Kabocha Chinese Five Spice Cake

I can’t recall a single cold day when pumpkin spice wasn’t being boosted. We see it in cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, fragrance shops, social media…the list goes on! Don’t get me wrong, I love a seasonal flavor, but pumpkin spice needs a revamp!

We’ve all seen it, we’ve all tried it, but none of you have tried it like this. Kabocha and Chinese Five Spice Cake, a new favorite flavor combo.

Unlike other “pumpkin spice” recipes, I decided to use kabocha. Kabocha, also known as Japanese pumpkin, has a flavor similar to pumpkin and sweet potatoes with a tinge of honey. It’s perfect for this cake.

Before using the kabocha, you have to roast it. Roasting the kabocha helps soften the flesh of the pumpkin, this makes it easier to mash later. Using a Forge to Table Nakiri, cut your pumpkin in half, then into 6-8 even wedges. 

Line your kabocha wedges evenly on a sheet pan and roast at 350F for around 30 minutes, or until the wedges are extremely soft. Let the wedges cool until they are able to be handled. Peel the skin off of your kabocha. If the kabocha has roasted for long enough, the skin should peel right off! In a bowl, mash your kabocha. It should yield around 2 cups of kabocha flesh.

It should have a chunky mashed potato consistency. Don’t worry if there are small chunks of pumpkin, the mash does not need to be smooth. You want those little bits of kabocha in your batter. Set the mashed kabocha aside and reserve for later.

In a bowl, add in eggs, room-temperature butter, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, Chinese Five Spice, and cinnamon. The rich flavor of this cake comes from the brown sugar and Chinese Five Spice.

In contrast to popular belief, most Chinese Five Spices have anywhere between 5 to 13 spices! The one I use is homemade. Composed of cloves, star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorn, and dried orange peel, this spice blend is incredibly universal! Any Chinese Five Spice will work for this recipe.

Once all of the ingredients are in the bowl, whisk until the mixture is lighter in color. Add in your mashed kabocha, along with ricotta and freshly grated ginger, and mix until combined. Set this wet mixture aside.

In another bowl, add the rest of your dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a quick mix and set aside.

Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, and fold with a spatula to combine. Fold in the last half of the dry mixture into the wet to finish the batter.

Grease your pan before portioning in the batter. Here I used a miniature bundt pan, but a muffin pan would also work. Be sure to only fill the pans three-fourths up, so they don’t overflow in the oven. 

Preheat your oven to 350F. Bake the cakes for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar to finish!

Kabocha Chinese Five Spice Cake

Spice up your New Year with a bite of cake! Perfect for brunch, a late-night snack, or a light dessert. Kabocha pumpkin and Chinese five spice come together for an easy and fragrant pastry. Step aside pumpkin spice, there’s a new flavor combo in town! 

Recipe and Photography by Asia Vo (@southeats.asia) 

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Bake Time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Ingredients: 

• 1 small kabocha pumpkin (about 2 cups roasted and mashed)

• 3 whole eggs

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 

• ½ cup white sugar

• 1-¼ cups brown sugar 

• 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable or canola)

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

• 1-½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons baking powder 

• 1-½ teaspoons salt

• Powdered sugar, as needed

Directions:

1. PREHEAT. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

2. KABOCHA. With a Forge to Table Nikiri, cut the kabocha down the middle and divide into 8 equal wedges. Line up the wedges on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes or until the kabocha is fork-tender.

3. MASH. After the kabocha has cooled slightly, mash with a fork until relatively smooth. There should still be chunks left in the mash.

4. WET INGREDIENTS. In a bowl, combine eggs, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, Chinese five spice, cinnamon, and canola oil. Whisk until lighter in color. Add in the mashed kabocha, grated ginger, and ricotta and whisk to combine fully.

5. BATTER. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet, folding to combine. Add in the final half of the dry ingredients and fold until the mixture is fully combined, being sure not to overmix.

6. PREHEAT. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees while you portion out the batter.

7. PORTION & BAKE. Grease a miniature bundt or muffin tin and fill each three-quarters of the way up. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. COOL & ENJOY. Allow cakes to cook on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before enjoying.

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