Festive Pumpkin Pie
I must be honest, I am an amazing cook but I am clueless when it comes to baking! I really find that it takes so much trial and error to get the perfect flop-free product and once you’ve gone wrong, there is no going back. So, when I bake I always start with a “master” recipe which I know is fool-proof and then slowly adjust quantities and change ingredients from there. This recipe is a traditional family recipe that my mom makes for all our festive gatherings. The traditional recipe includes white flour, eggs, white sugar, butter and cream. Since going vegan my mom hasn’t been able to successfully adapt this recipe to a healthy plant-based version so I thought I would try my hand at it and I was blown away by how well it turned out! I can honestly say that it’s better than the original version.
I chose to replace the white cake flour with chickpea flour. Chickpea flour is fine and light, just like cake flour, but it has a lot more fibre and protein and is naturally gluten-free (for those that are intolerant). I find it works well in most baked goods and it didn’t disappoint in this recipe. You can find chickpea flour at most Asian or Indian stores or at a health shop.
Aquafaba is the secret ingredient in this recipe. Aquafaba is the brine found in tinned chickpeas and it works wonderfully as an egg replacement in baked goods. It not only binds well but also adds lift and fluffiness to baked goods without altering the taste. Just drain the brine from a tin of chickpeas and beat it with an electric beater for a few minutes to create peaks, then fold it in to the batter.
For my patients on calorie-controlled meal plans:
1 serving of this recipe (1/6th of the recipe) =
1 starch serving
2 fat servings
Serves 8 as a side dish
Ingredients:
1kg diced pumpkin.
1 cup chickpea flour (besan).
4 tbsp vegan butter/ margarine (I use Flora Vegan spread).
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
9 tbsp Aquafaba (the brine from tinned chickpeas)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 cup coconut cream
Optional: Cinnamon stick and a drizzle of maple syrup for serving
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180’C and pre-spray your pie dish with non-stick cooking spray or coconut oil spray.
2. Steam the pumpkin for 20 minutes or until very soft. This can be done in a microwave steamer or over the stove.
3. Once steamed, place the pumpkin in a bowl and mash using a fork or potato masher.
4. Stir in the coconut sugar, flour, baking powder, coconut cream, cinnamon, salt and butter until evenly distributed. Don’t over-stir.
5. For the Aquafaba: place the aquafaba in a small mixing bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to beat the aquafaba for around 3-6 minutes or until soft peaks begin to form. This can be done by hand if you don’t have a mixer but it will take much longer and results won’t be as good.
4. Once the aquafaba has formed peaks, pour it into the pumpkin mixture and gently fold it in until it’s evenly distributed.
5. Pour the pumpkin mixture into your pre-sprayed pie dish and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. You can stick a chopstick or toothpick in it to check if it’s cooked through.
6. Allow to cool before cutting or removing from the dish. The pie will firm up as it cools and will naturally pull away from the sides of the dish so it will be easy to cut. You can re-heat it before serving if necessary.
