By Carolina Gelen
Published Nov. 19, 2024
- Total Time
- 2 ¼ hours, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- 4(11)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This take on bánh bò nướng, a classic Vietnamese dessert, is spiced with comforting fall flavors and doused in white chocolate — and integrates pumpkin purée. Also known as honeycomb cake, this dessert has a dense, chewy interior, with a crusty exterior that makes it so snackable. Besides the irresistible flavor and texture, the recipe offers a delicious gluten-free option for your dessert table. The batter requires a few rounds of straining through a large fine-mesh sieve, so make sure to set up your work station for success, with two large bowls that can accommodate the batter. Try to not overmix, and use gentle stirring motions to prevent too many bubbles forming in the batter. A reliable nonstick Bundt pan will make unmolding the cake a breeze.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 servings
- ½cup plus 1 tablespoon/142 grams canned pumpkin purée
- 1tablespoon pumpkin spice, plus more for topping
- 1⅓cups/266 grams granulated sugar
- 1(13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon salt
- 2cups/255 grams tapioca starch
- ¼cup/31 grams white rice flour (not sweet rice flour)
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- 5large eggs
- 3tablespoons coconut oil
- 4ounces/113 grams white chocolate, chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
349 calories; 15 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 201 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
See AlsoThe Ultimate Guide: How to Spice Up Pumpkin Bread for a Delicious Twist - AmyCooksEatsPumpkin Spice selber machen: So kreierst du das perfekte Herbst-GewürzCozy Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Seed Milk (Dairy-Free Fall Favorite) - Biting at the BitsWondering What to Make With Pumpkin Seeds? Try These Creative IdeasHeat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a 10-inch nonstick Bundt pan in the oven to preheat.
Step
2
To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. Cook, stirring frequently, until a film forms on the bottom of the pan and the pumpkin purée is smooth and glossy, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Step
3
To the saucepan, add the sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and salt. Place over medium heat and whisk for 1 minute until the sugar has dissolved. (Avoid bringing the mixture to a boil.) Set aside to cool slightly.
Step
4
Place a large, fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl. Add the tapioca starch, rice flour and baking powder and sift, then whisk to combine. Place the sieve over another large bowl. Add the eggs to the sieve. Using a silicone spatula, gently mix the eggs to pass through the sieve, using delicate, long stirring motions to incorporate as little air as possible. This process will take a few minutes.
Step
5
Pour the warm (or room temperature) pumpkin mixture through the sieve over the eggs, then gently whisk to combine.
Step
6
Place the sieve over the dry ingredients. Pour the pumpkin-egg mixture over the dry ingredients. Gently whisk just until a mostly liquid batter forms, with many dry flour lumps all over.
Step
7
Place the sieve over the empty bowl and pour the batter through, gently pushing the batter with a silicone spatula through the sieve. Repeat one more time until batter is completely smooth, with no flour lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil.
Step
8
To the preheated Bundt pan, add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and brush the pan to coat. Pour the batter in the pan. Bake, without opening the oven door for the first hour, until the cake looks golden and feels springy on top, 1 ¼ hours to 1 ½ hours. (When the cake is done, a toothpick inserted into its center should come out clean, without any raw batter.) Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully flip onto a serving plate. Let cool to room temperature.
Step
9
To a small microwave-safe bowl, add the white chocolate and the remaining 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Microwave, stirring at 15-seconds intervals, until ¾ of the chocolate is melted. Mix to combine, using the residual heat to melt the chocolate.
Step
10
Slowly drizzle the melted chocolate on the cake, going in circles around the cake, slowly pushing the chocolate toward the sides. Using a small sieve, lightly sprinkle with more pumpkin spice on top. (The cake is best served fresh the day of, but can be stored at room temperature, covered, up to 3 days.)
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Ratings
4
out of 5
11
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Ackbark
@C it can be and is often eaten without any sauce. Some people (myself included) like to eat it with a drizzle of coconut sauce which is sometimes referred to as Nuoc Cot Dua if you’re looking for a recipe. That said, as a Vietnamese person, I plan to make the version in this recipe. The white chocolate drizzle is a playful nod to the traditional coconut sauce which I think is novel and would be a hit with my family.Another uncommon/non-traditional trick is to grill the slices which makes it even more transcendent. This is done at the James beard award-winning Vietnamese restaurant, Berlu in Portland, OR.
A tired Vietnamese
East Asian and Southeast Asian sweets are usually not-too-sweet and while understandably this is a western take and spin, adding a white chocolate layer just seems to rob a classic bánh bò nướng of its charm.
Laur
Anything with rice flour and tapioca is gonna have a mochi like texture :)
Laur
A combination of spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, allspice. Usually these flavors go into a pumpkin pie.. so "pumpkin spice" has become a flavor in itself
niki
really really good. we ate the whole thing in like an hour. i think i underbaked it a bit but it was still delicious.didn't use the chocolate, didn't need it. and white chocolate is gross.
Erin S
My kids and I just made this cake. We liked it. The flavors were all really good. It’s definitely a departure from a traditional “American” cake in that the texture of the interior has more of a marshmallow or boba chewiness. But the flavors of a typical Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert are all there. If you’re feeling like dessert with a twist, give it a whirl.
C
What topping would work well besides white chocolate?
Erica
@C - you could use a mesh sieve to dust a little powdered sugar on top, and maybe a little pumpkin spice on top of that? Would look pretty without being as heavy as white chocolate or frosting.
Bricoleur
Enjoyed this even more than the original recipe for Banh Bo Nuong in the Times, as the technique is very slightly more refined and gave much better results. Do not skip the pumpkin pie spice sprinkle and do yourself a favor and either buy a fresh jar or grind together a batch yourself; it really elevates the flavor to a new level. I used leftover butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin and it worked great, something to think about when looking at those Thanksgiving leftovers.
Erin S
My kids and I just made this cake. We liked it. The flavors were all really good. It’s definitely a departure from a traditional “American” cake in that the texture of the interior has more of a marshmallow or boba chewiness. But the flavors of a typical Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert are all there. If you’re feeling like dessert with a twist, give it a whirl.
Addi
I’m not sure if this texture just isn’t for me, but this was incredibly chewy, and almost gelatinous, in a mochi-like way. Would not make again, but maybe someone who likes this texture would enjoy.
Laur
Anything with rice flour and tapioca is gonna have a mochi like texture :)
Aegyogirl
What is pumpkin spice? We don’t have it where I am.
Laur
A combination of spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, allspice. Usually these flavors go into a pumpkin pie.. so "pumpkin spice" has become a flavor in itself
niki
really really good. we ate the whole thing in like an hour. i think i underbaked it a bit but it was still delicious.didn't use the chocolate, didn't need it. and white chocolate is gross.
A tired Vietnamese
East Asian and Southeast Asian sweets are usually not-too-sweet and while understandably this is a western take and spin, adding a white chocolate layer just seems to rob a classic bánh bò nướng of its charm.
C
What topping would work well besides white chocolate?
Ackbark
@C it can be and is often eaten without any sauce. Some people (myself included) like to eat it with a drizzle of coconut sauce which is sometimes referred to as Nuoc Cot Dua if you’re looking for a recipe. That said, as a Vietnamese person, I plan to make the version in this recipe. The white chocolate drizzle is a playful nod to the traditional coconut sauce which I think is novel and would be a hit with my family.Another uncommon/non-traditional trick is to grill the slices which makes it even more transcendent. This is done at the James beard award-winning Vietnamese restaurant, Berlu in Portland, OR.
lily
@C I made this last night and it was way too sweet with the white chocolate. Cake was fantastic though- next time I’m just going to do some cinnamon sugar or maybe a light coconut glaze
Erica
@C - you could use a mesh sieve to dust a little powdered sugar on top, and maybe a little pumpkin spice on top of that? Would look pretty without being as heavy as white chocolate or frosting.
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