Alfajor cake is constructed with layers of dulce de leche cream and pastries that resemble shortbread.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 55 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Score the squash by making 1/4-inch deep slashes into the flesh of the squash. Place in baking dish. Brush with orange juice and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 30 min.
- Meanwhile, simmer butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small skillet over medium heat until smooth and the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the squash from the oven. Pour out any liquid that may have collected in the squash. Brush the glaze over each squash half. Return to the oven until tender, about 20 more minutes. Spoon any glaze that has collected at the bottom of the squash over the edges of the squash. Season with additional salt, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 194 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 37 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 10 mg |
| Sugars | 15 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Delicious!
didn’t have oranges so I used a mix of sweet tangelo and lemon.
It was too sweet in my opinion
My kids had seconds! Used yellow acorn squash and probably baked it a bit more than called for. Will make again.
Did not like it at all way too sweet
This recipe is delicious. I meant to buy Butternut Squash but my supermarket was out of it. So I bought Acorn Squash instead and went straight to Chef John to see what he would do with it. I had to make another trip to the market for maple syrup and a navel orange but it was worth it!! Thanks, Chef John, this recipe is a keeper. And for a 2-person household, Acorn Squash is more the right size than the typical Butternut. It’s going to be a great fall!!
No spicy pepper. It was delicious.
This was a wonderful treat to have a side dish. I only made one and saved one half for leftovers. The glaze came out real well. In the photos, it’s unseeded. But in the recipe’s ingredients, it doesn’t say to remove them. Maybe it should before you add the glaze. I’ll remember to remove it the next time I make it.
Simple and delish. This is the only way I eat acorn squash from now on.
We usually bake acorn squash plain but this was so good that we’ll be having it often.
Very tasty. I didn’t have orange juice so I put some apple cider on them before the initial roasting. Mine were overcooked and dry with the total time but my squash were on the small side so keep track of how long you bake based on the size.
This was the second time I’ve cooked acorn squash and I guess I just don’t like it. I gave the recipe three stars because it’s easy to make and it looks nice but I had to fill the cavity with mini marshmallows and toast them to find it palatable. If you already know you like acorn squash, you’ll probably like it.
This turned out ok but prepared as directed, it seemed a little bland. I ended up adding more brown sugar at the end. I will make again but with a few changes (like I mentioned above).
The squash came out Wonderful! I did cook it longer for the second round, as was previously suggested by another reviewer,40 minutes. My only additions were a spoonful of Orange Marmalade and pinch of Chili powder (instead of the cayenne powder) into the sauce. I will definitely be making this again!
This was amazing. I’ve made this in the past with honey but the maple was a hit! Thank you!
My husband and I love this dish. I make it often.
I made this mostly as written, the only exception was that following a reviewer’s comment, I nuked the squash for about 5 minutes after poking a few holes in it and decreased the first round in the oven to 20mn. It softened the squash enough to make it much easier to score. The squash came out perfect. Don’t forget the sprinkle of salt. I used sea salt, it gave the squash a perfect slightly salty sweetness. I’ve used a similar recipe and it was rather disappointing. I think scoring the squash allowed the brown sugar mixture to seep down. Another hit from Chef John. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
We make this recipe every fall.
It was good as is, next time I will double the sauce and cook for 5-10 minutes longer. Flavor was wonderful!
I “taste tested” so much of the delicious glaze, I had to make a second batch for the squash! Due to food allergies, I substituted lime juice for orange juice (lime & spicy pepper go together, right?), olive oil for butter. Skipped the sugar to let the maple syrup dominate the flavors. The saltiness was like salted caramel. And the cayenne was magic.
This is an excellent recipe. I double the glaze. Don’t leave out the tiniest bit of cayenne. It’s what takes this recipe to gourmet. It doesn’t add heat just an amazing flavor combination with the other ingredients!