Gramma Pie Recipe | Cooking with Nana Ling

Gramma Pie really is an absolute piece of nostalgia – and damn delicious. If you know what it is, chances are you’ve lived in NSW or Queensland and your grandma or mum made it every year she could get her hands on a grandma.

This gramma pie recipe is based on what I’ve gathered about my grandma’s gramma pies and some research into recipes popularized among Australian home cooks in the early to mid 20th century.

What is Gramma?

First, if you weren’t lucky enough to grow up with gramma pie, you might be wondering what a gramma is.

When I recently posted a photo of a piece of Gramma on my Facebook page and asked people if they knew what it was, I sparked an interesting discussion about whether Gramma is a pumpkin or something else.

Some people were absolutely convinced that I was completely insane and would call a Kent pumpkin a gramma.

I’ve always been told that Gramma isn’t a pumpkin – even though it looks like it – but more like a pumpkin.

Also a very special pumpkin.

Because where I live, in the Hunter Valley, is Gramma…Gramma. It’s in a category all of its own.

And when it’s in a cake, it’s something very magical.

Here are some Facebook Marketplace ads for Grammas for sale locally.

The Gramma resembles a pumpkin, I’ll admit that.

But when you cook with it, you realize it’s very different.

It’s much less dense and much easier to shred.

The color is brighter orange and the fibrous interior is also less dense.

The Australian Food Timeline website also addresses the Gramma debate, saying:

“Although references to Gramma squash can be found in Newcastle market reports from the 1850s, the vegetable was almost certainly grown in Australia decades earlier. The earliest published recipe I can find that Gramma Pie appeared in the Australian Town and Country Journal, Sydney in 1885. Although mentioned in Mrs Beeton’s section on Australian cuisine in the 1891 edition, the dish seems to have remained unknown to many outside the north coast of New South Wales.”

Old-fashioned gramma pie recipe

The Australian Food Chronicle also states that my local newspaper, the Maitland Daily Mercury, recorded the regional character of gramma pie in 1936: “The finest pie in the world… but it takes the people of the north coast to make it.”

My Nan Mac was definitely one of those north coast drivers who could bake a gramma pie!

After getting a nice slice of Gramma from my Aunt Judy, I did a little research to find out how Nan Mac made her Gramma Pies before attempting to recreate this popular dessert.

Ingredients for Gramma Pie

For the Gramma fill you will need:

• 1 kg grammar (peeled, seeded, and chopped) (I’ve been told that Aussie sunset squash and butternut squash are the best alternatives, but have never tried that myself)
• wizard Sugar
• lemon
• currants (optional, and raisins can also be substituted – but my mum loves currants in Gramma cake and I think it makes the cake look that little bit more delicious)
• cloves And Cinammon (optional, Mom said Nan Mac didn’t add any spices, but I couldn’t help but add just a little bit, and I found these spices were often mentioned in the very early recipes for gramma pie)
• a little milk And extra sugar (for brushing and sprinkling the dough).

You will also need sweet shortcrust pastry. You can opt for frozen store-bought sheets or make my sweet shortcrust pastry recipe.

You can find all the ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Gramma Pie

Alright, let’s do it!

I won’t go into the steps for the dough as you can buy the prepackaged dough or find out how to make a nice shortcrust pastry for this cake here.

Gramma Pie Filling

Once you’ve found a Gramma (or decided to experiment with an Aussie Sunset or a butternut squash), peel, core and chop into small chunks.

Cover the gramma with water and bring to a boil.

Simmer for about 30 minutes or until very tender.

The cooking time really depends on the grammage and the size of the pieces you have cut.

Once the gramma is cooked and tender, transfer to a large colander and drain until completely cool.

This is an important step as you want to remove as much water as possible from the cooked gramma.

Place the drained gramma in a bowl and mash well. Add the currants, lemon juice and some lemon zest, then add the sugar and stir until well combined.

Let’s bake cake!

Start by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (convection).

Next, grease a cake pan (approx. 25 cm) with butter.

Fill the bottom of the cake tin with batter and trim the sides to fit.

Fill with the Gramma filling mixture.

Place the top of the dough on top of the cake and form a crust by pressing into the dough with a fork or your thumb to create a wavy pattern (see image below).

Brush the top of the cake with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Using a sharp knife, make two small slits in the center of the cake.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve Gramma Pie

Allow to cool slightly before serving warm with ice cream, whipped cream or custard.