Minor Snow · Tea break · Qi Deficiency
Steamed pumpkin sponge cake with cashews
A soft, fluffy steamed cake sweetened mainly by pumpkin and topped with cashews and red dates — gentle, filling energy for a tired afternoon.
- 55 min
- Serves 4
- Steam
- Medium
WarmingBuilds qiStrengthens digestion
Why it suits you: Qi Deficiency means tiring easily and weak digestion. Yeast makes this cake light and easy to digest, pumpkin and red dates gently build qi, and cashews support the spleen and kidneys — a warm, filling bite as Minor Snow turns cold.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min- 1Slice the pumpkin thinly and steam over high heat for 10 minutes until soft. Mash it and let it cool until just warm (about 35°C).
- 2Stir the sugar and yeast into the pumpkin, then add the flour in batches, stirring with chopsticks into a thick, sticky batter.
- 3Pour into a lightly oiled 7-inch (18 cm) steaming tin, smooth the top and scatter over the cashews and red dates. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, until about doubled.
- 4Steam over medium-high heat for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 minutes so the cake does not sink.
- 5Cool slightly and cut into pieces; 1–2 pieces is a portion. At the office, microwave for 30 seconds to soften.
Cautions
- Cashews are a tree nut — leave them off, or use pumpkin seeds, if you are allergic.
- Watching your blood sugar? Keep to one piece and count it as your carbohydrate.
Chef's tips
- Batter rises slowly in cool weather: put it in the switched-off oven with a bowl of hot water and it should double in about an hour.
- Steam a batch ahead — it keeps 3 days in the fridge, or freeze slices and steam for 8 minutes.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm and builds qi; red dates are sweet and warm and nourish the spleen and blood; cashews are sweet and neutral and support the spleen and kidneys. Wheat flour is sweet and warm and strengthens the stomach, and fermenting makes it easier to digest. Sweet and gentle — it builds qi without feeling heavy.
