Japanese Squash Cake Recipes

KABOCHA SQUASH CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR CREAM

Steps:

• For brown sugar cream:
• Place 1 tablespoon water in cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes to soften.
• Stir cream and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add egg whites and whisk until mixture thickens, about 12 minutes (do not boil). Add gelatin mixture; whisk until dissolved. Strain into large clean bowl. Chill until cold. Cover and chill overnight.
• For cakes:
• Combine squash and milk in heavy small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Partially cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Drain squash. Place in processor and blend until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray six 3/4cup ramekins with nonstick spray. Place 1/2 cup squash puree in large bowl (reserve remaining puree for another use). Add sugar, oil, beer, and egg to puree and beat to blend. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt over; beat to blend. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cakes in ramekins. Turn out onto plates. Beat brown sugar cream to firm peaks; spoon alongside cakes.

JAPANESE CAKE

Steps:

• Step 1: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square cake pan with parchment paper. (Smearing a little butter or shortening in the pan first will help the paper stick.) Top paper with a sprinkling of sugar.
• Step 2: Place the eggs in a bowl of warm water (about 100 degrees) until warm, about 10 minutes; drain. Heat a large pot of water to a boil; turn off the heat. Mix 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup honey in a small bowl; set aside.
• Step 3: Break 8 eggs into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Place over the steaming pot of water; mix with a hand mixer, adding 1 1/2 cups sugar slowly, 5 minutes. Move the bowl to the stand mixer; beat with the whisk attachment at medium speed, or level 3, 5 minutes. Reduce speed one level; beat, 5 minutes. Reduce speed to lowest setting, beat, 5 minutes. (You want to end beating at the lowest speed so that the batter has small bubbles. The batter is ready when it is thick enough to form soft peaks.) Slowly add the milk and honey mixture. Whisking by hand, add 1 2/3 cups flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Step 4: Pour the batter into the pan up to the top. (Any leftover batter may be baked alongside in lined cupcake or muffin tins; bake these for 20 to 25 minutes.) Bake until a skewer stuck in the middle comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon honey and a little hot water, to make a glaze. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, brush the top with the glaze.
• Step 5: Let the cake sit in the pan until cool enough to handle but still warm. Lift out of the pan, paper and all; place in a zip-close bag. Seal; refrigerate several hours. (This step will help keep the cake moist.)
• Step 6: Cut off the sides of the cake with a very sharp knife to expose the yellow interior. Cut the cake into small, neat slices. Count on one or two slices of cake per person.

JAPANESE SQUASH CAKE

Steps:

• Cut off the hard part from the top and bottom of the squash; cut into 4 wedges. Scoop out seeds with a spoon and cut into chunks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add squash, cover, and steam until tender and a chopstick is easily pushed through the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and leave covered for about 5 minutes.
• Remove skin from the squash and mash flesh by using a food processor or by pushing it though a sieve with a wooden spoon into a bowl.
• Transfer mashed squash to a mixing bowl. Add flour, egg yolks, water, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
• Roll out a sushi, or makisu, mat as if you were making a sushi roll. Wet a dish towel or muslin cloth slightly with water and lay on the mat. Spread squash mixture evenly on top. Hold the nearest end and tightly roll up the mat to the other end. Close both outer ends by rolling up or folding the towel.
• Place the rolled squash mixture in the mat back into a steamer insert in a saucepan; steam for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Open the sushi mat and cut the cake into 1-inch thick slices. Serve cold on 4 small plates with Asian pears and/or persimmons.