PUMPKIN-PINE NUT CAKE

Steps:

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