Steamed pumpkin and banana muffin

Since I've initiated the cooking event for the Facebook Group: Healthy Food for My Baby that involves pumpkin (for September), I've been cooking and baking a lot with pumpkin. Fingers crossed the lil' fella is not gonna turn yellow. I realized some babies (or even adults) are particular sensitive to the yellow pigment (beta-carotene) in these yellow food (including sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin, kiwi etc). Their skin turns yellow after two consecutive meals involving these yellow-color food. The reason for this is because their body takes longer time to flush out the beta-carotene (a great antioxidant). Many parent may find it unappealing, but it is generally harmless.

 

I baked a lot! At times, I wonder if the lil' fella would get heatiness eating all my baked food. But he seems not to be affected. But I tried out this recipe for the sake of the mommies in the group, as I realized that many mommies are looking for a simple snack recipe for their lil' ones, that's straight forward, without involving too complex steps making it. Also, many mommies don't like to bake (for fear of heatiness) or just because they don't own an oven at home. If you're one of them, then you can try this out.

 

This steamed muffin turns out to look and even taste like 'Huat Kueh' 发糕。 I don't eat 'Huat Kueh' (translated as prosperity cake) any other time of the year, except for Chinese New Year. I find them quite dry.

 

This recipe is adapted from food-4tots. You may refer to her beautiful photos of her version of this steamed muffin and also very detailed pictorial step-by-step description on how to make it. Even before I made mine, I already knew mine wouldn't turn out to have the bright yellow color like hers, cos I was going to add banana into mine. Banana will turn a little brownish upon cooking. But I wanted to add banana into the recipe, cos I knew pumpkin taste would be quite subtle and I wasn't gonna add sugar into my muffin (this is a snack for the lil' fella, and I haven't been adding sugar or salt into his food, he's not one yet). I needed the banana to sweeten the muffin.

 

These are the photos of my steamed pumpkin and banana muffin. Love the way the muffin smiles (or laughs) happily at me :)

 

Wrap the lid with a cloth when steaming the muffin, so that the condensate
won't go onto the muffin and ruin the look of the muffin.

HUAT ah!! All muffin smiling happily :D

The texture was soft and fluffy, especially when warm.

Lil' fella has his plain. I have mine with strawberry yogurt.

 

 

 

Lil' fella's breakfast platter

Recipe:

(Adapted and modified from source)
This recipe makes 8 muffin

 

*80g steamed pumpkin

*50g mashed ripe banana

*1 egg, beaten

*pinch of salt

*1/2 cup fresh full cream milk (or coconut milk or formula milk)

*2.5 tbsp. virgin coconut oil

*200g superfine or cake flour, sifted

*1.5tsp double acting baking powder

 

1. Beat egg till foamy.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients, ie pumpkin, banana, milk, oil, add in beaten egg.

3. Add in sifted dry ingredients, ie flour, salt and baking powder.

4. Fill muffin batter into a cupcake liner till about 80% full.

5. Bring a pan of water to boil. When water is boiling, place muffins on a steaming rack over the boiling water and steam for 15min.

 

Note:

1. This muffin is okay to freeze for future consumption. Just steam it for another 5-10min before serving.

2. This muffin is a snack and morning breakfast for the lil' fella at his 11th month. He has been tested okay on egg yolk and egg white.

 

 

This post is linked to the cooking/baking event, Yummy Homemade BabyFood, organized by me and Healthy Food for My Baby. To join, simply cook and bake any dishes for your babies under 2, using pumpkin (for month of September 2013). For more details, please see this.