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Pumpkin Rice Flour Chiffon Cake

This chiffon cake was inspired by the numerous recipes shared by many food bloggers.  With the successful baking of chiffon cakes using rice flour, I tried this one with pumpkin.  The cake rose beautifully and to prevent the top from been too browned, I baked the cake with bottom heat for the first 20 minutes then with both top/bottom heat for the remaining 20 minutes. 
Verdict - soft, spongy, fluffy and moist chiffon.  Has a nice pumpkin colour.  This is a good cake and it went to my mum's place.  I got to taste it there and didn't manage to take more photos of the cut cake as people are waiting to eat them.
For the mixing of egg yolk batter, I changed the method too - by first mixing all the ingredients [flour, salt, puree, liquid and oil] until well combined then beat in the egg yolks one after another.
Ingredients For Egg Yolk Mixture
5 egg yolks [I used size A eggs]
15 gm castor sugar [I used 1 tbsp]
40 ml corn oil
90 gm pumpkin puree
2 tbsp milk
60 gm cake flour [I used superfine flour]
30 gm rice flour
1/2 tsp  cinnamon powder [optional]
1/4 tsp salt
Ingredients For Egg White Mixture
5 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar [optional]
45 gm castor sugar [I used 3 tbsp]
  1. Sieve both flours together and mix in the salt.
  2. Separate egg yolks and whites into 2 separate bowls.
  3. Mix flours, salt, sugar, pumpkin puree, milk and oil until well combined.
  4. Add in egg yolks one after another until creamy.
  5. Preheat oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy, add in the cream of tartar [if using].    Continue whisking and add in sugar in 3 batches.  Whisk until soft to stiff peaks.
  7. Fold lightly 1/3 portion of the egg white into the egg yolk mixture until well combined.    Then mix with the remaining egg white.  Fold until well combined.
  8. Pour batter into a 19-20 cm [7 inch] tube pan.   Shake a little to smooth out the batter and tap pan several times on table top to release trapped air.
  9. Bake in preheated oven at 160 degrees C for 40 minutes or bake with bottom heat for 20 minutes then both top/bottom heat for remaining 20 minutes.
  10. Remove from oven and invert immediately to cool cake before slicing.
  11. Use a slim spatula to run around the edge of the pan and around the tube to dislodge cake before slicing cake.
Notes: If using larger eggs [AA size], it is advisable to use a 20-22 cm tube pan.   The actual cake has a nice  pumpkin colour.  The photos were taken in the early morning and the results weren't good.
I'm submitting this post to Bake Along #64 - Chiffon Cakes
 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours 
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Herbal Braised Chicken with Pumpkin

This One Dish Meal was prepared during Qing Ming Festival [Chinese All Souls Day] when the family was busy with many prayer services for the first 10 days before the actual day that falls on April 5.  Visiting many ancestral graves located at different cemeteries during this dry and hot season can be rather tiring. I had sun burn on my shoulders.  All you can think off is cold drinks down the throat to beat the heat which of course is not a healthy thing to do.  Cooking One Dish Meal for the family would be much easier, as I was too tired to go out for dinner.
In this dish, there is a variety of ingredients that make it a complete meal so much better than going out to 'ta pau' food for the family and the ingredients can be prepared earlier.
Served with steaming hot rice and some cut chillies, it is nevertheless satisfying too.

Ingredients
[serves 3]
Cooked rice enough for 3 persons
1 chicken whole leg - deboned and cut bite size pieces - marinated with a little salt, pepper and cornstarch
200 gm pumpkin - cut wedges
2 pieces king oyster mushrooms [sin pau koo] - cut wedges
200 gm brocolli - cut florets
a few slices of ginger
light soy sauce, wine and salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
some cornstarch mixture for thickening [optional]
Herbal Stock [boil together until aromatic]
2-3 pieces Huang Qi [radix astragali]
3-4 pieces Dang Qui [Chinese Angelica Root]
9-10 Red Dates
enough water for stock
  1. Rinse herbs and boil in sauce pot with enough water for stock until aromatic [about 15 minutes].  Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in wok to pan fry chicken pieces until slightly brown on both sides.  Add in the ginger.   Stir fry to mix.
  3. Add in light soy sauce and wine.  Stir well and pour in herbal stock.
  4. Bring to a boil and add salt to taste.
  5. Add in pumpkin and mushrooms to braise until almost tender.
  6. Add in the brocolli florets, cover to cook for about 1 minute.
  7. Thicken gravy with cornstarch if you prefer the gravy to be slightly thick.
  8. Scoop up ingredients over hot rice and serve immediately with cut chillies.
Notes: Visit this site for Its' Nutritional Facts [here]
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