Pumpkin Sesame Swirl Chiffon Cake

I am totally stoked! Why? School's first term break is just around the corner which also means a break from the hectic daily routine..woohoo! :D What's best is a long awaited trip which I planned for the longest time. :) So so looking forward to it. Shan't talk too much about it now but I do hope I can elaborate more about it when I get back, hee! :D Okay okay, back to today's post. I baked a Chiffon cake, but it's a little erratic, not your usual flavor I would think, hee! Pumpkin Sesame Swirl Chiffon Cake...weird or not? Lol! I hope not!

As you can see, the pumpkin color didn't actually blend well into the batter, not as "orange-y" as I hoped. I guessed mainly because I didn't bother to use the blender but simply just mashing it. :P However the pumpkin and sesame flavoring is there, so luckily there's no disappointment in the taste.

Why, you may ask, such a funny combo? Well, I had initially planned to bake a plain pumpkin chiffon for my parents (pumpkin lovers). But then I remembered my parents bought a couple bottles of black sesame paste for me on their last holiday trip, so Voila!

I mixed a little of the batter into the black sesame paste and here comes the not so zebra like patterns...Anyways, here is the recipe, in case, just in case there's someone out there that might be interested in this, lol! BTW, I adapted the pumpkin chiffon recipe from Carol's cookbook "烘焙新手必備的第一本書─106道超簡單零失敗的幸福甜點". But I made several changes to it, so here is my version:

Ingredients for Pumpkin Sesame Swirl Chiffon cake: (22 to 24" mould)
Egg Yolk Batter:
5 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
60 ml vegetable/olive oil I used 60ml)
90g puree/mashed steamed pumpkin
100ml fresh milk
75g cake flour
75g plain flour

Egg white Batter:
5 egg whites
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
70g caster sugar

3 tsp black sesame paste
Method:

• Preheat the oven to 175C.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar till well blended. Then blend in the vegetable oil and mix well.
• Now add in the pumpkin puree and milk, mix well again. Finally add in the sifted flours and whisk till everything combined together well.
• In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and lemon juice till foamy. Then add the caster sugar gradually and beating at the same time till all is added in and the batter is stiff peaks.
• In 3 separate portions, add the whites into the yolk mixture and gently fold in to combined.
• In a small bowl, mix about 3 tbsp of the cake batter with the black sesame paste thoroughly. Then drizzle this black sesame batter over the pumpkin batter and roughly mix in with 3 to 4 swirls.
• Gently pour the batter into the fluted pan and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes till tester comes out clean.
  

I hate those holes in the cake...I guess it has something to do with the consistency of the egg whites? Or is it the way I fold the whites in? Any pointers anyone? Thanks! Either way, I need more practice. :P


Okay, got to go. Hope you all have a nice break next week! I know I will, hee!