Pumpkin cake with sliced fresh pumpkin and rice

A pumpkin cake prepared with slices of pumpkin instead of pumpkin puree. You can feel not only the taste of the pumpkin, you can enjoy its texture with your tongue, its crust above the velvety inside. What is also good about this pumpkin cake? The grains of rice which have absorbed as much sweet vanilla milk as possible. The smell of cinnamon. This pumpkin cake reminds me on my childhood and on my beloved Granny, who prepared it many times every autumn and winter. Here is her recipe for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2 lb) pumpkin, cut into chunks 
• 150 g sunflowers oil + 2 Tbsp for top of the cake
• 250 g (8,8 oz) sugar
• 4 Tbsp arborio rice
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 liter (34 fl. oz) milk
• 1 vanilla powder
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 160 ºC (325º F)

Cut every pumpkin chunk into thin slices. Put some oil onto the bottom of a baking pan and arrange a layer of slices slightly overlapping each row, so the bottom gets fully covered. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp rice, 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon and nearly half of the oil above. Arrange a second layer the same way you did with the first. Sprikle again with rice, sugar, cinnamon and remaining oil and arrange the third layer. 
Pour 2 Tbsp sunflowers oil on top of the cake and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Most of the water from the upper layer will evaporate and a golden crust will form.   

Bring milk to a boil in an ovenproof bowl on top of the stove. Set aside and add the sugar and vanilla powder. Let milk cool for 20 minutes and whisk the eggs. Add little milk to the eggs to  temperate them and add eggs to the milk. 

Take cake out of the oven and pour the egg-milk mixture above. Rise temperature of the oven to 180º C (350º F ) and bake for additional 30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy. 

This pumpkin cake tastes even better the day after being prepared. Bon appetit!