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1
Remove the seeds and fibrous insides of the kabocha squash, and cut into 2 cm chunks.
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2
Wet quickly with water, put on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until tender.
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3
Mash into a smooth paste while it's still hot.
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4
Mash up the skin as finely as possible.
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5
Add the milk and mix.
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6
Sift the flour and spices together twice.
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7
Preheat the oven to 340F/170C.
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8
Make the meringue.
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9
Beat the egg whites lightly with a handheld mixer, add sugar all at once, and beat until the whites form soft peaks.
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10
Add the cornstarch and salt, and continue beating with low speed until the meringue is very finely textured.
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11
It should form soft peaks that slowly flop over.
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12
Make the yolk batter.
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13
Beat the egg yolks lightly, and add all the sugar.
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14
Mix until the sugar melts.
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15
Add the oil, and beat until blended.
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16
Add the water.
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17
Add the kabocha squash puree and mix everything together well.
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18
Add the flour all at once.
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19
Change over to a handheld whisk, and mix well until the batter is no longer floury.
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20
Fold in the meringue.
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21
Add one scoop of it to the batter, and mix in well with the whisk.
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22
This sacrifices the delicate meringue to loosen the batter.
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23
Change to a rubber spatula, and add 1/3 of the meringue.
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24
Stir up from the bottom.
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25
When it's more or less mixed in, add 1/2 of the rest of the meringue.
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26
When that's been incorporated too, pour the batter into the bowl containing the remaining meringue and fold in.
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27
The finished batter looks like this.
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28
It's light and airy and shiny.
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29
Pour the batter into the cake pans from about 15 cm above them.
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30
Hold each pan with your thumb over the center funnel, and drop them gently 1 to 2 times to eliminate air pockets.
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31
Bake in an oven (20 minutes for 12 cm pans, 30 minutes for a 17 cm pan).
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32
When they're done, drop each cake pan from about a 15 cm height to eliminate the hot air and prevent shrinking.
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33
Turn over and let cool.
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34
Leave to cool until they the cake pans are just slightly warm to the touch.
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35
Put in a plastic bag and leave overnight.
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36
Insert a knife in between the pan and the cake, and go around once.
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37
Insert a bamboo skewer in the middle and go once around the funnel.
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38
Turn over, put the cake on your hand, and go once around the bottom.
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39
I took the cake out of the pan.
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40
Whip the fresh cream with sugar.
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41
When the cream forms very soft peaks, add the brandy, and continue whipping until it forms firm peaks.
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42
Set a choux pastry tip onto an icing bag, and fill with the cream.
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43
Place a cake upright.
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44
If you have 12 cm cakes, make 4 to 5 holes in it up to a 3 cm depth with a chopstick.
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45
If you have a 17 cm cake, make 6 to 8 holes up to a 5 cm depth with a chopstick.
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46
Insert the pastry tip into the whole and squeeze the cream in.
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47
Stop squeezing when a little cream comes squirting out of the hole.
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48
The cakes look like this.
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49
Wrap up in plastic wrap so they don't dry out and refrigerate for a while until the cream has settled, and they're finished.
