Crispy Chinese pumpkin cake used to be a yummy dessert for holidays. Those lovely and colorful little cakes are deep-fried in order to get a crispy surface. However they will also amaze you by the soft inside and sweet filling.
About how to choose a perfect pumpkin for this recipe;
The principle is to choose bright orange colored and sweet ones. You can make a thin slice and taste it at the very beginning.
About the cooking methods:
There are two ways to cook this Chinese pumpkin cake: deep-frying or pan-frying.
Deep-frying version usually is serving for holidays because they usually have a better appearance and a fluffy texture.
However if you are really heat deep-frying or prefer to have a healthier version, you can use pan-frying with slow fire.
Now let's begin.
Remove all the skins of the pumpkin and then cut into cubes. Place the cubes into a steamer, cover with plastic wrap (so that there will be no extra water) and steam for around 25 to 30 minutes until completely soft. Smash the steamed pumpkin with a fork and squeeze the extra water out. Stir the sugar in when the pumpkin puree is still hot. Set aside to cool down as shown in picture 1.
Add glutinous rice flour in as shown in picture 2. During this process, stir the mixture with a fork. You need to adjust the amount of glutinous rice flour depending on your texture of the pumpkin.
Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth as shown in picture 3.
Then divide the dough into a long log. Cut around 12 equal portions out. Take one portion and wrap filling-red bean paste as shown in picture 4 and 5. You can also use other fillings like nuts or mung bean paste. I use homemade red bean paste, the instruction is here(Sweet red bean paste)..
Brush some water on the surface firstly and then coat with bread crumbs. Deep-fry until golden brown in both sides. For pan-frying, you can coat the cake with sesame seeds. For a crispier taste and less oil, fry the cakes again for around 20 seconds over medium fire if necessary.
Remove extra oil and here we are.
Chinese Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 1 pound pumpkin
- Red bean paste , as needed
- ½ pound glutinous rice flour , or as needed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar , or as needed
- Bread crumbs for coating
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Remove all the skins of the pumpkin and then cut into cubes. Place the cubes into a steamer, cover with plastic wrap (so that there will be no extra water) and steam for around 25 to 30 minutes until completely soft.
- Smash the steamed pumpkin with a fork and squeeze the extra water out.
- Stir the sugar in when the pumpkin puree is still hot. Set aside to cool down.
- Add glutinous rice flour in.
- Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth. Then divide the dough into a long log. Cut around 12 equal portions out. Take one portion and wrap filling-red bean paste. Assemble as a ball firstly and slightly press with hand to make a flat cake.
- To deep-fry: Heat up oil in wok or pot until really hot, brush some water on the surface and then coat the cake with bread crumbs. Lower your fire and slide the cake in the hot oil and fry until both sides becomes crispy and golden brown. Be careful during this process. Use kitchen pepper to remove extra oil. If some of the coating drops out in deep-frying process, remove them before the next batch. For a crispier taste and less oil absorbed, re-fry the cakes for around 20 seconds over medium fire.
- To pan-fry: brush some oil on a pan and then fry the cake over low fire until golden brown in both sides.
- Set aside to cool down a little bite. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Lail | With A Spin
Sinfully delicious. Seriously, who doesn't love fried food? Love these pumpkin cakes.
Elaine Luo
I agree Lail. Those pumpkin cake is really crispy and additive. You should try it yourself.
Aara
This looks so interesting!! I wish i could taste it 🙂
Elaine Luo
I really wish that I could serve some Aara.
Veronica
This comment might be blasphemous, but is there any chance of substituting the start-from-scratch pumpkin with canned pumpkin puree?
Elaine Luo
Hi Veronica,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. You have raised an interesting question. I seldom use canned food as you can see from my blog that I am almost trying to make everything at home. So I am sorry that I am not sure about this question. However, as long as the canned pumpkin puree has a similar texture, we can definitely give it a go.
Eko
I think what you published made a great deal of sense. But, what about this?what if you wrote a cahecitr post title? I am not suggesting your contentis not good., but suppose you added a title that grabbedfolk's attention? I mean Egg-Fried Bread recipe 193 calories | Diet Recipes under 200 calories is a little plain. You might peek at Yahoo's home page and watch how they create post headlinesto get people interested. You might try adding a video ora related pic or two to get people interested about everything've written. Just my opinion, it would make your posts a little livelier.
Elaine Luo
Hi Eko,
They are really nice suggestions and thanks for bringing that to my attention. I am not a native English speaker so sometimes I am just trying to make everything clear. And for the video suggestions, that's really great. I will try to post some in future posts if necessary. I just need more space and time to record videos in my kitchen.
Tiana
Hi Elaine,
I just wanted to say thank you!! I stumbled across your blog through foodgawker and I'm so happy I found it! This was my favourite snack my relatives served me for my first time back in China when I was 11. Unfortunately, these hot cakes weren't readily available when I came back to Toronto. 10 years later, some Chinese supermarkets here in Toronto are selling it now in the hot food/bakery section (but still not that many). However I'm more excited to make these on my own! Thank you for your blog and providing authentic Chinese recipes!
Elaine Luo
Hi Tiana,
Those pumpkin cake was a treasure snack food in my childhood too. It might be a little complex so I cannot make it frequently. But enjoying some even in a long time makes me so happy. Good Luck and happy cooking ahead.
Becky
I just came across your website. I love the colorful pictures. I am currently living in Chengdu (English teacher) and there are a lot of pumpkins about in the local market. I bought one today (a big one) and will be trying this recipe in the next day or so. Can't wait.
WeChat: BeckyHamshar
Elaine
Hi Becky,
Chengdu is really a great place. I love it so much!!! And there are so many yummy food. And yes, Autumn is a pumpkin season. So go ahead and good luck.
Gracr
Can it be freeze? That's if not finished straight away. .. I've had it in a Chinese restaurant...it's so good, hence, why I've searched for it. Thanks for sharing.
Elaine
Hi Gracr,
I never tried to freeze them. But it is ok to refrigerate them for 3-4 days after deep-frying.
Rebecca
This comment is old but for the sake of information; YES YOU CAN FREEZE IT RAW and it cooks really nicely straight from the freezer 🙂 (i didnt put bread crumbs though)
Loodie
I stumble accross your post because a novel about food. The translator put the link and it got me interested. Thank you for the recipe. I already salivating after read it and now I am gonna make it my own for my family's New Year snacks. ❤️
Elaine
Happy cooking and Happy New Year, Loodie!
Ricardo
This food changed my life!! I wanna have sex with the person who made this recipe i want them to take me in their strong arms god its so hot
Elaine
Thanks Ricardo!
L .Blake
I have seen this on YT in several videos featuring rural chinese cooking. The cakes looks so good but a recipe was never included. I believe yours to be what I am looking for. I cant wait to try it.
Elaine
Happy cooking!