My all-time favorite pie: a buttery crust, a nutty-sweet kabocha squash filling, and a rich cream cheese and heavy cream topping — so good you'll close your eyes on the first bite
Work in this order: pie crust, kabocha filling, then cheese cream. Make the pie crust ahead of time.
Mash the steamed kabocha squash in a bowl and let it cool to 50°C or below.
Add the egg, light brown sugar, and salt and mix with a hand whisk.
Add the heavy cream and condensed milk and mix.
Add the ground cinnamon and nutmeg and mix.
Pour the filling into the blind-baked pie crust and bake in an oven preheated to 165°C for 30 minutes.
Remove the pie from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack while you make the cheese cream.
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until loosened.
Add one third of the heavy cream and beat until smooth.
Add the rest of the heavy cream and whip until thick. It should be slightly stiff rather than runny; be careful not to overwhip.
Dollop the cheese cream roughly over the top of the cooled pie.
Spread the cream with an offset spatula. A rustic, natural finish looks much better than a perfectly smooth one.
Finish with a dusting of cinnamon.
Tips
I created this recipe because I couldn’t forget the incredible pumpkin pie I had abroad — the combination of buttery crust, nutty-sweet kabocha filling, and rich cream cheese and heavy cream is outstanding.
If you have a family gathering coming up, this is the pie to bake.
Use a kabocha squash that’s dry and starchy rather than watery.
It keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the crust loses its crispness over time, so it’s best eaten as soon as possible.
Kabocha Squash Pie
Equipment: oven, food processor, kitchen scale, mixing bowl
Ingredients (1 batch)
- unsalted butter 100g
- all-purpose flour 165g
- sugar 20g
- salt 2g
- water 30g, ice-cold
- egg yolk 10g, for brushing the crust
- sweet kabocha pumpkin 250g, steamed
- egg 60g
- muscovado sugar 30g, light brown
- salt 2g
- heavy cream 60g
- sweetened condensed milk 50g
- ground cinnamon 1g
- nutmeg a pinch
- cream cheese 55g
- heavy cream 210g
- sugar 32g
- ground cinnamon a little
Instructions
1. Work in this order: pie crust, kabocha filling, then cheese cream. Make the pie crust ahead of time.
2. Mash the steamed kabocha squash in a bowl and let it cool to 50°C or below.
3. Add the egg, light brown sugar, and salt and mix with a hand whisk.
4. Add the heavy cream and condensed milk and mix.
5. Add the ground cinnamon and nutmeg and mix.
6. Pour the filling into the blind-baked pie crust and bake in an oven preheated to 165°C for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the pie from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack while you make the cheese cream.
8. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until loosened.
9. Add one third of the heavy cream and beat until smooth.
10. Add the rest of the heavy cream and whip until thick. It should be slightly stiff rather than runny; be careful not to overwhip.
11. Dollop the cheese cream roughly over the top of the cooled pie.
12. Spread the cream with an offset spatula. A rustic, natural finish looks much better than a perfectly smooth one.
13. Finish with a dusting of cinnamon.
https://hong-recipe.pages.dev/en/recipes/sweet-pumpkin-pie/
Hong's Recipe