut squash at our local Aldi for 99 cents a piece. Even though I've never had butternut squash, I had a sudden craving. So, we brought the squash home and I went straight to Pinterest to find some sort of cake to make. The original recipe title was Streusel Squash Dessert Recipe, which was kind of cumbersome, so I changed it (sorry whoever originally posted it!) I also changed some elements of the recipe itself, due to the fact that I didn't have enough squash. I'll give you the recipe as it was, and then tell you what I changed.

The recipe is fairly simple and very delicious, but kind of time consuming. I didn't have as much squash as the recipe asked for ( 4 lbs. ) which is why I changed it. The reason it seems so time consuming is it takes forever to bake the squash. The recipe said chop it into chunks and boil it, but I decided to bake it. I've baked pumpkin for pie and it had a better flavor than the canned variety. Baking the squash took the longest. If you don't want to wait for squash, I'm pretty sure you could use canned pumpkin, as the cake tastes similar to a pumpkin pie.

First, cut the squash as shown. If you've never cut butternut squash let me warn you it's kind of hard. Clean out the pulp with spoon. Before this preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the squash on a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent sticking. I also sprayed the foil with cooking spray. Put in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft enough to easily poke with a butter knife.

After it is done baking, let cool a bit and then take off the skin. After that puree it in your handy dandy blender until it looks like this.

The recipe calls for a homemade crust. This is what mine looked like after it was baked.

Here is the recipe and a link to where I found it.

Prep: 1 hour Bake: 55 min. + chilling

Butternut Squash Streusel 
115

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• STREUSEL TOPPING:
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• FILLING:
• 1 medium butternut squash (4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cans (12 ounces each) evaporated milk
• 4 eggs
• Whipped cream and additional cinnnamon, optional

Directions

• In a bowl, combine flour and sugars; cut in butter until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
• In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans; set aside.
• Place squash in a large saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Transfer to a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth.
• In a large bowl, combine the sugars, cornstarch and seasonings. Gradually beat in 4 cups squash, milk and eggs until smooth (save any remaining squash for another use). Pour over crust. Sprinkle with topping.
• Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon if desired. Yield: 15-18 servings.

 

What I changed is this: 
For the crust I added five more Tbs. of butter because it wasn't sticking together. 

In the streusel topping I used walnuts instead of pecans. 
Also, the only spice I used in the whole recipe is pumpkin pie spice (so a tsp. of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon). I also might have added a few more Tbs. of butter because it's good.

In the filling itself I only used about 3 1/2 lbs. of squash. I also thought that two cans of evaporated milk was way too much, so I only put one. Even if you do put 4 lbs of squash, I wouldn't put two cans. In the filling, I used all brown sugar instead of white for the flavor. Instead of all those spices (which I was too lazy to find) I put about 3 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice/to taste. Just so you know, I don't think one squash equals 4 lbs. I had 4 and it still wasn't enough. 

The pan I used was bigger than a 9x13. It turned out better that way, because the crust wasn't as thick, and  the filling wasn't as thick which allowed it to cook through.

It was worth it! The cake was gone in less than 12 hours. It is a really good breakfast cake, or dessert. So if you ever have a butternut squash and nothing to do with it, make this cake. You have to try it at least once! Especially if you love pumpkin pie.