One of the things I love about traditional Spanish baking is that some of the loveliest recipes come from ordinary family kitchens rather than famous pastry shops.
This Valencian pumpkin cake, known as coca de carabassa, is a perfect example.
It’s soft, beautifully golden, and delicately flavored with lemon. The roasted pumpkin gives the cake its lovely color and tender texture, while the beaten egg whites help make it wonderfully light.
And unlike the sweet pumpkin breads made for All Saints’ Day, this cake doesn’t need yeast or hours of rising.
The Curious Story of La Borrassa
Years ago I came across a lovely old family recipe on Iaia’s Kitchen, a collection of traditional Valencian cooking.
The recipe originally came from a neighbor known as La Borrassa.
What caught my attention wasn’t just the cake, but the explanation behind her name.
In some Valencian villages, families have long been known by nicknames passed down through generations. These names can refer to surnames, occupations, physical characteristics, or stories that have become part of local life.
La Borrassa’s nickname came from her family name, Borras.
I love details like that. If you have a story like that, please wake me up even when I sleep. They remind me that a traditional recipe often has a whole community behind it, even when the ingredients are wonderfully ordinary.
Why Roasted Pumpkin Makes Such a Lovely Cake
Here in Valencia, pumpkin has a long history in sweet baking.
You’ll find it in traditional cakes, fritters, and other homemade treats. Roasting brings out its natural sweetness and gives the flesh a richer flavor.
For this coca, the pumpkin is mashed and mixed into a simple batter with eggs, sugar, milk, and sunflower oil.
The final touch is fresh lemon zest, which gives the cake a lovely fragrance.
It’s the kind of bake that belongs on the kitchen table, cut into generous squares and served with good coffee.
And perhaps that’s what I like most about it.
No elaborate decoration, no complicated filling and not difficult to make.Just a traditional Valencian cake and a recipe worth passing on.
Coca de Carabassa – Traditional Valencian Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 250 g 8.8 oz roasted pumpkin flesh, cooled
- 500 g 17.6 oz granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs separated
- 400 g 14.1 oz all-purpose flour
- 100 ml about ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 100 ml about ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp milk
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 32 g about 1.1 oz baking powder
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 37 × 25 cm (approximately 14½ × 10-inch) rectangular baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make sure the roasted pumpkin has cooled. Mash the flesh thoroughly with a fork until smooth, removing any fibrous pieces.
- Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in a separate, clean bowl.
- Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined and lighter in color. Add the mashed pumpkin and mix until evenly incorporated.
- Pour in the sunflower oil and milk, mixing until the batter is smooth.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add them gradually to the pumpkin mixture, mixing gently between additions until no dry flour remains.
- Stir in the finely grated lemon zest.
- Using clean beaters, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin batter in several additions, taking care not to knock out too much air.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake in the center of the oven for at least 30 minutes without opening the oven door. After 30 minutes, check the center with a wooden skewer. Continue baking if necessary until the cake is set and the skewer comes out without wet batter.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan before cutting into squares or rectangular slices.
