Pumpkin Cakelette Recipe

Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter or spray a 12-cup muffin tin or 6--8 large madeleine/petit cakelette molds; chill briefly so butter firms. Line a small bowl with dry ingredients: whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.

Wet ingredients

In a bowl or stand mixer, whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs until combined and slightly pale (about 1 minute). Add pumpkin purée, milk, oil and vanilla; mix until homogeneous.

Combine & bake

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until no streaks remain, do not overmix. Portion batter into prepared molds filling about 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 16–20 minutes for small cakelettes (20–25 minutes for larger), or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

If making ahead, cakelettes can be cooled and wrapped airtight at room temperature up to 24 hours or refrigerated up to 3 days.

Place peeled sweet potato cubes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until very tender, about 12–15 minutes. Drain well.

Return drained sweet potatoes to pan or a bowl. Add butter, miso paste, brown sugar, milk or cream and salt. Mash vigorously with a potato masher or use an immersion blender for a very smooth purée. Taste and adjust miso or salt as needed. Keep warm until assembly.

Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Add yuzu juice and zest and whisk to combine.

Place the bowl over (not in) a simmering pot of water (double-boiler). Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches about 170–175°F (it should coat the back of a spoon), about 8–12 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through the sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits.

Whisk in cold cubed butter a few pieces at a time until fully incorporated and the curd is glossy. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin and chill until cool; curd will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate until needed.

In a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and continue cooking, swirling pan occasionally, until milk solids brown and aroma is nutty (3–6 minutes). Watch carefully to avoid burning. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl to stop cooking and cool slightly. Reserve about 2 tablespoons for brushing the cakelettes before serving and incorporate the rest into the ice cream base as specified (see ice cream steps).

Warm milk, cream, and malted milk powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until just simmering and malt powder is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in chopped white chocolate and 3 tablespoons of the reserved brown butter; let sit 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale. Slowly temper the warm white chocolate-milk mixture into the yolks in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (custard temperature ~170–175°F).

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in remaining brown butter if any. Chill completely in an ice bath, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions until set. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm, about 2–4 hours. If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze in a shallow container and vigorously stir every 30 minutes until smooth and frozen.

Warm miso sweet potato purée gently if it cooled and is stiff; it should be scoopable but still soft. Cut or hollow a shallow well in the top of each pumpkin cakelette (reserve crumbs).

Pipe or spoon about 1 tablespoon of yuzu curd into each cakelette well, then top with about 1–1.5 tablespoons of miso sweet potato purée. Brush the exposed cakelette surface lightly with the 2 tablespoons of reserved brown butter to add gloss and nutty aroma.

Place a small scoop (about 1.5–2 oz) of malted white chocolate ice cream alongside or atop each cakelette just before serving. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Garnish with microgreens or chives if using.

Serve immediately so the ice cream doesn't fully melt — the contrast of warm cakelette and purée with cold ice cream and bright yuzu curd is the goal.