Kabocha Tumeric Tea Cake

This one is what I call the “Tale of Two Turmeric Tea Cakes.” Why you might ask? It’s because the word ‘kabocha’ did not sound like something I’d find in the Utah Valley, and according to my research before shopping, I was proven right.

As I’ve said before, I really wanted to use the exact ingredients suggested by Claire, but that’s not always easy. She said it’s okay to use pumpkin or sweet potatoes if I could not find kabocha, which was greatly appreciated. I had no luck finding kabocha or pumpkin, so sweet potatoes were my backup. I did, however, find acorn squash. Claire said in her book that it’s best not to substitute products, which I agree with, but I really wanted to try this recipe with squash. I later read that kabocha is typically available year-round, but its growing season is late summer to early fall. Acorn squash seemed to be my best option, so in the cart it went!

Once I got home I realized I have two loaf pans and two base ingredients, so why not make two versions and see how they differentiate? I’m now very glad I did because I was definitely happier with one over the other.

If you are going to make this recipe with kabocha squash, make sure you have some extra time. I followed Claire’s instructions in the first paragraph where she typically explains what inspired the recipe (again, why it’s important to read the entire page before starting the recipe!). I made slits in the acorn squash so it could breathe, and I added some grapeseed oil to the bottom of the baking sheet. My squash only needed about 65 minutes to reach the point where I could easily put the skewer through it; Claire suggested 90 minutes for a kabocha squash, so maybe that’s why mine took so much less time? Either way, check it at the halfway point in case it’s farther ahead in being cooked than you might anticipate.

A hurdle I faced with this recipe was the pumpkin seeds (again, this wasn’t the easiest thing to find in January). Before I went shopping I remembered I needed to buy hulled pumpkin seeds. With the challenge of finding them in January, my options were limited…and it wasn’t until I was done roasting the seeds that I realized they were not hulled. As in the shells were still on. Why it occurred to me this far into the process I’m not sure, but I had to find a solution. So even though I had roasted them, I decided to boil them so they could be easily shelled. The recipe called for ¼ cup of seeds, but guess what? Hulling pumpkin seeds sucks! I shelled about two tablespoons and called it good.

The batter process was pretty easy, and I’m starting to notice patterns in how much is needed for certain ingredients. Typically, a teaspoon of vanilla will do, or a cup for granulated sugar or all-purpose flour. I made two separate batters to test the mashed sweet potatoes I bought and the cooked, mashed acorn squash. I was relatively surprised how different the batters turned out. The sweet potato mixture was thicker, but the acorn squash batter was much soupier. I tried to research later why this might have happened; the only thing I can come up with is perhaps the cooked acorn squash had more moisture than the sweet potatoes. This also seemed to affect the baking process. The sweet potato batter needed about 65 minutes, but the acorn squash batter was not done by this point in the middle. I tried putting a piece of foil in the middle to help, and I took the squash loaf out of the oven after about 75 minutes with concerns the edges would get over baked.

Sweet potato batter is above, acorn squash version below.

The sweet potato version of this dessert turned out much more like the picture in Dessert Person. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by this since acorn squash was not part of the recipe; the top of the sweet potato cake was much flakier, whereas the acorn squash looked like it had something drizzled over the top. Out of the two, I preferred the sweet potato version much more. It simply made more sense with its consistency as a cake loaf, and I feel the sweet potato flavor pairs better with the turmeric and garam masala.

Sweet potato version

I honestly do not think either loaf baked throughout as well as it should have; the pans were still a tad warm when I took them out, so this may have been a similar situation to what Claire mentioned about taking her Poppy Seed Almond Cake out of the pan too soon in her YouTube video. I personally was not used to the flakes from the acorn squash, but it seemed alright with the spices.

Acorn squash version

I consider the sweet potato mixture as the frontrunner of these two in appearance, texture and flavor. While I don’t think it was my most successful bake, I consider the fact that I made two different versions and could define what made one better than the other a win.

No video yet from Claire on this recipe, but I will share if one is released!